Bordering on a dangerous obsession - Chapter 1

This takes place starting on Chapter 60, and, assumes the deleted scene from Chapter 52 did in fact happen.

It took seeing the list of the dead for it to really sink in for me. Here I was, trying to win Dave over like a fucking rube and he could catch a ricochet in the next fight and die.

I could be alone just like that.

Fuck that.

I had to win in a fight I had little to no skills in, and, little to no talents to speak off. Fucking mosquito bites of mine.

To win, I had to attack from a different angle. I had to pull a page outta Daddy's playbook. And I had to call in a debt.I still had the number memorized. I had a burner phone thanks to Dave. I made the call.

"Yes?" Came a voice I did not recognize.

"This is Mindy, I'd like to call in a debt."

"One moment."

After a minute the call transferred.

"Hello Mindy." This was a voice I knew.

"Hello Max. Can we meet?"

Oo0oO

The next day, when Marcus had gone in to work early, I had gone to see Max. I found the place easily enough. I'm not gonna say where it is or any details, as if even a hint got out to anyone and Max would have to have me killed, debt or no debt.

I'm good, but even I have to sleep.

After a quick conversation at the gate, I was lead into his parlor. Yeah he had a parlor, a living room was not his style. He also had a maid, a little asian thing, barely taller than me, who silently took my coat and left.

"Ah, Mindy, It's been so long."

"Heya Max."

I won't describe him either, aside of the fact that he was older than my father. He was sitting at one end of a long table, and a seat for me was ready on the other. I took a seat.

"My condolensces on your loss. Your father was an interesting man. Few would ever go down the roads he went." That was as close to a compliment as he got. Or an insult.

The maid returned with tea on a cart.

"Lemon, three sugars, extra cream?" Max never forgot things. I nodded as my tea was served to me. I must've been eight when I last seen him.

"Now about that debt."

"Yeah, just one thing I have to ask you first..."

I threw the tea cup at him as hard as I could.

It hit the glass between us with a crash. In a second there was a gun at my temple thanks to the maid. My gaze never left Max.

"Were you always this sloppy?"

As the tea ran down the glass I could see his eyebrow raise slightly. "I have taken a slight shift in occupation in my twilight years, from planning to instructing others. Less stress really. Sadly it does mean that other things do slide from time to time."

He gestured to the maid and the handgun vanished as quick as it came.

"For those still in training, could you list off what gave it away, and, could you please take your knife away from my maid's balls?"

The shifting I heard from my right showed that he hadn't noticed.

"Kevlar under the dress when he pressed against my arm to take my coat, his holster is a touch loose for easy draw, but it made noise when he bent to pour the tea, and you," I pointed with the knife, "had your voice coming from speakers below, which doesn't work on shorties like me. It sounds off."

He glanced at the maid. "Now, aside of the knife you clearly didn't notice, you also missed how much C4?"

"Two and a half pounds." I patted my chest. Katie's bra she left at Dave's had plenty of room for it and the wires down to my palm.

"Well, I hope you are taking notes."

Oo0oO

We waited until after the maid had cleaned up and left before continuing.

"I owed your father three debts, this you know, and he used two. One was to get the initial equipment, funds, and training for you to get started, one I will not divulge, leaving one for you."

I nodded.

"Now, I've only kept minor tabs on you, a courtesy really, but that changed recently, you can imagine why."

I nodded again. With the Times Square Brawl it hadn't been exactly a subtle month.

"This, coupled with what information I have managed to acquire leads me to assume that you want assistance in or the neutralizing of, said 'Motherfucker'." Despite this being the first profanity I had ever heard from him, ever, his face gave nothing away.

It was tempting, so very tempting. With him it'd be so easy. But if Chris bit it too soon, then Dave might relax or even give up the Kick-Ass. As much as he was a fucking boil on my ass, I needed Chris alive, at least for now. But how to explain it without giving everything away?

"Tempting, but no. Motherfucker is my business now, and like Daddy, I won't take any shortcuts."

"So prideful, much like your father." Again it could be taken like a compliment or an insult. "If not him, then what? It can't be money, you ought to still have plenty of it left judging on what was recovered after D'Amico the elder made himself perished."

I took a deep breath. This was gonna be a doozy.

"I need your help in seducing Dave."

It was only for a second or two, but the look on his face was priceless. First him swearing, then this. A shame he recovered so quickly.

"Explain."