Page 64 of Avenging Kelly

“I’m in the hallway. Can you let me in?” Smokey asked.

“Yeah,” I said as I held her arms over her head while she struggled against me.

“Stop it! Stop it right now! You need to let me go. I have to check in at certain times or they’ll kill your boyfriend. Let me go right now.”

I laughed at her demands. “You’re going to make those calls, Frances, I promise you,” I said as I reached for the zip cuffs in my back pocket. After I secured her hands behind her back, I picked her up and tossed her over my shoulder to carry her to the front door with me.

I glanced through the peephole as she continued to struggle against me, and then opened the door to let Smokey inside, Austin and Dom standing behind him. “Where’s Casper?” I asked as I walked over to the couch and dumped Ritchfield onto it.

She stared at us for a moment. “All of you… You’ll all be tortured and killed if you don’t let me go.” Her voice was filled with venom, but under the circumstances, there wasn’t much credibility behind it.

Smokey stepped inside with the others behind him. Austin walked over to the couch and picked Ritchfield up, carrying her to an armchair facing the couch. He quickly secured her and walked over to Dom.

“Let’s go look at your head. That mother fucker is dead when I find him,” Austin stated as he took Dom’s hand and led him toward the kitchen.

I turned to Smokey just before Ritchfield started screaming, which gave both of us a start. Smokey blew out a breath and walked over to her, stuffing a rubber glove from his pocket into her mouth as I closed the door.

“Where’s Casper?” I asked again.

“Mrs. Pfeifer is waiting for the police to come. She called them after the two ninjas left with Narc. Casper’s still there, trying to talk her down. We’ve gotta get her out of here before the cops get here,” Smokey said, gesturing toward Ritchfield.

“Where were you? I didn’t hear you for a bit of time,” I said, accusation ripe in my voice. How did I know they hadn’t gotten to him and he was now colluding with the enemy?

“I was chasing some crazy guy down the street after he tried to carjack me.” Smokey pulled out that huge fucking Smith & Wesson he carried, which made me laugh.

“Did you catch that polecat, Wyatt Earp?” I teased him as he shoved the barrel between his belt and his jeans.

“Yeah. I don’t think he’s part of this bullshit, but I put his ass in the dumpster behind the Chinese place on the next block and told him to count to a thousand. I said I had nothin’ to do and was gonna sit there with him, and if he got out before I heard nine-ninety-nine, I was gonna shoot him in the dick. He was still countin’ when I jogged back, but I’d gone out of range of the comms, so I’m sorry,” Smokey explained.

“Shit happens. So here’s what went down,” I said as I explained the clusterfuck we’d just endured.

Ritchfield kept screaming behind the glove. He’d either shoved it in there pretty far, or she was afraid to spit it out. Either way, I was glad not to hear her voice.

Austin joined us, and Dom went next door to see if he could help Casper convince Mrs. Pfeifer to lie to the police. Having met the old gal, I was sure that was a monumental task.

“You okay?” I asked Austin. I was pretty sure the guy was indestructible, but I wasn’t a doctor. Speaking of which…

“I’m fine. Just a bump. They broke the skin on Willow’s head, and I think he needs a few stitches. Can she do ‘em? He refuses to go to the hospital.”

I glanced her way to see her eyes were squinted in sheer rage. “I’m not sure you want her coming after your husband with a needle. I have some medical training, so I can look at it,” I offered.

“Cool. I found her first aid kit under the kitchen sink and put a piece of gauze over the cut, but you know how a head wound bleeds,” Austin said. I nodded.

“She had accomplices. Two unknowns and Miguel Montero. He took London and wants to exchange him for Daisy,” I stated, ready to vomit at the mere idea.

Ritchfield squealed again, this time spitting out the glove. “If you don’t take that baby where I tell you, they’ll kill your idiot boyfriend. If they don’t, I will. One hot-shot, and he’ll fry from the inside, out.”

I glanced at Austin. “Look for some duct tape so we can shut this bitch up. Wait, get a dishtowel and bring it to me, would you?” I was going to make her choke on her own goddamn tongue.

There were four doses of Poker Chips left back at London’s apartment. I’d gladly shoot them into her and laugh while that bitch… fried from the inside out.

Austin returned with a white dishtowel with yellow pineapples on it. “Will this work?”

“You don’t look like an Austin,” I commented for no reason.

Smokey laughed. “There’s a story there that we’ll get into another time.”

I took the towel and walked over to where Ritchfield was secured. I stood in front of her and smiled. “I’m sure you remember all of those coercive interrogation techniques I learned when I started training for your little dog and pony show. If you don’t want me to shove this towel down your throat and rupture your larynx, so I never have to hear your fucking voice again, you’ll tell me what time you need to check in without the goddamn screaming!” I insisted as I continued to twist the towel in front of her, my voice raising at the end.

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