Motown Takedown (Motown Down Book 3) (10 page)

“He has to die, Monarch,
”
It wasn’t the alcohol, it was the truth. “As long as he lives, he’s a risk I’m not willing to take. You don’t fuck with luck because eventually everyone has it.”

“Look at me,
”
I order her and wait for our eyes to meet. “Do you belong to me?
”
Nodding, I watch her eyes fill up. “Do I belong to you?
”
Nodding again I watch one tear fall. “Til death do us part, Cinn. His, theirs, ours.”

“Can I do it?
”
she grins seductively. “Pretty please?”

“No, Mo chuisle,
”
I say softly. “His death belongs to me. I owe you that much. Let me place his heart at your feet.”

“Monarch?
”
she asks swaying against me. “Will you take me home?”

Wrapping my arm around her I did just that. An hour and a half later when she safely asleep in our bed, I met Ransom downstairs to get this shit done.

I was sixteen when I killed for the first time. Most girls at that age were dating and gossiping about dating, but not me. No, I lived in hostile territory. A place where few survived and none were trusted. Savage was out on the grounds handling a shipment of guns with Monarch when our man, Blaze, came at me from behind. One minute I was reaching for a book from the shelf and the next his hand was covering my mouth to prevent me from screaming. His first mistake was thinking I was a screamer because I was not. This left him use of only one hand. The hand he used to rip my blouse open before going for my pants. Using the techniques Monarch himself had taught me, I broke his hold first followed by his wrist. Howling in pain, he backed off long enough that I was able to snag my copy of The Persian Expedition, where I housed a knife inside. Spinning it in my palm, when he lunged for me again, I brought it straight up and then right back down plunging it in his heart. Staggering back, his first instinct was to pull it out. That part I found to be quite disgusting and also much more difficult than it looks. Kicking him in the stomach he topples over and hits the tile hard. Wanting my knife back, I placed one foot on his chest before leaning down and pulling up hard.

That knife was mine,and I stole it fair and square. Poised to strike again, he spits at me and calls me a whore which made me laugh considering his penchant for hookers. “Finish him,
”
Savage demands from the door. Turning to the voice, I didn’t meet his eyes, I met Monarch’s. With fury in his eyes, he gives me the nod to continue. Wiping my mouth on the back of my hand, I drop to my knees burying the blade deep in his throat. Blaze would be one of many who would either try to steal, rape, or kill me. And even knowing this, Savage always made certain I was unarmed. He couldn’t afford to have his bitch turn on him. That’s the thing about bitches, though, we always do.

It was the way he said Savage’s death belonged to him that wouldn’t let me stay asleep. That and he waited for me to doze before leaving the room.  I may be blotto, but this move was shifty, and I didn’t like being left out. Especially when it came to death and revenge. Monarch wanted to kill him and in our world it was his right. Savage saw to that when he continued to make threats against him and reneged on their deal. But if he thought for one fucking minute I was being left behind, he was as crazy as Savage was. This bitch did not do sneaky. Throwing on my dress, which was at the end of the bed, I said fuck the bra and shoes and hauled ass downstairs. I rounded the corner to the offices and saw Monarch and Ransom leaving in the Tahoe.

Running down the hall to the door, I made it through before the code engaged. Sliding into the Tesla, with the fob in the cup holder, I start her up and hit the button on the ceiling to reopen the garage door. Drinking and driving is illegal for most people. I wasn’t most people, and I guarantee word was out that I was seen driving the Tesla and because of that, no one would be dumb enough to pull me over. Let’s face it, my cops weren’t cutting off their drug supply to meet a fucking quota.

Savage’s den was merely blocks from Monarch’s compound and after tapping a few parked cars, I turned down the street that would lead me back to the last place I ever wanted to be. They had already exited the Tahoe and made their way inside. I heard a crash as I pulled in the driveway but didn’t care what caused it. For some fucking reason, I was stuck and couldn’t get out. It took me some time to get myself free and in that time the noise inside had escalated. Let it be known, I hated missing the fun. Finally able to get out and leaving the door open, I hiked my dress up and ran up the twelve steps and straight into a war zone.

I say war zone because Ransom was holding Savage down while Monarch water boarded him.  Savage struggling, gasping, drowning, and coughing didn’t faze me. It was the amount of Monarch’s men in this room that did. That’s because there were only four. Monarch, Ransom, Pope and Gunner. The rest of these men belonged to Savage and by extension, me. Some men present were solely loyal to me, the rest Savage. We were technically outnumbered but I knew it would take more than the men here to take us down. Allowing a break to let him rid his body of water, he rolls to his side and heaves. Of course, this was also the time he spotted me as I was sneaking into the room. 

“She came for me!
”
he screams trying to get up, but his gimp legs won’t let him. Stepping up to him, I kick him over with my bare foot before I’m pulled away by Monarch himself.

“Are you fucking crazy?
”
he yells picking me up off my feet.

“Crazy no, drunk, sorta. You left me!”

“Cinn…
”
he tries pacifying me and fails. Before I can answer, Savage starts screaming and trying to crawl to me but he never got close enough because Ransom kicked him square in the jaw.

“Don’t ‘Cinn’ me,
”
I say planting my hands on my hips. “We had a moment tonight; I thought we understood each other. You got me sauced on purpose! You don’t leave your queen behind! It’s a rule!”

