Page 13 of His Retribution

“He’s nothing but bad news. He murdered my father, turned the Peacocks against me, and would have murdered me if not for my faithful bodyguards. I only have five men to offer you, but if you will have them, they are yours.” Selena bows her head humbly, and I notice a shift in Clay’s demeanor. Maybe he will come around and see what I see here… OPPORTUNITY!

Werendezvousattheempty warehouse. Once all of our men arrive, Clay gathers them together for a discussion and to give out assignments.

“Look,” Clay tells the men as they shift uncomfortably in front of us, “Selena’s men are going to arrive soon and when they do, you need to understand that we are on the same team tonight. Le Manchot didn’t just take Quinn, he had Selena’s father murdered. Then he used the chaos to turn the Peacocks against her. He plans to attack us next. The Peacocks think we are to blame for everything. None of them know the truth but Selena and her guards. They are out for a bloody revenge. If we work together, we can stop Le Manchot, rescue Quinn, and prevent more bloodshed. Working together is the only way we are going to accomplish this, though. If you can’t commit to that, then we need you to leave now. Disappear, because if we ever cross paths again, you know the rules. No loose ends.”

Next to him, I stand proudly. He’s grown so much since the first time he came to serve on one of my teams. Even though I’m proud of Clay and the display of leadership, I still glared into the eyes of each man in the room as a warning not to cross us. Not a single one of them moved. Maybe it was fear or pride that kept them there, or maybe they really were finally the best of the best come to show me how to rule my world with an iron fist and binding chains of servitude.

I nod at Clay, and he continues giving my orders. “I need two volunteers to come with me to the underpass. We will scope everything out and report back to Christian. The volunteers will remain at the underpass until the expected rendezvous. I will serve as your point of contact and I will expect you to report back any activity to me immediately.”

Two men step forward, never breaking my eye contact. Their gazes are hard, fixed, and determined to earn my respect. It gives me a new surge of energy as I realize these men really are top tier support. My chin dips in recognition, permission for them to accept the task. They stand at attention, ready and waiting to be dismissed. This is what true power feels like, I muse to myself with delight.

Clay’s instructions continue as he briefs the men on our allegiance with Selena’s men and the goal is to restore the rogue Peacocks to their rightful owner. “We must minimize the number of casualties within the Peacock organization. Taking only those out who show themselves to be a traitorous threat. Le Manchot should not be spared. If you have an opportunity to eliminate him, take it. This isn’t a pissing match. It’s a new alliance to strengthen and reposition our two organizations.”

When he finishes, the men drop their heads to the ground in understanding. A silent agreement to the binding terms of this contract. After a few moments pass, I add one last command. “Above all else, we keep Quinn safe and bring her home.”

As if right on time, Selena’s men arrive, hesitantly. They are welcomed into our folds without issue. Both sides understand the task at hand and have set aside their differences to work together and bring Le Manchot to his knees.

More silence and submission follow. I clap my hands together and the men’s eyes rise, trained on me, waiting for direction. “Let us begin.”

Everything settles, and the men divide into subgroups, each with their own tasks to complete in preparation. Clay pulls the two volunteers, instructing them to prepare a car. Before he goes, we exchange words and a handshake. “Thank you for your dedication, Clay. Stay safe out there, alert me of anything out of the ordinary, and I will see you in a few hours.”

Clay nods his understanding and replies, “I’ve got you, Christian. See you in a few.” He climbs into the waiting car. I watch as they take off towards the bridge. All I can think about is that we are slowly running out of daylight. I want them to have plenty of time to analyze everything, but time is not on our side.

I address the men one last time before completing my own preparations. “Be prepared to arrive early. I don’t trust Le Manchot. I want to see the look on his face when he arrives to find us waiting.”

