“We’re gonna take our time carving you up. Then, just when you think you can’t take anymore, I’m gonna cut your dick off and shove it down your throat. Your wife will find you, but it’ll be too late. You’ll be long dead, and the video evidence of your crimes will have been sent to the FBI. The evidence implicating her will have also anonymously found its way into the hands of the appropriate authorities. I’ll make sure she spends the rest of her life in gen-pop at Florence, and you know how well the ladies at Florence treat inmates who abuse children, don’t you?” Cletus screamed again but I shook my head. “Believe me when I say, what we’re gonna do to you and your cunt of an old lady is going to hurt you a hell of a lot more than it’s gonna hurt us.”
I smiled and began my retribution.
* * *
Sierra
Wednesday morning, Tango reluctantly took me down to Rowan’s diner where I was meeting Raquel, Indigo, and Violet for a girls’ morning.
“Two hours,” he said.
“If I was speaking to you,” I retorted. “I’d tell you two hours wasn’t long enough.”
He smirked. “Meet you back here in two hours, Sierra. It’s not up for discussion.”
I climbed out of the truck and leaned into the window. “I won’t be here.”
“Fuckin’ hell, Sierra.”
I gave him a finger wave and slipped inside.
“Hey, honey,” Rowan greeted, but before I could respond, Tango stormed in behind me.
“Two hours, Sierra. Swear to Christ, if you give me any fuckin’ grief—”
“Whoa, buddy, let’s take it down a notch,” Rowan said.
“I have things to do today,” I said. “Jekyll will be with us for part of it, and Orion and Aero will be there for the other part. Your services are not required.”
“Wrath has tasked me with keeping you safe. You know this. Why the fuck do you need to make everything so fuckin’ difficult?”
“Well, well, well, what’s going on here?” Violet asked as she walked into the diner, Aero behind her.
“You know, you don’t actually have to doallof Wrath’s bidding, Tango,” I taunted.
“Okay, Sierra, maybe we don’t need another version of Violet in the Primal Housewives?” Aero suggested.
“Hey, now,” Violet snapped, tugging on her husband’s beard.
I took a deep breath. Tango was right. I wasmaking things hard for him, and it wasn’t his fault. I was being a bitch, and this wasn’t me.
I closed the distance between us, and forgetting he hated to be touched, I grabbed his arm and tugged him toward the exit. He pulled it back like I’d burned him, but he continued to follow me outside, facing me once we were clear of the door.
“I’m sorry, Tango,” I said. “I’m not trying to make things difficult. I’m pissed at Wrath and taking that out on you.”
He crossed his arms but said nothing.
“I get that Wrath has given you an edict, but I’ve got a whole girls’ morning planned and we really are covered, so do you mind if we do that? If you want to tag along, tag along, but if you don’t, can you coordinate with Jekyll and Orion, please?”
He studied me. “Yeah, I can do that.”
I smiled. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He cocked his head. “You done bein’ a pain in my ass?”
I gave him a fake laugh. “No way in hell.”
“Didn’t think so,” he grumbled, following me back inside.