“Now is not the time,
”
he says pulling me behind him. Then I see two of Savage’s men, Gamble, and Smooth, break away by rounding the corner reaching for their weapons. Stealing Monarch’s pistol from the holster at his back, I raise it and fire two shots. One for each of them and I hit my mark true, good riddance. They drop easily, and I hand him his pistol back to finish giving him a stare down. Monarch to be fair looked seriously shocked by this. Pope and Gunner each nodded me their respect which was our thing. Ransom however was laughing. Right now, Ransom was my favorite person.

“Bean,
”
Savage cries out for me.

“Oh fuck off, Savage,
”
I snap never once looking his way. “Finish it so we can go home, my buzz is wearing off,
”
I demand in my best queen voice.

“Is she for fucking real right now?
”
Ransom asks Monarch totally ignoring me.

“Christ, wine makes you bitchy,
”
He says pulling me closer to him.

“Making a play behind my back makes me bitchy,
”
I counter reasonably.

“You drive here?
”
Monarch asks raising an eyebrow.

Ransom walks over to the open door and peeks out then lets out a huge laugh before facing us. “Yeah boss, she drove here, but she ain’t driving home.”

“Why not?
”
I snap.

“Because the fucking car is totaled,
”
he laughs. “That wine probably saved your life.”

“Maybe that was the crash I heard?
”
I ask myself and the room too. Shit, I really loved that car.

“You, you drove?
”
Savage asks with pure heartbreak in his voice. Turning to face him, I step forward throwing Monarch off of me in the process
.

“He’s been teaching me how to drive,
”
I say kneeling down next to him. “I’m really good at it. Then again, I’m good at everything…”

Ignoring Ransom’s snort as well as Pope and Gunner’s snicker, I also ignore Monarch’s growl too. “He’s teaching me how to swim too, Savage. I even like the water, you know, when I’m not
drowning
in it.”

“Bean,
”
he says holding his stomach, thereby his intestines in. “I would have taught you all those things.”

“He took me dancing and to play putt putt,
”
I whisper in an angry voice. “He hasn’t even fucked me yet, Savage. He did those things for me because he wanted tobecause I never had them.
”
When a wail escapes him, I can’t find it in me to care. He’s going to die tonight, and it was his own fault. “You kept me fearful of my father finding me, you used me, you abused me. You don’t love me; you loved controlling me. I wasn’t with Monarch an hour before he gave me a choice.”

“Bean,
”
he pleads reaching for me.

“He said I could go, be free, but I chose to stay.
I
chose. You never told me about the deal,
”
I accuse. “You never told me I had a
choice
.”

“I know what’s best for you! You belong here!”

“You can’t even wipe your own ass anymore! You don’t know what’s best for me! You took everything from me, including him!”

“I loved you like a daughter – ”

“A daughter you fucked, you disgusting piece of shit,
”
I spat. “You are no better than my father.”

“That deal kept you safe,
”
he grunts. “Safe from the enemy – ”

“But not from you!
”
I scream in his face.

“I gave you choices…
”
he mumbles before aiming his fury at me. “You just didn’t appreciate them because you were too busy trying to kill me!”

“A girl has to take her fun where she can find it,
”
I shrug.

“You belong to me, Bean,
”
he roars, water and spittle flying from his mouth.

Throwing my body on his, I wrap my fingers around his throat and scream, “Worst nickname ever! I am not a fucking vegetable,and I belong to Monarch!
”
Shock registers and it was that moment I knew I broke his heart for good, but I wasn’t done. God, I was sick of food labels. Named after a spice, beckoned using a vegetable. I had fucking had it. “Do you know how many years I had to put up with your stench? Not scratch my skin off after you touched me? Listen to your demands, take your punishments, and wither away under your rule? One thing saw me through, one goal. It’s happening right now. I endured a hellish existence to get here, and you will not take that from me. I am proof I can turn a sane man into a psychopath. That you can make a woman a queen, and she will rule the fucking world. You should be proud of yourself, Savage.
You
created
me
.”

“My Achilles heel,
”
he says as a tear runs down his cheek.

“No, Savage,
”
I say tightening my grip which wasn’t getting me anywhere, fucking wine fingers. “Your Trojan horse.”

When he starts to buck and freak the fuck out, Monarch was there putting a bullet through the top of his head to shut him up. The splatter covered me from face to stomach, and I didn’t even flinch. “I hate you,
”
I whisper righting his shirt for some reason. Savage in life was sloppy, in death I felt he should look put together at least once. Or maybe that was the wine talking. Actually, I was sure it was because tonight the wine had a lot to say
.
“Wake up so you can die again,
”
I order him but he was not listening. “I want to watch you die again!”

“Mo chuisle,
”
he says picking me up under my legs and ending my moment. “Let’s go home.”

“Can I drive?”

“No fucking chance,
”
he says holding me close. Then with me in his arms he addresses the room. “This den no longer belongs to Savage. You are no longer his men. You pieces of shit are lucky my hands are full,or I’d kill you for allowing his evil to affect to her, for not coming to me to end it. Spread the word and know that if any of you motherfuckers so much as look at my queen without permission, I’ve got a bullet waiting for you.
”

“When I’m sober, I’m calling a meeting!
”
I call out over his shoulder. “First order of business is cleaning the fucking living room!”

“Look at me, Cinn,
”
he demands, and I waste no time in doing so. “Anyone else need to die before I take you home?”

“I’m satisfied,
”
I smile. “For now.”

I’m pretty sure I heard one of the guys mumble
long live the queen,
but I was too focused on being in Monarch’s arms to care.