Page 39 of Praying Mantis

“Not your dick unless you find me pretty.” I bat my eyelashes at my best friend. “Are our guys still there?”

“Yeah, they haven’t left. She’s asleep in her bed. She armed the alarm but it was an easy fix. I nod. “Does thequeenknow?” He’s taken to calling her the queen and it gets an eye roll from her every time which makes Finn laugh.

“No. She wouldn’t be able to do it. After hearing how her mom hired some new guy to kill her dad, she cut off all contact with her. She only knows she’s here because the alarm in the apartment went off. We haven’t fully moved her out yet.” We pull into the parking lot and I see five of our men sitting in the van waiting for us.

“Hey, boss. Where do you want us?”

“I need two of you to stay here to keep watch. The rest of you are coming with me. The less mess we make, the better.” They nod. The men already decided who would stay and who would go. We ride the elevator together and I crack my neck. We arrived on the floor and it’s a short walk to the apartment. Louisa showed me how to disarm the app through the app she installed on my phone. I also disabled her phone setting to be notified. Once I get the green light, the alarm is off, I open the door with my key. The lights are out except for a light in the kitchen. “Place the tarp here.” I point to the kitchen floor. “Finn, let’s go get the future mother-in-law.” I smile and it’s a cruel one and Finn’s matches mine. I walk into the bedroom and see a dark-haired woman sleeping so soundly. I lean over her and place my hand on her mouth. She struggles against me.

“Oh, look, we got a live one.” Finn chuckles.

“Hello mother dearest. I’m your future son-in-law.” I sneer at her. Her eyes go wide. “I’m looking forward to giving my future wife the greatest gift ever, your last breath.” Jean struggles even harder under me. Finn takes out his gun and places it against her temple.

“Calm the fuck down or I’ll shoot you here,” Finn whispers into her ear. “Now get up, remain quiet, and we’ll make it quick. Struggle, yell, and I will torture you for hours. I love a good hammer. Louisa’s been teaching me things her dad taught her.” Jean nods. I grab her hair with my free hand, tugging forcefully. She stumbles out of bed, falling to her knees, hard. She whimpers. I removed my hand from her mouth because I almost fell with her.

“Finn, should we make it fast or slow?” I tease Jean, knowing I want to kill her slowly, but I need to end this fast before Louisa comes in and stops me.

“Slow is more fun to me, but I know you have a warm body to get home to. Also, the boat is leaving in an hour.”

“Fuck, that’s right. I completely forgot about that.” I’m disappointed in the time restraint but this kill needs to be done. I toss her onto the blue tarp.

“I have money and a lot. I can give you whatever you want. Please don’t kill me.” Jean’s now crying.

“You don’t have any money. I have this amazing computer hacker on my payroll, and she found all six of your accounts. The money is now mine.” I shrug. “What else you got?”

“Louisa will never forgive you if you kill me,” she states like it’s the truth.

“You let your husband beat your daughter so badly she lost her memory for a while. You and he trained her to be a killer for your benefit. Where was love for her? Don’t worry about my mom, my family, and myself, she has all the love in the world. She is ruling my world by my side and thriving. Now, any last words?” She shakes her head. I come up behind her and slit her throat. She grabs her throat, trying to hold the blood in by adding a bunch of pressure. I take out my gun and watch as she flops to the ground. The copper tang taste fills the air. I aim my gun at the back of her head and pull the trigger. Jean stops flopping around and lays flat on her stomach. “She has a gold tooth in her mouth. Get it out for me.” One of my guys rolls her over and digs around in her mouth with a pair of pliers I took from Louisa’s kill bag. He hands it to me. “Okay, you boys know what to do. I need to go give my beautiful queen her gift.”

“I’ll stay to help. Take the car and head home,” Finn tells me. I thank them all.

After driving through the city, home feels exactly where I want to be. I take off my hoodie and leave it by the door, knowing John will throw it into the fire for me. I race up the stairs, trying to open the door quietly.

“Where have you been?” Louisa is pacing the floor. “You left the phone here and I couldn’t reach you.” I hold out the empty ring box Finn brought with him and give it to her. “What’s this?”

“Where I have been all night. Open it.” She slowly opens it with her eyebrows pinched together, not sure what to think of it. Then the smile on her face finally registers what I have given her.

“How did you know this was just my size?” Staring at her mother’s gold tooth, she leaps into my arms, kissing my lips. I lay her on the bed and we spend the night fucking, knowing our life is now free of the noose around her neck. She’s at peace with her past, and our future is brighter than ever.