Page 56 of Seeking Vengeance
The fast-acting toxin was already numbing his legs. Nicki was a big fan of fast-acting toxins. Completely organic, used for centuries by African tribesmen, they wouldn’t show up on any routine autopsy. No one knew more about untraceable poisons than Nicki, and in her opinion, there was nothing better. Two more, one in each arm, quickly followed.
Fisher’s voice sounded clearly in her earpiece. “First floor’s secure. Brookes is calling for a cleanup crew. Nix, hang tight; we’re on our way up.”
She was running out of time. They wouldn’t permit her to draw out Benny’s fate as she wished, as she’d dreamed of doing all these years. The paralytic was fast but not that fast. She had no choice. She might be robbed of meting out her vengeance in its entirety, but she would not be robbed of this.
Grabbing Benny’s robe, she ripped the sash out of it and promptly stuffed it into his mouth. A searing pain slashed through her abdomen. She looked down to see a blade in Benny’s hand. She cursed herself; she was better than this! Benny always kept one or more weapons within reach. Ignoring the pain, she grabbed the daggerlike blade from his fast-softening grip and then reached behind him, extracting a small handgun as well.
Footsteps were clearly audible on the stairs now. Judging by the triumphant look in Benny’s eyes, he thought they were his guards responding to his shout.
Nicki pushed open Benny’s legs and settled herself between his knees. Looking into his face, she let him see the near-maniacal gleam in them. “You don’t know how long I’ve dreamed of this,” she whispered. With one hand, she grabbed his manhood; the other held the blade she’d taken from him.
Benny’s muffled screams were like music to her ears as she took one effective swipe.
Fisher broke through the door first. “Jesus Christ!” he yelled, freezing as he tried to process the scene before him.
Nicki barely moved, as if transfixed, holding Benny’s severed member in her hand, covered in blood. She was only vaguely aware of Fisher’s presence.
“Fucking hell! Nix! Nix, sweetheart, look at me,” Fisher commanded.
She did. She slowly turned her head, relishing Benny’s anguished, choking screams. Her eyes were silvery, like the moon, her expression triumphant.
“She’s in shock, Fish,” Brookes said, pushing past him.
He took two steps before Nicki dropped the blade and Benny’s appendage and picked up the gun.
“Whoa, Nix. It’s me, Brookesie, remember? Darlin’, we’ve got to get you outta here now, feel me?”
Nicki blinked. Then, she pointed the gun right between Benny’s eyes, grinned, and fired.
* * *
“Holy fucking shit,Nix. Remind me not to piss you off,” Brookes said as he drove away from the quiet residential neighborhood.
By the time the cleanup crew was finished, there would be no indication of what had occurred. A For Sale sign would appear on the property within the week, and the neighbors would believe that the reclusive owner had simply decided to remain in his second residence down in Florida. All of Benny’s assets would be discreetly, untraceably liquidated.
Nicki was shivering in Fisher’s arms despite the fact that Brookes had the heater blasting and Fisher had wrapped his coat around her.
“You’re scaring me, Nix. You’re really fucking scaring me,” Fisher said.
Her eyes shone against the abnormal paleness of her face. She blinked once, twice, and Fisher was stunned by the pain he saw there. Nicki was the toughest agent he’d ever worked with. Cold. Precise. Unerring. The woman he held in his arms now was not the one he knew.
Brookes pulled into the motel parking lot, keeping away from the lamps illuminating most of the area. Fisher bundled up Nicki and guided her through the shadows and into their room. Without hesitation, he pulled off the coat and carried her into the shower, where he held her under hot, steamy water until she started to come around.
He breathed a sigh of relief when she finally pushed away from his chest and looked up at him.
“Gee, Fish, we were always naked inmyfantasies. And you looked a lot more like The Witcher.”
He laughed and kissed her head as relief flooded him. “Welcome back, Nix. You okay?”
“Yeah.” She smiled wearily. “Nothing a six-pack, a pizza, and a good night’s sleep won’t fix. Now, get the fuck out of my shower.”
For once, Fisher didn’t argue.
* * *
“And bring me my shit,”she yelled after him.
Nicki knew by the burning sensation across her stomach that Benny had managed to get in a good slice, but thankfully, no one had noticed it. Benny’s emasculation had been so bloody that they hadn’t thought twice about the copious red stains on her abdomen.
