Page 121 of Maceo

I slapped her. “You know, I’m tempted to leave you alive and just maim you for the rest of your life. I can tell you take pride in your looks. Imagine waking up every day with permanent reminders of what happens when you don’t mind your business.” I leaned in closer to her, roughly grabbing her face. “It would give me great pleasure to slice this pretty little face up and watch you bleed.”

I trailed the knife from her throat, down between her breasts to her stomach. Though she didn’t show it, I could smell a small hint of fear on her. I wanted her scared. It wouldn’t be gratifying if she wasn’t afraid. Just as I went to cut her, the lights in the basement went out, leaving the space pitch black.

“Shit!” I cursed.

Heaving a heavy sigh, I put the knife down and pulled out my phone and my gun. Turning on the flashlight, I walked over to the door that housed the breaker box and water heater. Inside, I flipped a switch, but nothing happened. I could hear Shar trying to free herself in the background.

“You’re wasting your time!” I called over my shoulder.

I tried flipping the switch again, and this time, the lights came on.

“There we go.”

I walked back into the open area, only to find that Shar was gone and the rope I’d bound her with on the floor. Before I could react, I was met with a hard kick to the back that sent me to the floor and my gun sliding under a shelf.

“Shit!” I hissed as I tried to pull myself up.

A kick to my face put a stop to that. Rolling over onto my back, I looked up into the faces of two of the women I remembered seeing at brunch with Shar.

“Get the fuck up,” one of them said.

I spit out blood as I climbed to my feet and steadied myself.

“You want first, Jaeda?” the little one asked. “I don’t want the bitch to say we jumped her.”

“How kind of you.”

The next thing I knew, there was a foot flying at my head. That kick to the face had me a little discombobulated, and I didn’t have time to react before her foot connected with my temple. My body hit the floor with a thud, and my ears started ringing.

“Get the fuck up, bitch,” Jaeda said, grabbing me by my ponytail.

She yanked me to my feet. I tried to elbow her off me, but the bitch grabbed my arm and twisted it behind my back. With my face free and clear, the other girl kicked me in it again.

“I know you didn’t just try to hit my sister, ho!” she yelled.

Jaeda freed my hair and pushed me toward her sister, who hit me with two quick jabs to the face and a kick to the stomach.

Jaeda laughed. “I thought we weren’t gonna jump her?”

“We aren’t jumping her. We haven’t hit her at the same time, right, bitch?”

The little one kicked me as I tried to crawl toward my gun.

“This what you looking for?” Jaeda asked, going to snatch it up. “You don’t want a fair fight, Charity? Or should I call you Quinn? Whatever your name is, bitch, you tried to kill my brother and his wife.”

“Your brother should have stayed out of my fucking business,” I spat venomously. “What’s it to him if a few nobodies go missing? Aren’t y’all a fucking crime family?”

“We are far from being the same. You take people to steal their organs. We stop people like you.”

“Oh, please! You’re a glorified hood vigilante. I did my research when I found out who your brother was. Don’t act so high and mighty, princess. How many people had to pay the price for your family to have their status? You and I aren’t so different. We both sacrifice others for money. I just don’t sugarcoat my shit.”

“Please let me murk this bitch right now,” the little one said.

Jaeda shook her head. “No. Maceo wants her, so she’s his.”

Just then, the basement door opened, and Maceo appeared on the first step, dressed in all black from head to toe. His face was void of emotion as he descended the stairs with his eyes trained on me. He crossed the room and stepped toe to toe with me as he towered over my short frame. I smirked as I stared up at him.

“You had to send your sisters to take care of me first?” I asked. “Couldn’t take care of me by yourself?”

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