Power (Romantic Suspense) (27 page)

“Stand up, Hugo.”

He remained on the ground, but now he began mumbling some prayer and drooling all over himself as he cried.

Mary Jane better be okay.

“Somebody get this motherfucker up.” I slung my shirt and jacket on the ground. Two big guys picked Hugo up and dragged him to me. “Turn him around so he can see the crowd.”

What is this, God? Some sort of lesson. You give me her and then you take her away? She better be okay. She better fucking be okay or this entire city will pay. The innocent and the guilty.

“I think that Domingo’s and Rasheed’s deaths have triggered a problem in this organization, when at once, we’d all been happy and at peace.” I stretched my arms and gripped the machete hard. “I want you to all know, as your supervisor, that it is in my best interests to maintain a certain quality of life within this organization.”

I walked over to Hugo and the the two men holding him up. “Every employee will be treated with the utmost respect.”

I slammed the machete into his gut. Blood pooled under his shirt and spilled out of the gash. Meat appeared angry red and ripped apart, and Hugo screamed in agony. “Take off his shirt and stuff his mouth. I want to make sure everyone can hear me.”

They did what I told them and quieted the man.

When this angry, I had no fear or phobia like the other times. Too much rage boiled through me. In that moment, I was ready to see as much blood as possible. I didn’t give a fuck which one of them sprayed it out the most.

I told her that she was safe with me and on our first date, she gets stabbed.

Exhaling, I turned back to the crowd. “Although no one has said anything, I get a sense that people want to do things differently. Am I right?”

Everyone shook their head
no
. Even 305, who damn sure had proven his loyalty more times than many. There was something about a bloody machete that made people want to listen more.

“Oh, good. So morale isn’t that bad.” I nodded. “but just in case,” I returned to Hugo. “Open his jeans and pull them down.”

“Excuse me, boss?” One of the men holding him said. “Did you say pull his pants
down
?”

“Yes.”

They did, but neither seemed excited about it.

“Now,” I swung for Hugo’s crotch, but didn’t let the blade touch it. I needed to get a few good swings in, before taking it there. It was best that I enjoyed this moment. I didn’t want to do the other thing, which was die in agony while waiting to hear about Mary Jane.

“Please, Noah!” Hugo begged through the cloth. “Just kill me. Just kill me. Please don’t.”

The guys stuffed his mouth more.

“It’s too late for pleading, my friend.” I wiped the machete’s blade on his pants and swung it around in my hand. “So employees, my dedicated staff of motivated men. We meet tonight so that I can explain to you that there is an open-door policy in this organization.”

I got in front of Hugo and yanked down his boxers. It hadn’t been the highlight of the night, but then my week had already gone to shit. His sad little dick dangled and he struggled to get out of my men’s hands. With his bloody shirt in his mouth, he could barely keep out the screams, but at least, everyone could still hear me.

I placed the blade on the tip of his dick and tapped it over and over as I spoke. “I want you all to stay calm and be assured that there is a grievance procedure in this organization where you can voice your complaints and be heard.”

I raised the machete in the air and in a flash, I slashed the tip off. That bulbous, meaty thing dropped to the ground along with pink and green gunk and a stream of blood that seemed to never stop. Bile rose in my throat. I turned away from the mess.

She better be okay.

The Bordello Twins tried to escape. Other men rushed and held them down. Choppa damn near had an asthma attack, coughing and sneezing on the ground. But poor Hugo was done. At least he would be in a few hours when he bled to death.

“Tie his hands up and leave him by the shore.” I dropped the machete to the ground. If Crusher had been okay, he would’ve brought me over a wash cloth.

I have to clean this shit off of me and then get to the hospital to be with Mary Jane.

Holding my hands out in front of me so no more blood would get on me, I headed to my limo. “Don’t even let him drown. I want him to have time to think, before he dies.”

I turned back to the crowd and held my hands together, displaying a welcoming smile to all of my men. “Are there any questions and/or suggestions about how we do things?”

No one looked my way. They stared off into the space behind me, as if giving me eye contact would be a signature on their death certificate.

I got to 305. “Handcuff the rest of the guys and bring them to the club through the back entrance. I want to take my time with them.”

305’s mouth dropped a little, but he closed it quickly. “Are you okay, boss?”

“No.” I gazed up at the sky and cursed God too many times for my soul to count. “Did you hear back from J.J?”

“No, he never answered his phone.”

“Then J.J.’s dead.”

“What?”

“Butterfly declared war. She moved too soon and let her emotions get in the way of logic. You see her or her people and you fucking shoot first.”

“Shoot women?”

Fuck.

Groaning, I rubbed my face with both of my hands and considered the question.

You knew this shit would be difficult for me. Didn’t you, Butterfly? You knew I couldn’t go hard with you like I would with a man.

Mom raised me a certain way. I couldn’t tell anyone how or why, but she’s fucking made it impossible to kill another female. I didn’t know what it was. She used to do stupid things like make me hold the door open and cuddle next to her as we watched her Sunday morning prayers on the television. Whatever it was, I had no heart to hurt a woman.

“No, don’t shoot any women.” I cracked my neck and tried to think of an alternative.

“We could hurt them,” 305 offered.

