Vicious Minds

by J. J. McAvoy

  “So the lamb threw himself in the lion’s den. Darwin's theory proves itself correct again.” I grinned, shaking my head, then winced at the sharp pain in my shoulder. Annoyed, I pulled out my own damn knife.

  “Don’t,” he snapped at me.

  “It’s fine. I’ve done it before—”

  “You’re not going to be able to use your arm once you take it out and the blood flows,” he went on.

  “All I need is one hand, anyway.”

  “Well aren’t you a badass?” he mocked me.

  I made a face, but I couldn’t help but snicker. “Let’s hurry and get this over with, then.”

  “You’re just like Gigi. You both want what you want and to hell with the consequences,” he said, and a genuine smile came to lips as it always did when he talked about her.

  “First, Gigi is like me, mom comes before the daughter. Second, I think you just don’t want me bleeding all over your fancy car.”

  “How did you know?” He looked at me.

  I gripped my knife tightly. “You know, you’re not very grateful. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve saved your ass now—”

  “Three times,” he shot back. “I haven’t lost count. But one of those times you put me in danger, too, so you were only undoing the damage.”

  That know-it-all smirk of his. That pride, ego, and arrogance. It was infuriating, not just because he did it to tease me, but also because it made him more attractive.

  * * *

  ETHAN - AGE 27

  Chicago, Illinois

  Sunday, November 12th

  It was because of her.

  If not for her, I’d be much closer to death.

  If not for her, I would have lost myself to the rage.

  Everyone, everyone, hates the leader of the pack. I hadn’t forgotten that. I hadn’t been taught that. Growing up, my parents let me know everyone wanted to be us. So I knew some of them hated us. But I had believed the lie: that somehow, some way, deep down, everyone still believed in the stories of how we all came together, us Irish, us Italians…how we all became family. That it was all to protect our families. But that was naïve of me. This wasn’t the mafia of the old days. What kept them loyal, what kept them in line, was fear and greed. Fear of what happened when the leader turned around and let his anger out on them. And greed, wanting to have the money and power themselves. Maybe Calliope knew because she was never part of the family which was considered the head of the pack. Or maybe she knew because she understood them better than I did. Or maybe she really was much smarter. Maybe it was all the above.

  Nevertheless, I was both grateful and annoyed that I was in such a disgraceful position.

  When I looked to the camera, I saw McGlinchy and a few of her family members sit around the dinner table. I glanced over to Calli, and she was asleep. Only she could take a nap at such a moment. For some strange reason, I was calm. I expected anger, rage, the need for blood and revenge, but looking over to her, I remembered her other words.

  “Who was the date?”

  Her eyes snapped open and she shifted her gaze to me. “You really aren’t going to let this go?”

  “No.”

  “Your jealousy is showing.” She scratched her wig as she adjusted her seat, looking out the window. “We’re here. Do you have a plan for getting in the door?”

  “Knocking,” I said, grabbing my gun and stepping out of the car.

  “Oh good, it’s like we’re just coming over for dinner.” Hefting her bag onto her uninjured shoulder, she lifted her gun with her good hand and gripped the machete with the other.

  “I’m sure you didn’t break in just to look at her books. What else did you do?” I walked up the steps of the townhouse in the old Irish quarter of town. It looked a little shabby on the outside, but I knew that was because Grams liked to pretend she was still that down-to-earth Irish neighborhood lady. The inside was as modern as the family manor.

  “You really expect too much of me sometimes,” she said with a smirk on her face, putting her mask on and giving me mine back.

  “I think I’m underestimating you, actually,” I mumbled, putting on the mask.

  I knocked on the door.

  Checking my phone, I watched as they froze, and few of them started to pick up guns. I looked over to Calli, who just pressed a single button on a small remote, and I noticed gray smoke fill the house. I used the security system Helen had opened up for me to kill all the power to the house, which opened the automatic door.

