NINE
"One murder makes a villain,
Millions a hero.
Numbers sanctify, my good fellow."
~ Monsieur Verdoux
JENNIE
There was something about Lisa Manoban. She was immature, rowdy, and impatient. Those were just the kinder things I could think of, and yet I knew she smelled like cinnamon, spices, and apples. I had taken the time to reflect on her scent, even enjoyed it. Ugh. On top of that, I enjoyed how she looked up close. The way she flexed her muscles out of habit and cracked her knuckles when she was tense. I had noticed that in just two days. I had a whole arsenal of men under my control and many were attractive in some way, shape, or form, and yet there was something about Lisa Manoban.
When she stepped out of her room, she was dressed in dark pants paired with a black and green vest with the letter C on the breast. She looked surprised to see me, as if she wasn't sure why I was here. On her arms were bruises and marks from our fight. The idiot should have treated them, but instead, she had to leave them.
"Took you long enough, Manoban. Did you need to fix your hair?"
She glared at me before smirking. "It's called sex hair for a reason. That's the only way I fix it. You done being a bitch?"
Hanbin came down the hall, before I could respond.
"Ma'am, the helicopter is ready. Chanyeol is fine, and we are ready to aid," he said, waiting for orders.
"I already contacted Chanyeol, and he'll tell you what to do." His eyes widened, knowing what I meant. He just lost his title as right-hand man, the fucker. "Next time, Hanbin, when I tell you to fall on your sword, do it without hesitation. You waste my time and insult my intelligence with a statement like, 'we're outnumbered.' That is all."
He nodded and left quickly, leaving Ms. Sex Hair and me alone. Lisa stared at Hanbin's with narrowed eyes then turning her glower on me.
I cut in before she could speak again. "The helicopter is lifting us to Delaware. The flight is an hour. From there, we are taking a speedboat north. The GPS is picking up the signal fifteen clicks from shore. However, the Valero are already aware of your stunt and will most likely have men in the water trying to recoup any lost drugs." Stepping forward, I made sure she understood I was not playing. "First, you see what I'm doing, telling you every detail of this? Yeah, that is what you should have done. Second, this is my operation now. My men. So if you fuck up, I will slit your throat and then fill you with bull—"
Her eyes lit up like fire before she grabbed me and threw me against the wall. "Every moment you waste roaring at me, is a moment against us, Captain Bitch-a-Lot. As smart as your plan is, it would be better to have snipers in the air. Something I thought of before I even stepped out here."
I just grinned. Even with her arm on my neck, she thought she was so fucking smart. "You are so right. Which is why I already have Bambam and Antonio locked, loaded, and waiting. Anything else you assume I didn't think of? When will you get that while you've been number two for daddy, I've been number one?"
She said nothing, just glared.
"You should release me, Captain Dipshit or lose your arm. Your choice."
I didn't wait, I broke free. I was tiny compared to her, so all I needed to do was drop down and roll out of her grip. She had so much to learn, and this was her time to do it.
Due to the fact that I had shot up Marco's house, the party they had thrown in my honor had ended and everyone departed.
Outside were four motorcycles, two of which were taken by Nickhun and Chanyeol. The other two for Lisa and me—mine white, and her green and black. She looked at me as if I was a china doll, and all I could do was roll my eyes before jumping on my bike and taking off as soon as one of their people opened the gate. Only a second had gone by before I saw her skyrocket past me, almost cutting me off, the sour brat, so I sped up beside her. We raced through the backstreets of Chicago, the lights from the buildings up above us all blending together in a single streak. No matter how much gas I gave while weaving in and out of traffic and intersections, she was always winning. I could only get in front of her for a second before she would shoot past me out of nowhere. It was as if she was toying with me.
By the time we got to the silver, luxury-style helicopter parked privately at the airstrip, Nickhun and Chanyeol were right behind us. Lisa was already off her bike, arms crossed with a grin on her face, as if she had waited hours—the asshole.
