Ruthless People (23 page)

“Remember to pretend as if you care about anything. There is always a chance for a
photo of us to be taken.”

Fuck you.

Nodding, I looked out the window to see the same church we had gotten married in,
only a block away. I did my best not to think about my wedding. It only reminded me
of my father. When he took my hand, but I flinched away, and he smiled sadly, shaking
his head before tightening his grip.

“Do what you do best and lie,” he whispered as he helped me out of the car. Sure enough,
there were a few photographers. You would think they would have more respect. We were
going to church for God’s sake.

Sighing, I took off my sunglasses the moment we stepped inside, looking around again
at the beautiful and grand cathedral that mirrored many of the ones I loved in Europe.

“You really do look beautiful, Mel.” Coraline smiled at me, but I could tell she was
more excited about her future than she was about me.

“Thank you, Cora,” I said, smiling back. Olivia gave me a glare before taking Neal’s
hand and walking deeper into the church.

I bit my tongue to keep from saying something rude in God’s house. However, when my
eyes met that of a blonde in a pink, too-short-for-church dress, I felt the floodgates
open and a smile spread over my lips. She walked into the bathroom, and no one else
seemed to notice her. Not even Liam as he spoke with Neal, again.

Looking up, I smiled.
Thank you, Jesus, for this gift.
“You all go in. I will meet you in a moment.”

Liam eyed me carefully. “We should go in together. My mother wouldn’t have it any
other way.”

“Then your mother will just have to deal with it. I’m heading to the ladies room.
I’ll be right back.”

I sighed loudly. He had to fight me on everything. Coraline stepped forward, but I
glared at her before she could dare volunteer to join me. I handed Liam my purse and
turned away from him. He rolled his eyes before walking in after Neal and Olivia.

My pulse quickened when I stepped into the bathroom, pushing the wooden door open.
There, of course, stood Natasha, adding more lipstick to her Botox-filled lips. The
way she looked at me when in the door closed behind me told me all I needed to know.
She had no idea what type of person I was.

I smiled at her, washing my hands. “Hi.”

She smirked. “Well, if isn’t the infamous Mrs. Callahan.”

“Do I know you?” I asked innocently.

She whipped her golden hair over her shoulder twice, and I wanted nothing more than
to rip it from her head.

“You should,” she said, giving me a fake frown. “Look, I’m not trying to hurt you
and you seem sweet . . . a little too sweet, actually. But you need to know. Liam
and I were something before you got married. I know this is just some arranged marriage.
He told me so. It won’t last, sweetheart. Like I said, you’re sweet, but Liam doesn’t
need sweet. He needs a real woman.”

“And you’re that
real woman
?”

She smiled. “He doesn’t know it yet, but yes, I am. I know how to give him pleasure
like no one else. He came every time my mouth was on him. He
begged
at night for me. He made me come over and over again. We went at it like animals.
But then he would make sweet, slow, and passionate lov—”

Before she could finish, I grabbed her by her stupid blond hair and slammed her face
against the mirror. She screamed, letting out a cry of pain as the glass shattered
around her head. It almost looked like a spider web . . . a bloody spider web. Pushing
her face harder against the broken glass made her cry out again.

“Please . . .”

“I think you have said enough,” I whispered, moving slower to her. Blood poured from
the side of her face as I met her eyes. She whimpered, struggling against me, but
I held her still, pulling on her hair. Tears spilled from her eyes as she opened her
mouth to scream.

“You scream, I will bash your skull in, you hear me?” I glared at her, and her eyes
widened in fear.

“I’m—”

“Shut the fuck up, you five cent bitch,” I said before she dared to lie and tell me
how sorry she was. “My husband is off the market. You should be ashamed of yourself.
We’re in God’s house . . . the very church we were married in, and you are thinking
of trying to have an affair. You are a disgusting little whore. How many daddy issues
could you possibly have?”

“I’m s-sorry. I j-j-just . . . I just love him,” she sobbed. She was an idiot, for
sure. I wanted to take her head and bash it in further, but I didn’t kill on Sundays.

Peeling her face from the mirror and grabbing another fistful of hair, I pulled her
into the bathroom stall. She fought against me, but it made me pull harder, throwing
her against the stall before punching her in the nose. She gasped out, sliding down
onto the floor and gripping her bloody nose as she sobbed. Kneeling in front of her,
I made sure she could see me clearly.

“What were you doing with my husband this morning?”

“Fuck you, you scary bitch.”

“Natasha.” I sighed. “I’m going to ask again nicely. What were you doing with my husband
this morning?”

“Sucking his sweet dick.”

“Wrong answer.”

Grabbing her head, I shoved it into the toilet. Her arms swung around like a mad woman,
but I pinned them down quickly with my other hand. She screamed into the bowl before
I let her out.

Giving her a moment to cough up water, I smiled.

“Now, Natasha, were you really sucking my husband off this morning or are you trying
to piss me off?” I asked her, sweetly.

“Please . . .”

I dumped her head back into the water again, and this time, she struggled hard but
sadly for her, I had pinned down men twice her size. When she stopped struggling,
I let her go and she ripped her head from the toilet falling back onto her ass as
she coughed and cried.

“Natasha . . .”

“I knew Liam liked to eat at Remy’s on Sundays, so I waited for him. When I came up
to him, he told me to leave or he would drag me out himself. I-I lied about having
information about Vance and Amory. I told him I could only tell him if he followed
me out back. I made up some story and somehow he knew. He tried to leave, but I tried
to kiss him and he grabbed me by my neck. He called me a whore and yelled at me to
stay away or next time he would kill me. He said the only reason he wasn’t doing it
now was because it was Sunday.”

