Page 14

MADMAN

F lying in a private jet was something I never thought would happen in my lifetime, and Audrey’s plane didn’t disappoint. We left that same night, around ten, when the pilot was able to get back to us. He’d had another flight earlier that day, so we had to wait our turn.

The stewardess was an older woman, reminding me of someone’s sweet grandmother, and she made Death and me feel welcome, regardless of our intimidating nature.

When she asked us if we wanted some cookies and milk as our in-flight snack, I thought she was a crazy old bat with a few screws loose, but then she showed up with milk laced with cinnamon and whiskey and bypassed the cookies for some bourbon pecan pie.

She’d said she had the notion being southern boys, we’d appreciate it more, and she was not wrong.

That woman is welcome on the ranch any damn time she’s in Texas, and I made sure she knew it.

Audrey had a vehicle waiting for us when we touched down with the keys in the ignition.

Death was adamant we were going to catch a case from the law for jacking someone’s vehicle in the middle of the night, but in the end, the pilot reassured us it was there for us.

We rented a room outside the boujee little town John’s vacationing in, to regroup and wait for tonight.

We flew through the first part of last night, and after the warm milk and pie, my ass passed out for the four hours we were in the air.

Death did the same, knowing we’d be busy tonight.

We were able to get some more sleep once we were checked in to our room, but it was restless.

I had too much on my mind at that point to be able to truly relax.

I wanted to find John then and there to skin his ass for giving Auds so much damn grief.

My animosity has been building for him over the years, and I finally have reason enough to take my wrath out on him.

The weather’s milder here, I notice as we exit the vehicle and head for the house.

It’s hard to just roll up on a property here as they’re all mansions with ridiculous gated driveways along the water.

We park a little way down, off the side of the road, attempting to blend the SUV into the hedges a bit.

Hopefully, this won’t take long, so no one notices the out-of-place vehicle.

“Damn, brother, this is your baby momma’s place?”I nod, “One of them. She has houses in several spots.”

“Kind of makes me think we should be charging them more if this is the life they’re living.”

I agree. The place is ridiculous, and it floors me that people truly live this way.

Not only having one home of such substance, but multiple.

It instantly makes me think the majority of them must be so fucking out of touch with reality, I mean, how can you be when you’re surrounded by so much wealth?

Their reality is not in the same stratosphere as mine is.

“Explains why her ex is such a goddamn pansy ass,” I mutter.

My fists clench with each step that brings us closer to the sprawling mansion.

Lights kick on as we pass them, leading to the glowing home.

We scour the property, as Audrey promised she’d cancel all of the remote security features so we wouldn’t be bothered.

It’s a relief not having to worry about the local cops or a security company rolling up on us mid-task.

I pull my phone free and send her a quick text.

Me: Made it to the house. Checking it out now.

Audrey: I got a few motion sensor alerts, but I cleared them and made sure the locks are disengaged. The house is not armed, so you will have no problem getting inside. I turned the cameras off. No one will know anything.

Her text is all the confirmation I need to continue. “She says we’re in the clear.”

“Bet,” Death rumbles in response, and we move to the deck. We walk quietly around the entire thing, peeking in whatever windows we can to get a feel for who is inside and where. “One thing’s obvious,” he says after a while. “The asshole’s not here.”

I nod. We’ve only seen one young chick, and I’m guessing she’s a babysitter or something.

“What are we going to do? I’m not offing a teeny-bopper; I refuse to have that on my conscious.”

“Same, brother,” I agree, wondering what the best way to handle this is. “I’m thinking we act like we’re supposed to be here. You distract her. I’ll find my kid, and then when John returns, I’ll figure out a way to deal with him.”

He nods, “Let’s do it.” We take a step in the direction of the front door when headlights wash over the property. The vehicle’s nearly silent, since it’s one of those pieces of shit electric vehicles. If it weren’t for the headlights, he might’ve seen us before we saw him.

“Shit, new plan!” I huff, and we duck around the side of the house.

