I walked to the table that was attached to the wall. Looking over it, I grabbed a knife that seemed pretty sharp.
“Katya,” Mama Hen said.
“It’s fine. She’s right.” I snapped the plastic binds at her ankles. Our guys were smart enough to switch them to heavy duty, but the knife cut through easily.
She tried to kick me, but even with my bum shoulder, my reflexes were much better than hers. I grabbed her foot, then sharply twisted it. Something popped.
She cried out as I dropped her foot then stepped over her before turning her to her belly so I could cut the ones at her wrist. “Fair is fair.”
Still gripping the knife, I grabbed her hair and lifted her head. “Did you notice my cut?”
“Aww, he finally fell to the pressure, I see. Congrats.”
I slammed her face to the ground then stood, slamming the knife to the floor. It stood just inches from her.
Leaning down, I grabbed her head again and twisted it so she could see Mama Hen. “Remember what I said at the cabin?”
“You said a lot of dumb shit. How can I possibly remember it all?” Jeannie asked, disdain dripping from each word.
“I said if you touch her, I’d break your hands.” Shoving her face back down, I gripped her hands, squeezed and twisted. As the bones popped, she wailed and shook.
She cried out, “I didn’t touch her!” followed by a shriek.
“You did. Maybe she touched you first, but you struggled with her, and I took a bullet trying to help.”
“Good thing there’s a new First Lady.” Jeannie’s breath was labored but she couldn’t stop running her mouth. “Guess she’s losing her edge.”
I stepped back, and let Mama Hen take her turn. She was less methodical and less talkative. Instead, she kicked her several times, then leaned down, gripping her hair with one hand and repeatedly slamming her fist in her face. The snap when she broke her nose was loud, and Lacy and Kristie winced, but Daisy, Shiv, and Sugar watched on with poker faces as they all stood huddled together.
Mama Hen finally stopped, and pushed her head down before standing and shaking her hand. It was bloody, but from the broken skin at her knuckles, I couldn’t tell what was hers and what was Jeannie’s.
She lay there on the tarped floor, struggling to catch abreath. She finally managed to say, “You won’t kill me.” She spat again. “They’ll come for you,” she said, followed by a series of coughs. “The more you do, the worse it’s going to be.”
A maniacal laugh erupted from me. One I’d never heard, but it was suitable for the occasion. “Oh, Jeannie, Jeannie, Jeannie. Tsk, tsk, tsk.” I crouched down, grabbing the knife that was still stuck in the floor. “They didn’t tell you?” I stuck out my bottom lip. “So sad. Your mother was taken into custody. And the family put it all on her and refused to allow their attorney to get involved. Seems your mother has been disowned.”
“That’s a lie. They’d never do that.”
“Does one of you have a phone on you?” I asked.
Kristie pulled hers out.
“Type in Anna De Luco kidnapping and show me, please.”
Kristie typed a few things and her brows shot up. “Oh, wow. Yeah, your mom is fucked.”
She came closer and held the phone up.
I read a few lines. “Martinelli cousin Anna De Luco indicted on numerous counts of Human trafficking, kidnapping, racketeering, and a laundry list of other lesser charges. Martinelli, rumored to be a crime boss in New York, has denounced the wrong doings of De Luco, calling her hideous and evil.”
“Stupid girl.” Jeannie scoffed. “Of course he said that. You should know the code of the family.”
I nodded for Kristie to go back with the others. “I do.And the family would say the allegations are hideous and evil, offer to assist in bringing the right perpetrators to justice, and clear the name of their family. I wouldn’t be surprised if she mysteriously committed suicide in her cell sometime soon.”
Jeannie sniffed. “Okay, fine. Then send Hawk in to finish me off. Or does he need me to finish him off?”
“You’re very delusional, you know that? Did you really think that would bother me?”
“Well, I know him more intimately than you. And I also know the pretty little princess won’t handle business. You may have your fancy kicks and tricks, but you don’t have the balls to kill me. So stop pretending.”