  I stepped inside first and she came in after me, closing the door behind us. Even through the mask I could smell the smoke. It smelled sweet…sickly sweet like candy. Calli didn’t wait: they came out, trying to attack us as they coughed and stumbled, and she cut them down with ease. Like a one-woman army she sliced and shot down those who came in front her. I left them to her, walking to where Grams was in the kitchen. The massacre had begun and would end easily…so bloody easily I felt insulted Grams had gotten to so close to me to begin with.

  Stepping through the gray smoke I saw her doing what she could to hold on to her chair. She glared up at me from her seat, coughing. I moved to the window, opening it to let the smoke out before taking a seat. I waited for a moment before taking off the mask and looked over to her. Her wrinkled lips turned up.

  “How’d you know?” she asked.

  “My wife to be is very dedicated in making sure our family is…safe.” I said, putting the gun on the table. “She killed Teagan. She’s now killing everyone, but I thought you should know who went down first because of your treachery.”

  She shook her head. “Why is it so hard for teenagers to listen?”

  “Doesn’t matter now. I would have found him later and killed him anyway.”

  “He was your godson.”

  “Your point? I would kill my brother if it meant protecting what matters to me.” I told her, and it was then that Calliope came in, covered in blood. Her eyes narrowed as she looked between us.

  “Am I interrupting tea time?”

  “She gets sarcastic when she’s annoyed,” I explained to Grams, who never looked away from her.

  “Another Italian, I see. And here I thought you were really considering Moretti’s daughter.”

  “Don’t you think you’ve insulted me enough for one night?” I asked her as Calliope took a seat at the head of the table. “Do you want to tell me why now?”

  She laughed hard and coughed. “Why? Ethan, my boy. Logic doesn’t apply here. Rule or be ruled: it’s all that governs us. I’ve been ruled over for the last 89 years. I have watched my family, my friends, and my loved ones bend their heads to your family. How long do you think your family can stay at the top? This is not going to end with me. Other people are hungry for the power your family flaunted for decades. They’re hungry for their time to lead and rule. You can’t fight us all.”

  “I don’t need to,” I reminded her. “I can make you fight each other. And when you’re all done, I’ll come back and you will remember that my family was not just given this position, we built it. Body by body, blood by blood, drug by drug; we fought, we skimmed, we sacrificed to get to the top. It’s in our DNA now. We don’t know how to be any other way. We’d rip this world to shreds before we’d ever go to the bottom. You won’t live long enough to see it, but very soon, people will know what it means to cross me.”

  I lifted the gun from the table, pointing it at the kitchen closet beside her and her eyes widened.

  “They are just babies, Ethan!” she bellowed.

  I fired into the closet and she screamed, moving to get up, but Calliope already stood behind her with her machete at Grams’ throat.

  “Why are you screaming, Grams?” Calli whispered, her lips at her ears. “You’re the one that killed them. You cross the mob, and mob crosses you. You includes your family and everything you ever cared about. It’s the oldest rule in the book. You knew that and made your choice anyway. Screaming now just makes you look like a sore
loser.”

  Her eyes never left the closet, staring as blood poured out from underneath the door. Setting the gun back down, I told her, “My massacre of your family has only just begun. I thank you in advance for being my first lesson to others.”

  Calliope tilted her head to me and I nodded. Slowly she pulled the blade across Grams’ neck and let her go, allowing her to fall on the table. I stared at her body and Calliope walked to my side, tossing her leg over mine and sitting on my lap. She leaned in and kissed me. Closing my eyes, I kissed her back, letting her take my rage once more. I gripped her hips and she moaned against my mouth. Breaking apart, she put her forehead on mine.

  “If not them, it would be us. It would be Gigi,” she said gently.

  “It was never a choice.” I leaned back on the chair. “My family or theirs. How could there ever be a choice?”

  She agreed. Sitting up straighter, she took off her vest and passed one of her smaller knives to me. I took it and held the tip over a candle on the table, watching the tip blacken and then bringing it to her shoulder. Her jaw set, she took a deep breath, but I didn’t move yet and she looked back to me, confused I lifted my eyebrow…she knew what I wanted to know.