“Naw, if we tell my people to hurt them, then they might go too far. When men mix violence with women, they start punching and taking their dicks out, and they take it too far.” I blew out a long breath. “No. We don’t touch her women. But we do fuck up any man guarding the place. Be sure to give them a chance to quit, but if not, take them down. I don’t want anyone guarding her brothels.”

I headed off to the limo and stopped. “Burn them down, too.”

“All of them?”

“Every fucking property. There won’t be any place for anyone to get their dick sucked in this city until this is over. In fact, if anybody that works with me goes after any of the women, kill them. I don’t have time for men to be ruled by their dicks. The worst way to get to Butterfly is not by a slap in the face or mean words, it’s her fucking pockets.”

305 said something else behind me, but I had no time to listen. I needed to get to whichever hospital Fuji had taken Mary Jane to. I had to get to her side and hold her hand making sure that she would be okay.

Crusher, you better be fine, too.

This street shit was nothing anymore. It used to be my life, but that all ended when her silly behind stumbled into my club. Everything else darkened around her light.

Weeks ago, I would’ve stayed in that parking lot and brutalized the rest of them. Months ago, I would’ve stormed the blocks, seeking Butterfly in every dark house and shadowed corner, enjoying the hunt. But not since Mary Jane. A year ago, I would’ve never considered worrying about some woman who I barely knew, but she came and turned it all upside down.

Baby, you better be okay.

Pissed, I threw the old list away and made a new one. But writing it gave me no satisfaction. There was only one task. This wicked duty booming in my heart.

Kill everyone that gets in Mary Jane’s and my way.

Chapter 19

Mary Jane

Discovering that a ladder has twenty steps going up,

a moron asked if there were just as many going down.

–Philogelos (The Laughter Lover)

T
he
doctor mumbled something to Noah. I could barely hold on to each word. They’d drugged me pretty good, but at least I could move.

I think I’m moving. Am I?

I couldn’t look down or truly keep my eyes open for too long. My entire body was numb. A euphoric feeling moved inside of me. I tried to lift my arm or turn my head. Nothing happened and I felt like laughing.

Yeah. I’m not moving. But what the hell did they give me? This is some good stuff.

I forced myself to keep my eyes open. Fuji’s big face came into view. He sat in the chair next to me. Noah stood by the door with the doctor. He had a fresh suit on, but his hair appeared disheveled.

“Your friend over there,” The doctor pointed to Fuji, “He explained that she was running in a hardware store and somehow slipped on a knife. That doesn’t explain the wound pattern or how she would’ve—”

Noah growled, “Is that a question?”

“Well, if she did not slip and fall on the knife, then it would mean that,” the doctor stirred a little, “It would mean that someone stabbed her. Which would mean that a crime was committed. I would have to report this.”

“Trust me. She slipped and fell. Let’s hope that she’s okay. The floors in this hospital are pretty slippery too. I would hate for you to slip and fall on a knife.”

The doctor’s expression changed from concerned to filled with horror. “That wouldn’t be a good thing.”

“No.” Noah stuffed his hands into his pockets. “So let’s get on with it. Is this a fucking Law and Order episode or are you going to tell me how she’s doing?”

The doctor cleared his throat and scribbled something on the pad in front of him. “I stitched her up. You friend is lucky she didn’t. . .slip onto the knife harder. None of her vital organs were hit. She should survive the wounds with no problem.”

“How long will it take her to get back on her feet?” Noah asked.

“Most are minor, so around ten days for initial healing. If everything is fine, then six weeks to full recovery. The skin will close up fast. It’s the tissues inside that need time to heal. She can’t do any lifting for several weeks.”

“Don’t worry. She’ll remain in bed the full six weeks,” Noah declared.

I absolutely will not be in bed for six weeks. I have school! I have a life. I have a mom who will be calling me soon, if I don’t hurry up and call her. And no one wants her snooping around.

The doctor continued, “I will need to have her follow up—”

Noah interrupted, “She’ll have a personal nurse and doctor starting tomorrow.”

My voice scratched a little as I whispered, “I. . .will?”

Fuji rubbed my hand. “Shh. Get your rest.”

I dragged my eyes open. “But—”

“Shh.”

And then my eyes closed and I went back to sleep. I wished for a good dream, but instead I floated in a drug-induced haze. Odd conversations happened around me and I couldn’t tell if it was my imagination or real life.

“Fuji.” Noah sounded tired. “Go to Crusher’s room, make sure he’s being checked on.”

“I don’t want to leave MJ.”

Silence was the only response.

Fuji sighed or maybe it was a groan of annoyance, but movement came from where he’d been sitting, as if he stood up. The big man spoke, “What about Crusher’s dwarves?”

Did he say dwarves?

“Get them. No one wants him to wake up in bed without them,” Noah said.

“I got them.”

Shuffling and foot pounding sounded next.

“And Fuji,” Noah said.

Fuji replied, “Yes, Boss.”

“Thank you for saving Mary Jane, but let’s make something very clear.” Noah’s voice held a sharpened edge. “She’s—”

“I love her, boss, but not like that.”

“Okay.”

“But if you ever let MJ get that close to danger again. . .I will kill you, Noah.”

A few seconds passed and I strained to open my eyes, but couldn’t and I drifted back into sleep. The door slammed off in the distance. I tumbled in and out of consciousness. The only constant voice was Noah’s. He whispered a lot to people. I had no idea when he slept. Most of the time he held my hand and barked out orders to whoever came by.