Liam’s words from the night before came to mind.
You are like me.

“Why did you come here then Natasha?” I asked, stepping up slightly. She slid across
the small space on the floor to get away from me.

Tears streamed from her eyes as she shook, covered in toilet bowl water and blood.

“I love him,” she sobbed. “Please don’t kill me.”

“Find a new man to love, Natasha. If you come around him again, I will snap your neck
and bury you under this church,” I warned, kicking her in ribs once before stepping
over her and walking out of the stall.

I looked myself over in the cracked mirror—her blood still dripping from it—and fixed
my hair before washing my hands once more.

“It was nice meeting you Natasha. Let’s not do this again,” I said and left.

Walking through the grand entrance, I dipped my finger into the blessed water before
making the sign of the cross over myself. Moving quickly into the front aisle where
the rest of the Callahans were standing and singing, I stood by Liam who stopped,
glancing over at me. I smiled and took the book from him.

“I, the Lord of sea and sky, I have heard my people cry. All who dwell in dark and
sin . . .” He wouldn’t sing so I nudged him. He just shook his head picking up where
I left off.

Well, I feel so much better.

LIAM

“Peace be with you,” we all said.

“Go in peace, the Mass has ended,” the priest replied before leaving. Soon after,
everyone started to take their exit as well, however, I grabbed Mel before she could
move.

She turned to me, eyebrow raised, as if she had no idea why I was holding on to her.
Maybe she really didn’t think I would notice.

“What?”

“You have blood on your shoe,” I said, waiting for an explanation.

She looked down and frowned, pulling away from me and taking a seat. She looked completely
at ease as she took a cleaning pen from her purse, bleaching it clean before grabbing
hand sanitizer.

“Better?” she asked me with a smile. For the love of God, she had no shame, and it
made her even sexier.

I needed to stay emotionless though.

“Yes, now, how did it get there?”

She frowned. “Liam, please don’t make me lie in church.”

“You’ve got to . . . then don’t lie Melody.” She was going to drive me mad.

“I had to settle something, and it’s done,” she replied, standing up and bowing toward
the altar, then leaving.

“Of all the women in the world.” I looked up at the crucifix before taking a deep
breath and followed after her. I would find out soon. Right now, I just needed to
make sure Step Four worked out.

We were leaving for camp tonight. After that, she and I would bond and get back to
killing those who were less important.

Neal came up quickly, looking over at me and turning his back to the rest of the family.

“Liam, are you sure?” he asked me for the sixtieth time.

“Yes, Neal,” I sighed. “For the last goddamn time. While we are at camp, you are going
to shoot me and you’re going to make sure it’s a good, but not fatal shot. That’s
the only way I will let the past go.”

“I could kill you,” he hissed at me as we walked to our cars.

“If you do, I will haunt you for the rest of your life.” I smirked. “You won’t kill
me, Neal. You want my forgiveness too much to kill me.”

“This is cold Liam. If she finds out . . .”

I watched her as she spoke with Coraline and our priest. I couldn’t help but think
how beautiful she was. “She won’t find out. If she does, she will be mad but will
get over it. She loves me, and she’s alone. I simply have to remind her that I’m all
she has. Remember what happened last time my plans didn’t work?”

He looked at me confused. “No.”

“Exactly.” I smirked, because my plans always worked.

“Okay, I will do it. You want it on the second day?”

I nodded, stepping forward then stopping and glaring into his eyes.

“You tell anyone of this, Neal, even your wife, I won’t just hate you. I will kill
you and her, I swear to God, I will,” I whispered so softly I wasn’t sure if he could
actually hear me. The fear in his eyes told me all I needed to know.

Turning away, I walked over to my beautiful wife. The bow on her dress made me smile.
She was a gift—my gift—and I couldn’t wait to unwrap her. I couldn’t wait for camp.

MELODY

“Liam, my young boy,” Father Thomas called out behind me as Liam approached.

Liam took his hand. “It was a wonderful service, Father Thomas.”

“You would say that even if it bored you to tears,” Father Thomas said, winking at
me. “I must say, you have chosen well, another woman of God in the Callahan family.
It is why God blesses you all so greatly. You all honor him every Sunday without fail.”

If only you knew what I did in your bathroom,
I thought to myself.

“Thank you, Father.”

He took my hand, and Liam held on to my waist.

“I see a child in the near future, my dear child. God will bless you with such, as
well,” he whispered for only Liam and me to hear. My nostrils flared and my eyes narrowed,
but Liam gave me a light squeeze.

Smiling at him, I pulled away, hoping Liam would say something, but he was still sitting
on his mountain of ice.

“Thank you so much, but we must be going, Thomas,” I replied, pulling Liam toward
the car.

“I need your phone,” I said once we were inside.

He looked at my oddly. “Why?”

“Because mine is broken.” I sighed. “Are you saying no? You don’t want me to see you’re
past whores’ names?”

He glared at me, handing me the phone. “No. There are no whores in my phone. I simply
wanted to know who my wife needed to speak with so badly.”

“My doctor.” I frowned as I dialed. “Everyone seems to think that a baby is popping
out of me soon. Why, I’m not sure. However, it’s not happening and I’m going to make
sure my birth control is working as well as possible. Anything else you would like
to know?”

“Olivia has had a hard time conceiving, it was leaked to the press a year ago. Declan
doesn’t think he or Coraline are ready to be a parents, mostly because he and Coraline
are always too busy. You’re new and young—no one doubts you will be able to have children.
That’s why they bring it up,” he said plainly, leaning back and watching the city
outside pass us by. He wouldn’t even look at me. I didn’t care, not now at least.
I had my blood fix this morning. It was the breakfast of champions. I could take on
the world and Liam.