"Aw, boss. Why can't Stumpy do it? I'd like a little fun with this bitch," whined Jimmy. "I'm tired of fuckin the same old stuff."
"Shut up and do what I say, stupid. You can have her when he's done with her. Until then, throw Candy in the back and make sure no one sees you."
"Sure boss," grumbled the shorter man, deciding it wasn't a good idea to piss off his boss. "You'd better not be infected with any diseases," he growled, turning to Stumpy. "I catch something from her after you've fucked her and I'll kill yah!"
"Aw man. You know I don't do no diseased whores. She's from the Sisterhood. They keep their girls clean."
"Please, Mister..." begged Margo, grabbing Lenny's pant leg. "I ain't done nothing! Let me go and I won’t say anything."
"Jesus, bitch. Don't touch me!" yelled Lenny, kicking her hand away. "Stumpy here is gonna make sure of it. Maybe it'll teach some of the others not to stick their noses where they don't belong."
Motioning to his bodyguard to take her away, he pulled out a cigarette and lit it, ignoring the whimpers from the whore as she was dragged deeper into the alley. Jimmy leaned down and picked up Candy's limp body and carried her to the SUV and threw her onto the floor behind the back seat.
Tossing his half-smoked cigarette on the pavement, Lenny stepped on it and peered into the shadows. He had wanted to send a message to the Sisterhood, but letting Stumpy fuck the whore was taking too much time. A loud "oof"made him straighten up.
"Hey! Hurry up!" he yelled.
When his man didn’t answer, cursing loudly, he signaled for Jimmy to go and get him.
"Stupid bastard! How long does it take to fuck a whore?" he growled, pulling out another cigarette.
"Maybe he couldn’t get it up," Jimmy suggested, trying to make out the images in the dark alley. "You know why he’s called Stumpy?"
"Yeah. Looking at his size you’d think he’d at least have a big fuckin dick," snickered his boss. "Go get him and let’s get out of here."
"What about the whore?"
"If you have to fuck her, hurry up! Then kill her!"
Lenny decided it would be better not to leave a witness around. It might create a turf war if the whore blabbed to those bitches she worked for. Disappearing into the alley, Jimmy pulled a folding knife from his pocket and opened it.
"Stumpy, where you at, man?"
The sound of a dull thud made him chuckle.
"Bout time you finished with her. Boss says we have ta hurry. Save some of that pussy for me and then let’s get out of here."
When Jimmy didn't get an answer, he frowned, fingering the knife blade nervously.
"Stumpy, you there?" he asked, uneasily and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. After a few seconds he saw two shadowy figures walking toward him. Their shape told him that they were women and he relaxed.
"Who are you?" he demanded, scraping his thumb over the sharp blade in his hand.
"Your worst nightmare," murmured a female voice coldly.
Jimmy didn't frighten easily. As one of Freddie’s top enforcers, he did most of the dirty work for his boss, including several hits in the past three years. Most of his time, though, was spent terrorizing anyone who gave Freddie grief. Perhaps it was a premonition but now he felt he was going to pay for his past acts.
"No," said the voice in response to his thoughts. "Only this one."
An invisible hand grabbed him by the throat and squeezed tightly, cutting off any chance of calling for help. Helpless, Jimmy swung the knife back and forth trying to slash his invisible attacker.
"Don’t make it any worse. I’d hate to have to kill you too soon."
Jimmy’s eyes bulged. The pressure around his neck increased although he found he could breathe shallowly. Giving a painful rasp, he tried to speak.
"What’s the matter, Jimmy? You’ve held plenty of people like this, especially women. Surely you must have wondered how it felt?" hissed the voice, its owner not yet identified. "It's not so much fun being on the receiving end, is it?"
A few feet away stood the two women, plainly visible even though his eyes were tearing up from the painful grip. Both were tall and slender. One was slightly shorter than the other. The taller woman was light skinned with spiked orange hair and purple tips. The other was darker with black hair. It was the eyes, though, that terrified him. Glowing brilliantly and a fiery red, they blazed with an unholy anger. Dropping the knife, he crossed himself and muttered a prayer for redemption.
"So like a coward," commented another voice, disgustedly. "I can assure you your god will not help you here."
"This scum isn’t worth wasting our time on," said the first voice.
"Hey!" yelled a male voice from the alley entrance. "What the hell is taking you so long? Freddie’s waiting!"
"Tell him to come here!" The grip on his neck eased enough to allow him to comply. Coughing and gagging, he thought about warning Lenny but immediately changed his mind when the freaky looking orange haired woman stepped closer.
"I wouldn’t."
Jimmy nodded, recognizing her as the owner of the first voice.
"Bo... Boss." he rasped. "Get back here!"
"Quit playing games, Jimmy. You and Stumpy get your asses out here now."
"Ummm..."
"Tell him Stumpy fell and hurt himself."