We keep watch from the shadows until he pulls his car to stop in front of the garage.

Then he and a giggling woman are making their way up the deck steps.

They’re both drunk, to the point I’m surprised John was able to drive at all.

Then again, maybe his car is one of those extra fancy types I read about in Tech Weekly about being able to drive itself.

I’m just glad he didn’t have Hazel in there with him, or this would’ve gotten bloody much quicker.

Death and I keep quiet, watching the couple make their way to the hot tub.

Their clothes come off, and I don’t relish in seeing John’s wrinkly, pasty ass one bit.

The chick climbs on his lap, and once she starts bouncing, I tell my brother, “Go tell the babysitter she can go home. Audrey will send her payment over if John hasn’t paid already. ”

He nods, and I wait. About five minutes later, the girl leaves, heading toward a golf cart.

She’s driving away within ten minutes of John arriving, having never seen my face, nor John’s pasty ass going at it with a hooker in the hot tub.

I don’t know if the chick is truly a hooker, but she was looking pretty rough when they made it up the stairs.

I motion for Death to follow me as we stealthily approach the hot tub where John and his woman are engaged in their debauchery.

The sound of splashing water and their drunken laughter echoes through the night air.

We move closer, our footsteps muffled by the expensive fake wood decking under our feet.

The moon casts an eerie glow on the scene before us.

As we reach the edge of the deck, I raise my hand signaling Death to ready himself.

With a swift and silent movement, we pounce on them from behind.

In one quick motion, I grab John by his thinning hair, yanking his head back, while Death wraps a strong arm around the woman’s neck, cutting off her shocked screams.

There’s a brief moment of struggle, but it’s futile against our combined attack as well as our experience in shitty situations.

John’s pulse is racing beneath my fingers, his eyes wide with terror as he realizes his imminent fate.

I’m not here for a chat, but to end this problem once and for all.

I hate that this piece of shit had any part of Audrey, let alone got to spend part of his life with her.

She deserves so much better, she always has.

I should’ve killed him a long time ago and set her free.

The woman claws at Death’s arm, but he holds firm, his expression cold and unflinching.

John’s mouth opens, but no sound comes out as I swiftly draw my blade from my side holster and slit it across his throat.

I could use my gun, a quick shot to his brain, but it’d be too noisy and we’re trying to get in and out without stirring up any unwanted attention.

John’s body convulses, warm blood spilling over my hands, dirtying my soul more so than it already was before.

The liquid crimson drips into the hot tub, turning the water a dark, eerie red.

I should feel something killing him, right?

Remorse, guilt, something? But, I don’t.

I feel nothing. Maybe a little glee if I’m honest with myself, which is a scary thing to come to terms with.

Beside me, Death tightens his grip on the woman, her face now a mask of sheer panic. He gives a sharp twist, and a sickening crack echoes through the night as her neck snaps. Her body goes limp, and he lets her slide silently into the water, a grim finality to their messy evening.

We stand there for a moment, caught in the trance only killing will give you, with the only sound around us being the gentle bubbling of the hot tub jets, now ripe and sullied with the metallic scent of blood.

With a sigh, I glance at Death, and he nods, understanding my silent command.

We need to clean all this shit up and make everything look like an accident.

A robbery gone wrong could work too, anything that won’t lead back to Audrey and her children.

Deah breaks me from my thoughts, saying, “You go pack up, little miss. Make it seem like she was never here, just John, and I’ll take care of this mess. ”

He doesn’t have to mention it twice. I’m more than happy to skip getting blood on me and having to figure out what to do with the bodies. “You staging or cleaning up?”

He grunts, pulling the woman from the tub and laying her on the deck. “Gonna make this one disappear, so they’re only worrying about one body.”

“Good idea. I saw a shed on that side of the yard, probably a shovel in there.”

He stomps off and with a heavy exhale, I grab John’s keys from the deck, and turn for the house. It’s time I took my daughter home.

Where she’s always belonged.