  “You are…” She exhaled and moved to take the knife from me, but I held it back. She tried to get up, but I held her in place. She glared at me, and I gave it right back to her.

  “Who is he and what is the purpose of the date?” I put the knife back to the flame.

  “The jealousy was cute the first two times, but now it’s irritating.” I waited for her to continue. She rolled her eyes. “It’s not a he. It is a me. It was a date with myself. For my night off, I bought out my favorite spa. I planned to soak in a eucalyptus Dead Sea salt bath, have a hot stone massage, maybe a scalp wash and massage too, then a rooftop dinner in peace. It was going to be amazing. Are you happy now, you green-eyed brute? This cut into my scheduled me time.”

  I picked up the knife and cut into her skin before using my hands to apply pressure, digging in the blade. She gritted her teeth and gripped my shoulder as I finally took the shard out.

  “Fuckers.” She frowned, taking the bullet from me. “If they are going to attack us they could at least invest in decent fucking bullets.”

  “Let’s burn this place down and go,” I said to her, taking the gun from the table.

  “We can part ways here—”

  “You’re staying me with me tonight.” Her eyes narrowed, clearly questioning who I was to order her around, meanwhile, she’d do the same thing. Bringing her face to mine again I kissed her lips softly. “It’s been a while since we’ve had we time.”

  Her lips pursed but she didn’t say anything. She climbed off me, standing beside me as I stood as well. I looked around at the blood covered walls, then at her. “This is the first time you and I have gone to work together.”

  “I’ll mark it down my diary.” She laughed and walked into the kitchen.

  “When you do, make sure you note that this how we both knew your time hiding in my shadow was coming to an end.” She looked over her shoulder at me as she turned the gas stove on.

  “Is that so?”

  “Didn’t you hear her?” I nodded to Grams’ body. “Apparently people think they are indispensable now. Who else is better suited to remind them than il Triste Mietitore, that graves can be dug for anyone.”

  “Tell me more during our we time.” She winked, and I knew exactly how to do that.

  Chapter 14

  “I cannot remember exactly the first time your soul

  whispered to mine, but I know you woke it.

  And it has never slept since.”

  * * *

  ~J.M. Storm

  Calliope - AGE 25

  Chicago, Illinois

  Sunday, November 12th

  Ethan’s personality ranged from an almost adolescent-level sweetness, like when we came to his private luxury townhome in the city, one he must have bought in anticipation of the day I would come. How did I know? Because he had my favorite style of furniture, the kitchen knife set I had in the last two places he’d visited, then there was the wine…the wine we first shared together. He led me to the bedroom and helped me strip down. He asked, not demanded, that I take off the wig and my contacts, and I did so.

  He then joined me in the shower, washing the blood and dirt off me. He wouldn’t let me wash him, but there was something underneath his silence. I felt it and it excited me, so I didn’t push. I just enjoyed his hands in my hair massaging the shampoo in. I reveled in the feeling of his hard body behind me. All too soon, it was over and led me out of the bathroom into the gray bedroom. The walls had silk-like curtains draped over them; the carpet was a lighter shade of gray and plush under my feet. The canopy bed was big enough for four and sat in the middle of the massive room fitted with silk sheets, a diamond chandelier hanging over it. There was no other furniture in the room.

  I felt him step up behind me and shivered when he brushed my hair over to one side.

  “Get on the bed, la mia anima,” he whispered before kissing between my neck and shoulder.

  This is what I meant: one minute he was sweet, the next he was a murderous savage who’d kill anyone, young or old, to protect his family, then he could be devilishly tempting. I wanted to know what he was going to do. I took a step towards him and he snatched off the towel he had wrapped around me. I said nothing as I got into the middle of the bed, still a bit wet from our shower and completely naked. Ethan pulled on a small string that hung near the bedpost and the silk curtains lifted, revealing walls of mirrors. Now I understood. The rest of house was mine to do whatever I wished with, but when we came into this room, he was going to do whatever he wanted with me. He slid open a hidden panel on the headboard and revealed an array of toys he’d gotten just for me.