Saying nothing to her, I walked right onboard to find Antonio and Bambam salivating over sniper rifles like kids on Christmas morning.
At least I don't have to worry about feuding between them.
"I'm glad to see your loyalty is still so easily bought, brother." Lisa glared at him as he took a seat.
Or not.
Bambam froze, and I saw a speck of anguish go through his eyes. Lisa must have seen it as well, because she didn't stop whatever mental assault she was delivering. It was like she could see into her brother's soul.
Can all siblings do this?
"Jinx," I said as loudly as possible.
Lisa, Nickhun, and Bambam all looked around to find the person behind the name, but no one came. A second later, the helicopter's engine kicked on and a soft voice broke out over our headphones. "Benvenuto a bordo, Ma'am. I will have us to Delaware in forty."
Chanyeol sat before me in the seat Hanbin normally would be in and turned to Lisa, who also sat across from me. "Jinx is our master aviator. If it goes in the sky, he can fly it."
"That's his name?" Bambam asked, "Jinx? I feel safer already."
Chanyeol sneered. "If he's good enough for the Boss, he's good enough for you cane."
Antonio snickered.
"Cane? What the fuck did you just call me?
So much for no feuding.
"It means dog." Lisa glared at me.
Was she waiting for me to do something? Her brother started it. Rolling my eyes, I looked to Chanyeol who muttered something under his breath. Bambam hunched over like a cane and focused in on his rifle.
I knew Antonio could shoot to kill in any sort of condition. The wind and darkness of the evening wouldn't be an issue. It wasn't the first time he had done it in such conditions. However, I was testing Bambam, and if he didn't pass, this would be the last time he worked closely with me. At least until he became better. I already had an idea of Nickhun's skills. Seeing as he was the one who had "hacked" into my computers. I made it easy for him, but he still did it quicker than I expected.
"You will be monitoring the GPS," Lisa stated, finally catching up.
Chanyeol nodded, and Lisa turned to me.
"Nickhun can hack into the surrounding frequencies and keep track. The area should be filled with paramedics, cops, and the coast guard," Lisa said, and in her eyes she was daring me to agree, now of all times.
Seeing as she was being a good little kid, I would let her have her moment of dominance. Chanyeol looked at me, and I nodded. I had planned to have Nickhun on the sea with me since he was great with hand-to-hand combat as well and we may need it, but sure, Lisa could pretend she helped. Once finished, Chanyeol stood up quickly to get out of the negative bubble created by Lisa and me.
She did not say a word, but I could see Lisa's mind racing, and I could tell she didn't like me being here. I almost wanted to tell her to get the fuck over it, but the helicopter was tense enough. Nickhun and Chanyeol were focused on the four sets of laptops between them, while Antonio and Bambam both kept checking their rifles. They seemed close already since Bambam threw him a pack of chewing tobacco and Antonio accepted it like it was gold. One moment they were fighting, the next they are trading toys.
Finally, when my eyes fell back on Lisa, I found her watching me. She didn't look away like most people would when caught staring. Instead, she just stared harder, as if I were a book she was trying to read, but it was in a language she didn't understand.
"Yes?"
She shook her head. "We're here."
And sure enough, the helicopter began its illegal descent on the beach.
"Sir, ma'am," Nickhun said, looking between us both. "We have a problem."
"What?" Lisa and I asked at the same time.
Chanyeol clicked away at his computer. "The Valero have just gotten the recorder and are heading further out to sea. They have a boat waiting."
Taking a deep breath, I pushed the button overhead. "Jinx, take us . . ." I looked over at Nickhun and Chanyeol for the coordinates.
"38.09, -72.50," they both said, quickly.
Lisa nodded, looking over at Antonio and Bambam as the helicopter pulled up. "They'll bring it to us. Jennie and I will wait on their boat. You guys will shoot from the door."
