Chicago
Almost three weeks later
Wednesday night
The responsibility, to not fuck things up was overwhelming.
I had a legacy to uphold, on my own. The legacy that was Fusion. I was enjoying myself, don't get me wrong; Hit Girl had a great support network set up of tame Cops and other Fusion supporters; I was really, very pleased to be a part of it all.
I had survived three weeks of looking after Chicago. Yes, I had received help from Mathilda and two tame Cops, Sergeants Murphy and Fellowes, but I was going to be able to hand back an intact Chicago to Hit Girl.
I finished securing the hands of the two cunts and sat them down with their backs against the wall of the alley.
"You two just sit there and be nice!" I growled as I pulled out my cell. "Hey, I need you guys to put down your donuts and come get a pair of assholes, or do I just send 'em by UPS?"
"Funny bitch! Give us the address...," came the response from Murphy.
The following morning
Wednesday
My routine began as soon as I awoke.
I opened the window, placed the plant on the windowsill. I poured and downed a large glass of milk, plus another. Always two, never less. One for me, and the other for Leon. Next came my morning exercises, thirty minutes worth.
After that and another glass of milk, I started cleaning my weapons. They had not been fired, but they still needed to be cleaned.
West Columbia
I was not happy!
Cathy had been round and she had informed Paige and me that Curtis had been shot and that Megan was hurt, but okay. I hated it when any of them got hurt, but in that case it was the youngsters and one was my daughter to be.
There was nothing, I could do. I could only worry. It was my fault that Mindy had taken her team to that Godforsaken, hellhole. I sincerely hoped it would all be over soon and we could all be together again.
I missed Mindy. She was a big part of my life, and with her gone, I was lost.
"What was she like, when you got her back from Damon?" Paige asked.
"Distant. She didn't really know me anymore. It was as if those five years that I had spent bringing her up had never happened. Yeah, she knew who I was, but she could not remember how things used to be. I was also more than a little scared of her!"
"I suppose that was understandable, considering..."
"Yeah, I had just watched her mow down a large group of armed men that hardened cops would think twice about approaching! I saw it all LIVE dammit!"
I welcomed Paige's touch as she sought to keep me calm.
"But I almost cried when I saw her walk up to the camera and say those words, shooting the camera out. I was so happy that my girl was alive. That had been the first time in six years that I had seen my Mindy. I knew it was Mindy, instantly. How the hell, she managed to do what she did without injury was beyond me. I saw the damn D'Amico penthouse after Dave and Mindy trashed the place. Again, how the hell, she got out of there alive, at the time, I had no idea. It was much later that I learnt how much Dave had done to keep Mindy alive. Without that boy, Mindy would have been killed."
"Those two have a very complicated relationship," Paige admitted.
"Tell me about it! That was why I moved to Chicago, I had to be with her. I hated being so far away from her; Mindy is a part of my life and I can never let her go. She's been gone for almost four weeks and it hurts so badly."
"Well, future husband, it's good to know that you are human inside!"
"Once Mindy is back in Chicago, everything will be back to normal; no more complications."
I gently rubbed the bump that was my unborn child.
"Maybe one day Mindy will have kids – but that'll be a long ways off, I suppose!"
"As far as I am concerned, if Megan turns out half as well as Mindy, I'll be happy."
Western Chicago
"How the fuck could you screw up like that?"
The men arrayed around the desk were scared and very concerned for their wellbeing. Joseph Valachi was a nasty piece of work and the brother-in-law to Vito Genovese. Together they ruled with an iron fist and anybody who did anything that could upset that iron rule was expendable.
None of the men dared to respond.
"You were whacked by a girl and fucking young girl who thinks she's a vigilante!" Joseph roared.
Joseph was not happy, considering he had been forced to fly from Sicily to Chicago to try to sort out the mess that had been created.
"We knocked her down, Boss, she was shot..."
"Where's the fucking body?"
"She was gone when we checked, Boss..."
Joseph just closed his eyes to give himself a moment to compose his emotions.
"Where is Hit Girl? Where is Kick-Ass?" Joseph asked.
"They're in Gotham, Boss. They seem to be fucking over Maroni and Falcone."
"So this little girl, Petra and some other vigilantes have been fucking up my plans?" Joseph was incredulous. "Only in fucking America!"
Joseph stared around at the men, most of whom flinched at least a little.
"I want Petra, I want her head. There will be a bounty of $10,000 for each vigilante that is killed. Keep that within the family for now."
The men filed out of the office, thankful that they were still breathing. They also knew that they had no more chances – next time they would die.
Indian Knoll Road
"You hear that?" Kyle asked.
"Yeah, I did. Mom's not due home for hours."
I left my bedroom where I had been with Kyle – nothing happened! As I went downstairs, I saw somebody running, a short somebody. I seized a lock-knife from my pocket, flipped it open and threw it.
There was a scream as the runner stopped dead, their right arm pinned to the wall by the sleeve of their top. I walked over and I saw the outraged look on the girl's face.
"Jesus, what's the matter with you? You could have killed me!"
"What are you doing here?" I demanded.
"Nothing, just curious, is all."
The girl pulled out the knife and studied it, then her sleeve.
"Dammit, you cut my friggin' top!"
I seized the girl by the wrist and retrieved my knife, flipping it closed and placing it back in my pocket.
"How did you get in here?"
"The door was open..."
"No it wasn't!"
"Yeah, it was!"
I dragged the girl over to the front door and checked the lock.
"Hmm, it's unlocked!" I commented after checking it.
I looked at the girl and she coloured slightly, turning away.
"So, what did you steal?"
"Nothing; what do you think I am?"
I seized the girl's other wrist and forced open her fingers. It was a necklace, which I had removed the other day and left in the kitchen.
"Please don't call the Cops. My Dad will kill me."
"In some parts of the world they just cut your hands off..."
The girl turned to run, but I moved very fast and blocked her.
"Wow! How did you do that?"
"Get out of here!" I growled.
The girl smirked and ran.
I went to the stairs and saw Kyle looking down at me; he smirked.
"That was, err, interesting, Hailee: 'in some parts of the world they just cut your hands off', nice!" he commented.
I felt myself blushing.
"Good throw with the knife, too!"
I had just revealed a capability from my other life.
"Learnt it from my Dad," I said, not too convincingly.