  “Who knew you had such a kinky side?” I asked when he pulled out a blindfold. He turned and handed it me. This was my only chance to tell him no, to reject this.

  Seems like I have a kinky side too. I took the blindfold from him and put it over my eyes.

  I felt the bed shift as he got behind me. He took my hands and with what felt like a silk cloth, he tied my hands behind my back tightly. His lips found my ear and he kissed the top of it. “Master. You say that and I’ll stop.”

  Son of a bitch.

  “Do your worst.” I challenged, kneeling patiently. He chuckled softly but didn’t say anything else. I waited for so long, I wondered if he was still was in the room. But I refused to call out for him. Finally, I heard his feet shuffle on the carpet and the bed shifted again.

  I smelled…wine?

  “Open,” he commanded.

  But I knelt still and refused, pleased with myself. “Ah…” My mouth opened on a gasp when his cold fingers pinched my nipples and pulled. The wine was slowly poured in my mouth, and I could feel some of it roll down my chin, my neck, and down to my chest.

  Fuck me, it was delicious. Ethan kissed me then, his tongue inside my mouth, licking the wine from my own. I turned my head and leaned into him, and even though I already couldn’t see, I closed my eyes, reveling in the taste of him. Abruptly, he broke away and pushed me forward. Breathing hard through my nose, my chest rose and fell with the effort. I felt a small strip of leather against my skin…a whip on ass. I bit my lip to hide my excitement.

  “This isn’t for you this for me.” I obviously failed to hide my feelings.

  “Ethan, haven’t you noticed, I want what you want,” I replied only to be rewarded with slap right on my pussy. I could feel myself getting wet already. I licked my lips. “You can do better than that—”

  SLAP.

  “Oh,” I moaned…oh fuck…I was going to heaven and hell tonight. “More.”

  I knew it was going to bug him…he wanted to dominate me, but I wasn’t going to give in that easily.

  “You really wish to drive me mad, don’t you?” he asked softly.

  “It’s only fair…ah…oh…” My
hands balled into fists behind my back when I felt the tiny vibrating toy he now rubbed over my pussy. I wasn’t sure what it was, but it was so strong my stomach contracted, and my jaw snapped open.

  “You were saying?” He slowly slid it inside of me.

  I bit my bottom lip and buried my face in the sheets. I was going to pay him back for this one day, I swear.

  “Excuse me as I do my worst.” I could hear the smugness in his voice and I wiggled as I got wetter.

  SLAP! His hand connected with my ass and I jerked forward.

  SLAP! He hit my other cheek before kissing both. I tried to brace myself for another but instead all I felt was something wet slide down my ass.

  “Ethan…” I tried to speak but my voice cracked. The motherfucker was turning me into his own private porn star so easily. It pissed me off but, “…f…fuck,” I cried out as I felt his finger press into my ass. Slowly he readied me, not for his cock but for what he put in me… a butt plug? “Fuck you…” I sneered when that, too, started to vibrate inside my ass… he wasn’t playing fair.

  “I want to see you desperate for me…beg for me.” He moved me to lay on my side, my legs spread wide, my pussy so wet I was dripping down my legs. And then he licked me.

  Oh, I was going to get revenge.

  When he least expected it; when he thought I was satisfied just being his submissive, I’d pay him back tenfold…I swear it.

  ETHAN - AGE 27

  Chicago, Illinois

  Sunday, November 12th

  She was an angel, I was sure, and one day she’d reign down divine retribution for this. But right now she was blindfolded, coated in sweat, dripping wet, moaning and squirming on the silver sheets before me, and I couldn’t bring myself to care. This sight was worth it. I was so hard I had to stroke myself as she moaned. I wanted to fuck her badly but not before I enjoyed more of this. If I came now, I could think straight again and focus before she made me hard again.