They nodded while Lisa stood up and looked over to me. She was doing so well until she opened her mouth again. "Or you can shoot and Bambam and I can go."
Standing up, I glared right back at her. "Give me a rifle and the bullet goes in your spine," I told her as I waited by the helicopter door. Jinx was going to have to circle around continuously. Lisa stood in front of me, hand on the door handle and just stared at me, once again. Always with the staring, the creeper. For a moment, in the midst of the storm that was in her eyes, I saw worry. She was fucking worried about me, the fucker. This was not my first—nor would it be my last—jump out of an aircraft. She needed to grab her balls and take a shot of testosterone, because I wasn't worried for shit. I just wanted this over so I could drink myself to sleep.
Chanyeol walked over to hand us parachutes, but we both shook our heads. They would only slow us down enough to be shot. We need to drop down quick and hard.
"Jinx, take us as low as possible," I said.
Our stomachs dipped as we felt the helicopter drop. Somehow, knowing before Jinx even had to speak, Lisa opened the door and in the darkness of the night, we could both see the yacht waiting below. She looked back at me, but I ignored her and pushed off the wall to jump. The moment the cold breeze hit my skin, I braced myself for the impact of the deck. When my body landed, I rolled as bullets came flying my way.
Grabbing onto my gun, I turned and shot one right between her eyes just as Lisa dropped onto the shoulders of another. There were screams and curses in Russian as Lisa dove right beside me.
"Come here often?" she said, chuckling as adrenaline clearly pumped through her veins. I supposed she was no longer seeing me as a china doll in that moment, but as another person on her side. Finally, the dipshit.
"Not really." I tried not to smirk back as more Russians came shooting at us. "The hospitality here is fucking shit."
"You should write a strongly worded letter."
Rolling my eyes, I turned and shot a man on the top deck in the kneecap. "This is more eco-friendly. Save the trees, and all that shit."
She grinned and then shot the man now screaming in pain in the head. "I was never good at recycling."
Two more men came forward, one right behind Lisa, and another behind me. We both raised our hands as they yell at us.
"Kto vy? Vy lokhi!" they shouted at us.
Lisa smiled at me—she truly smiled for once—obviously enjoying this. "Ya, Lisa Manoban. Eto moy zhenikh, vy tozhe mertv."
Just as the man finished, bullets went into the side of their heads, courtesy of Antonio and Bambam, before the helicopter spun out of view once again. A second later, Lisa's phone rang and she placed it on speaker.
"They are four miles away and will be there shortly," Nickhun said. Lisa said nothing before hanging up as I reached down to grab their guns.
"Yarygin or Stechkin Pistol?" I asked her, causing her to frown.
"The Russians can't make guns for shit," she said in disgust, and she had a point.
Smiling, we began to throw the few bodies overboard as we waited for our friends. It only took a second, and by that time, we had thrown the overweight, drunken Russians off.
The boat was silent except for another crew as they made their ways back on deck. They stumbled and laughed liked fools.
"Vse chertovski narkotiki ushli. Chert by pobral etikh vlagalishcha v ad. Valero sobirayetsya ubit' nas."
One of the men asked where their brothers where Lisa was already on her feet.
"Dead." Lisa said as she shot one right in the nose and I shot the other in the eye. He screamed in pain as I walked over, patting him down for the mini-equipment. Once I had it, I shot him once more for the heck of it.
"I'll call the guys," I said, handing it to Lisa, but once I turned around, I found myself looking down the barrel of a gun. It was the man whom Lisa landed on, and he had his gun pointed right at me. Lisa pulled me out of the way and shot the fucker in the face, but not before taking one in the arm.
"Fuck it all to hell," she said, pulling back her wounded limb.
She must have left her guardian angel at home.
"Jinx, head in, we'll meet you onshore. We're fine . . . for the most part," I said before hanging up and grabbing her arm.
She pulled away. "I'm fine, just wish I didn't kill the fucker so I could torture him."
