Page 95 of Into the Blue
It was personal, but I wasn’t willing to fuck up my hands to end their miserable existences. My people had felt that enough to pitch in to this retribution beat-down. It would make it last a little longer than necessary.
Working smarter, not harder. That’s just good business.
Slipping the blade into my external sleeve, it glimmers in the hard lighting of the open room. Venom drips only slightly at the hilt where I’ve coated the blade.
Lawrence is first. The throat would be too generous. I look for a spot that has the fewest bruises already, and I’m happy to find that there are many of them. But right between his ribs, looks good to me.
A clean entry is good for me, bad for him.
With his body weight contorting from the pipe, I can hear the ligaments pop as he jerks from the effects of the venom.
I hope that he will remain conscious for the duration of it.
Keith is next. I don’t need to deliberate for this piece of shit. He kept her from screaming in the lot with a hand to her mouth. After wiping my blade on Lawrence’s pants, I make sure it’s ready for a new entry. With the arm that isn’t tied to the pipe, I slip the blade directly between the bones above his wrist, slow at first and then twist when I remove the blade.
There is no screaming that I’ll miss from his pain today.He’s earned it all.
And finally, Ervin. He was the genius with the syringe and later the one who knocked her unconscious with his boot at my doorstep. My grip doesn’t falter when I bring my boot up to his head with a kick and then plunge the knife into his chest right over his heart.
The three of them flail in agony as the culmination of their beatings and my venom takes them on the most miserable journey to their end.
I’m certain there are more who deserve a similar fate, but I want that motherfucker, Junior, on the end of my blade more.
I was up until late in the night working over the three men responsible for most of Racquelle’s injuries. I chose to stay at the warehouse and clean up, only taking a shower and quick nap before the next work day came.
And per usual, it was more shit I didn’t want to deal with on my desk.
More money lost, more product gone.
Chasing down whatever new attack was causing my empire to bend, near breaking, didn't excuse me from the day to day responsibilities that fell to me here. Even more so now that we were losing people and consistently having to shuffle duties between who was left. No matter how mundane.
“Boss, Kitty’s here to see you,” crackles through the line. I really had not expected to see her here after she had been staying with Michael.No—Mack.
As far as we could tell, she didn’t remember anything damning and couldn’t have been telling any secrets. When I got a call from her a couple of weeks back, I thought something was up. Knew she wasn’t responsible for whatever leak or mole or rat I was dealing with. Was willing to pick her up and everything but chose to send someone in my stead because I had enough to deal with.
Once she got here, I had to explain to her, as best I could, why she started working with me. I’m thankful that last night alleviated most of the rage I had over my circumstance because dealing with Kitty is trying, even in the best of times. I don’t comment on her disrespect because she doesn’t have the three years of seeing why I deserve it at the ready. Her memory is shoddy.
I do my best to summarize what I can. “You showed up at my house. Not here but at my family home. You had fire in your eyes. I figured you were high or somethin’. Nobody talks to me like that and lives.” I narrow my eyes on her in a way that suggests she should get a clue about that fact. I might not be ready to flip, but that could be triggered by anything at this point. “But it turns out that you and I had mutual goals.”
Her eyes go big as saucers, but she asks, “What were our mutual goals?”
“Revenge.”
“Revenge?”
I nod, surprisingly comfortable telling her this truth. “Both wanted revenge. The night you lost your Nana was the night I lost a good friend and a valuable soldier. The Lafayettes set up Lewis, Redd’s brother.”
It was the night that everything became clear.
Lewis went to a house party to sell some green. Not unusual for a low tier guy. Redd didn’t have a problem with his little bro in the life since he was always more proud of this shit than I was. Plus, Lewis was an eager little punk.
That night, there was a mix-up or maybe it was intentional. His bag had more coke than green and it was only one person’s fault. Junior was at the party, but Lewis refused to sell the snow. Accused Junior of setting him up and shots were fired.
That’s all I had found out anyway.
Redd was livid, wanted to go after him right away. But I knew it would start a war that we weren’t prepared for. Had to hit back in another way.
Kitty’s voice breaks my reverie, “And that’s how I ended up workin’ for you?”