Once Clay arrives and begins feeding me back information, Selena and I are able to work together to formulate a plan. Everything seems to be falling into place perfectly. I will have my revenge on Le Manchot. We may lose out on an alliance with Le Manchot and his organization, but an alliance with the Peacocks will be far more profitable for both sides. It will give us a new strength and unforeseen potential for power on the city streets. By working together, we can take control of the city gradually, bringing every dirty politician to their knees to beg for our protection and servitude. This alliance will be the beginning of great things and much prosperity for the Arkham Mafia and the Peacocks. The Don will be so proud. I turn my thoughts back to Quinn. Mon bijou will be back in my arms soon, and I swear I will never let anyone take her from me again. I pause to think of all the ways to make this up to her. One million kisses will never be enough. I will have to worship her every day for the rest of our lives and even then I will not rest until she forgives me for losing her. I will make an example of Le Manchot so that all others will fear the consequences of laying a single hand on what is mine. Quinn belongs to me, and Le Manchot will pay for his treachery with his life.

Chapter 8

Frenemies

Quinn-

LeManchotloadsmein the backseat of a dark SUV. His directions to the men are to drive me further out of town towards treacherous snow-capped mountains. I’m already plotting ways to escape the men and make my way back to Christian. He has to be warned before anything goes wrong. I know his anger is driving his every move, and each strike he makes at Le Manchot will be venomous. These men will either take me to my love themselves or die trying to keep me from his strong arms. The car sinks as two men climb in. Instantly I recognise the guy who slides in next to me as the guy from my left on the day they drove me to this prison. I don’t even try to stop the maniacal laughter from escaping my lips. The driver twists around to look at me, his face contorts in horror at the sight of me.

“Hello, Boys,” I purr like a good little kitten.

“Oh, hell no! I am not doing this again. Le Manchot. Le Manchot, you coward. You know what she’ll do to us. We are as good as dead. You are setting us up to fail. Come on, at least give us a back-up team,” he shouts as he jumps out of the car and races across the drive to face Le Manchot.

“No,” Le Manchot sneers at the man. “Either complete the job or swim with the fishes. You Peacocks are a bunch of spineless imbeciles. I don’t have time for your complaining.” He walks off, leaving Mr. Left gaping in disbelief.

A small smile creeps across my lips as I watch him walk back to the car, head hung low, and climb inside silently. “We are going to just have so much fun on this road trip, boys. Aren’t you excited? I sure am,” I say in an overly sweet voice that makes each of my escorts cringe. Fate couldn’t have delivered a better opportunity for me. As we pull out of the drive and descend down the street in the opposite direction of Le Manchot, I know convincing these guys to give me what I want will be easier than I originally expected. We drive in silence for a few minutes while I play out different scenarios in my head. Once I see the guy next to me relax, I launch my attack.

“You don’t have to work for him, you know. He plans to turn on the Peacocks too. This is all a setup. He couldn’t keep that big birdie trap of his shut about it. How he orchestrated the entire thing. Blamed it all on my daddy, and plans to double cross everyone tonight. You could be heroes. All you have to do is take me there. Get me to Christian and I promise he will spare your lives. Work together to take out this dirty bird and restore the Peacocks to their former glory,” I sigh casually.

“Shut it girlie, I won’t put up with any of your mind games today,” the driver snaps.

“But what if she’s telling the truth?” The guy next to me suggests.

“Yes, what if I am telling the truth about the way he spilled every last detail, even the bits about well, you know?” I say pretending there’s a much bigger secret, because chances are there is and pretending is going to be my only way back to Christian in time.

“See!” the guy to my left shouts. “Think about it. How else would she know? Plus, he practically said he was sending us on a death mission. He doesn’t care if Peacocks perish, he only cares about himself, his men, and his agenda. If you really stop and think about it, she makes a good point.”

The driver pulls the car to the side of the road. He sits deep in concentration for several minutes. “So, you really think we should trust her?” He asks.

“Look, I think what she’s saying sounds legit, and this is twice now she’s offered our lives in exchange for her return. We’re stupid not to take the deal. I say we trust her, because we’ve got nothing to lose, man.”

“I’m telling the truth, and I mean what I said about keeping you safe from Christian. I can easily argue that you are not associated with Le Manchot. You are simply being forced to act on his behalf while your organization remains fragmented and under his control. You did a good deed, you returned me unharmed and in good faith. Christian is a bad guy, but he has a conscience. If I tell him to let you live, he will listen. If you keep driving me away from him, you will end up dead by one of our hands,” I reply, pulling the gun I stole from my waistband and waving it around.

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