"You have a bullet in your arm." I glared at her. "A Russian bullet, which you, yourself said was shit. I am going to take it out."
"I said I was fucking fine, Jennie!"
Angry, I holstered my weapon before I shot her in the other arm, and grabbed on to her wounded arm again, causing her to hiss out in pain.
"You are not fine." I pressed down harder. "Now stop bitching and let me fix it, you asshole."
I didn't allow her to speak before pulling her inside the cabin and pushing her onto the nearest bed. They must have been ready to eat because alcohol and an array of meat, bread, and apples awaited them. Getting a napkin and a knife, I poured the alcohol over it and her wound before giving her the rest to drink. Hopefully, the liquor would keep her quiet.
She smirked at me before taking the bottle to her lips. "I think I like you as a nurse."
Glaring at her, I dug the knife into her bullet wound. "You really shouldn't say stupid things to a woman with weapons."
She hissed and roared in pain like a fucking baby until I got the bullet out and used the napkin as a bandage.
"Drink and shut up, I'll be right back," I said to her before going back on deck.
I made sure to drag and throw the bodies off the boat before setting course back to the mainland. I also called Chanyeol to let him and Lisa's brothers know what happened. It took me about an hour and a half. By the time I went back to Lisa, she was frozen on the bed, listening to the audio from the plane she had destroyed.
All either of us could hear were screams, crying, and prayers. They brought back memories I would rather forget. Walking over, I pushed stop and she, was pulled out of her trance.
"I thought you were going to set the boat on autopilot," she said, proving just how out of it she was.
Grabbing another napkin, I took the old blood-soaked one off and redid the bandage.
"Do not take a bullet for me again."
She snorted before pulling away. "No good deed goes unpunished. The correct words you are looking for are 'thank you.' "
I pulled tighter, and she winced, the baby. "Thank you, but don't do it again. The last thing I need is for any of my men to think I can't handle myself."
"You are so fucking ridiculous. Why must you always try to prove that you're a cold-hearted bitch?"
"Because a cold-hearted bitch is what I need to be," I snapped back, rising in front of her. "You can fuck up as many times you want, but at the end of the day, no one will doubt you. I, on the other hand, make one mistake and it's over. Some cocky asshole like you will come over and claim I'm too soft, or that I don't have the balls. I've worked too hard to backtrack now."
She said nothing. She knew I was right. I didn't have time to waste, proving and reproving who I was.
"And in a way, they would be right, because I should have blown that plane up myself," I confessed, grabbing the wine from the table and leaning against it. "If I had, I would get the credit—"
"You want credit?" She eyed me up and down, her eyes picking up only the dimmest light of the cabin we now shared. "You want credit for the mass murder I committed."
"Don't say it like that. We are not serial killers. We do not kill for the fun of it or chaos. It is just business. Every last person we kill is for family. If we do not kill them, they kill us. It is the way of the world. It is self-defense. It is survival. If it were your life for theirs, they would kill you in a second to save themselves or their family. Everyone is ruthless. They just don't know it. You do. I do. And that is why we are on top and will remain so."
"And you feel nothing."
"And I feel nothing," I repeated.
She looked me in the eyes, and I hoped to God she understood, because I didn't know how else to explain it. It was that kind of thinking that made it easy for me to sleep at night.
"Neither do I," she said, and I believed her.
I tried to move, but she grabbed on to my sides and held me in place. There was that look in her eyes—the hunger, the lust, and the caged animal dying to get out. Pulling me even closer, she pressed herself against me.
"L—" Her lips were on mine and she was pulling at my clothes. With her one good arm, she cupped my ass and the other one cupped my breast as she rubbed herself against me. Her lips hummed against my neck before she lifted me up, throwing me on the bed.
She stopped for only a second to look me over, and the storm in her eyes raged worse than I had ever seen. "This is your one and only chance to tell me to stop."