"Stumpy fell. I think he hurt hisself!" yelled Jimmy.
"Shit! Do I have to do everything?" Lenny muttered, throwing his third cigarette down.
Lenny hated getting his hands dirty. If Stumpy was down it would take the two of them to get him to the car. Shaking his head, he trudged into the darkness, moving slowly so his eyes could adjust to the low light. He was only a few feet from his goons when he noticed the two women. Looking at Jimmy, he motioned to them.
"Who the hell are they?"
"I don’t know," gasped Jimmy, rubbing his throat and swallowing painfully.
Shaking his head, Lenny turned to look them. His eyes moved up and down their lithe figures. Smiling his appreciation, he put his hands in his pockets and licked his lips, rocking slightly forward and backward on his feet.
"So... what can I do for you good lookin ladies?"
Agra stiffened. Aware that her friend’s anger was barely under control, Kali touched her arm lightly.
"Let me," she murmured and then turned to give him the same look he had just given them. "I doubt if there’s anything you could do for us, but we can do something for you."
Lenny's bodyguard was about to comment when he felt the grip lightly around his neck. The warning was clear. Keep quiet or die! Jimmy wasn't ready to sacrifice himself for his boss.
"Well, now. I see you two are reasonable women. Personally, I hate fucking in such a crude place, but for you I think it would be worth getting a little dirty," Lenny replied, assuming, in his arrogance, they wanted to do him.
"For you it should be, however, my friend and I don’t do animals. We leave that to bastards like you," Kali replied, stepping close to him.
"Ah... a woman with spirit. I like that. It will be so much more fun taming you."
Reaching out to stroke her cheek, he cried out when he felt his fingers being scorched by something hot. Instinctively, he jerked his hand back and blew on them.
"What the..."
"Hell?" finished the woman, her eyes flashing a bright red. "You’re about to find out."
"Who are you? Who are they?" he demanded, looking at Jimmy for answers.
"Oh. Forgive my rudeness. This is Agra... and I’m Kali. You know, those bitches who own the Sisterhood... the ones you want to teach a lesson to."
"Well, Kali... Apparently there's a misunderstanding here. Maybe I misinterpreted your intentions. How about we let bygones be bygones, eh? We can start over and just enjoy the moment. What do you say?" Giving her a boyish grin, he was sure he could charm them.
"How about we don’t," hissed Kali, unimpressed. "Instead, how about you tell me where I can find your boss and I make your death less p
ainful."
Lenny laughed. This one was a hoot.
"Sure. What ever you say," he responded, sarcastically. Stupid bitch! he thought.
"Oh I wouldn’t say that."
"Huh?"
Caught off guard, Lenny wasn’t sure what to say. Growing tired of the verbal sparring, he decided to end the discussion.
"Listen, bitch, I’m ti…"
Before he could finish his sentence he felt his throat grabbed and fingers pressed forcefully against the veins in his neck. A sharp pain in his chest made him look down. Lenny was sure he had been stabbed but didn’t see any knife protruding. The grip on his throat tightened making him gasp and grab at the hand choking him. There wasn't one. Finding nothing but his own skin, he panicked and grabbed at his shirt collar, thinking it was the source of the choking sensation.
Agra, who had been standing quietly a few feet away, stepped in front of him making eye contact.
"Now, where do we find Freddie?"
"At... at... 323 Fifteenth," he gasped, turning red as the pressure increased. Temples pounding, he felt faint and clawed at the invisible hand. Nails tore the skin on his neck and blood poured from the scratches, staining his shirt.
Jimmy watched in horror. His boss struggled in vain against the same force that was holding him captive. Although he could breathe he knew if he tried to escape he would suffer the same fate.
The stain on Lenny's shirt spread as he frantically ripped at the flesh trying to get enough air to breathe. Blood sprayed from his right jugular. Eyes bulging, he stared in horror when he realized he had severed the veins.
"Don’t worry. You won’t feel any more pain," promised the voice. "At least not in this life."
Slumping to the pavement, Lenny’s body twitched and then lay still. Agra turned to Jimmy, whose eyes had widened in terror.
"You want to live?"
Nodding yes, he relaxed a little as the grip on his neck eased slightly.
"Good. Do as I say and I might spare you, understand?"
Again he nodded, swallowing painfully.
"Take your whore and Margo to the hospital and make sure they are treated for their injuries... and pray neither of them die. Then you can haul this piece of shit to Freddie’s place and tell him we'll be paying him a visit... soon."
"Ye... Yes ma’am."
"And Jimmy, if anything happens to any more of my whores, I’m coming after you. From now on, your life depends on their welfare. Now, go!"
Gently lifting Margo to her feet, he escorted her to the SUV and then came back for Lenny. The two women had disappeared. Looking at Stumpy’s body, he decided to leave it alone as he dragged the dead man to the car and wrapped his body in a rain coat that had been thrown on the floor behind the driver's seat. Shifting Candy onto the rear seat, he dumped his boss’s body in the back and then climbed in and drove off. Sweat poured down his face. Glancing at the rearview mirror, he flinched at his pale reflection and then gasped as two fiery red eyes stared angrily back at him. Once he took care of the whores and gave Freddie their message, Jimmy was leaving town. He couldn't be blamed for anything if he wasn't around.
CHAPTER 10
KALI AND AGRA returned to the nightclub. Agra had calmed down once she knew Margo and Candy were going to be fine. When they saw Lilith and Yemaya working behind the bar, they couldn’t resist teasing them.
"Hey! Barkeep!" yelled Kali. "Two beers and hurry up!"
"Yeah! How come two thirsty women can’t get a cold beer in this place?"
"Did you hear something?" asked Yemaya, looking at Lilith, innocently.
"No. Why?"
"I thought I did. I must be imagining things."
"It’s the job. Sometimes you think you hear strange noises... take my word for it, it’s nothing more than static."
"Did you hear that, Kali? We’ve just been relegated to nothing," exclaimed Agra.
"I’m crushed," replied the dark demoness. "And to think we actually worked here once."
"Yeah. Maybe we need to find new jobs. It’s nice to be appreciated now and then."
"You know, Yemaya, you may be right. I believe I’m hearing voices too," said Lilith.
"Really? Well, just ignore them and maybe they will go away."
"Good idea."
"Okay ladies. We get the point. Now get out of here and let us do our jobs," ordered Kali, pushing the two women out of the way. "I hope you two haven't messed up my filing system."
"It’s about time," Lilith said. "And no we didn't. Now how about making Yemaya and the girls some drinks for helping to hold down the shop."
"Sure boss... and thanks."
"I take it everything turned out ok?"
"For now. Kali and I have some business to finish but we can take care of it later."
Agra quickly outlined what had happened. Lilith knew better than to ask what they had in mind.
"Let me know if I can help. This Freddie sounds like he could use a little lesson. Now, I need to talk with Dis. I’ll let him know you’re sending some new arrivals. He’ll love that," chuckled Lilith.
Did they just discuss their business in front of Yemaya and Dakota?
Waving goodbye to Yemaya, Dakota and Cammie, the demoness disappeared into her office and then vanished.
CHAPTER 11
THE GATES WERE impenetrable, except to those who belonged. No key, no force had been able to open them in tens of thousands of years but they opened effortlessly at Lilith's approach... and closed swiftly behind her. Several demons stopped to see who had arrived. Seeing the Underlord's ex, then went about their business, secretly enjoying the knowledge that Dis was probably going to catch hell from her for something. It was comforting to know that his life wasn't always fun and games.
As she strolled toward the fiery castle rising majestically above the lower levels of the Underworld, she stopped occasionally to chat with a demon or minion to catch up on the latest gossip. At the entrance of Dis's estate stood Cerberus, his three-headed guard dog. Lilith scratched his ears affectionately, amused at his puppy-like enthusiasm. She had always been fond of the giant beast. His ferocious reputation was well earned, but he was a softie around the demoness. She was one of the few who took the time to play "fetch the demini"with him, a game that terrified the small creatures that scurried through the Underworld, gathering the cast-off possessions of the other inhabitants. Knowing Cerberus would never hurt them, Lilith would grab one and throw it in the air, much to the delight of Dis's watchdog. Catching it in one mouth, he would spit it out and then retrieve it with one of his other mouths before it landed on the ground. Lilith would then pluck it from between his teeth, shake the drool off the demini and send it scurrying into the darkness. One of Cerberus’s heads would smile happily, while the other two looked at the demonish expectantly, hoping another demini would show up.
Dis watched as his ex-wife played with his pet. Eyes gleaming a bright reddish brown, he chuckled when two of the heads curled up their lips playfully while the third stuck out a tongue giving her a quick lick. Almost as old as the Underlord, Cerberus rarely exposed his playful side. It was good to see it now and then. Dis was afraid his oldest companion was beginning to feel his age. Picking up his robe, he slipped it over his shoulders and tied the belt loosely around his waist. He walked into his living room just as Lilith entered through the hall door.
"Don’t you ever knock?" he gruffed, good-naturedly.
"Why? You know I’m here the moment the gates open."
"True, but it would be the polite thing to do."
Lilith snickered.
"As if you ever cared about that."
Shaking his head, he chuckled. Lilith knew him too well.
"So, what is it you think I have done now?" he asked, resorting to his usual placating demeanor. Lilith never visited him unless she thought he had done something wrong.
"Now what makes you say that? Unless you have of course."
"You never come to the Underworld anymore unless you thin
k I've done something. No reason to believe this is a friendly visit."
Lilith smirked. Dis was right. Over the millennia her journeys to his fiery domain had grown fewer and fewer.
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