Page 161 of Lau Ahi
“What I think doesn’t mean anything. If you want to prevent me from taking care of this then I need you to handle it. I don’t doubt that you can, Mira, but forgive me for requiring a demonstration.”
“You are the most arrogant—”
“Hey, why are you talking to him? I’m the one with the gun! I’m the one who is in control of this situation!” Wilbur gripped my neck tighter as though I’d forgotten that he was there. It wasn’t that, although Ori had a way of giving me tunnel vision. It was simply that he hadn’t been a factor before and he definitely wasn’t now. I had only allowed him this much time in my presence so that I could plan on how to dispose of his body.
“Control? Those who own the room don’t have to announce that they do. It’s just known. You don’t have control over anything in this house, least of all her.” Ori had that odd smile on his face as he watched the man behind me.
“You’re doing a lot of talking for a man who thinks he has a right to be here. But we both know for her safety you’re going toback out of here, let me have a little fun and then come and pick up the pieces.” He toyed with his life again by pulling me closer to him and kissing the side of my neck as his hands traveled down the planes of my body.
Death.
“And you think that she’s going to let you do that? Just have your way?”
“She doesn’t have a choice.”
Tired of them speaking about me as though I wasn’t there I butt into their conversation. “I guess no one told you about how angry Black women get when you touch their hair without permission.”
I jerked my head back hitting him in the bridge of his nose, forcing him to loosen his grip on my neck. My hand went to the gun that was now falling out of his grip as he tried to cup the blood that was now pouring down his face. I kept the gun trained on him before I reached for a knife that was hidden on a closet shelf. I shoved it into his stomach smiling at the feel of the blade piercing the first layer of fat before the vibrations against my palm changed signaling that I had hit muscle.
I twisted the knife further, the torque and depth ensuring that his intestines were now leaking into his body. I refused to remove the knife and mess up my floors so instead I took a step back as he started to flail, grasping at his wound until he fell back against a slipper chair.
Well, fuck. Now I have to get rid of that.
“That was fairly decent.”
I turned around angrily attempting to figure out what fault he could’ve found in my actions. “Decent? What would you have done differently?”
“Several things. Care for a demonstration?”
“A demonstration? I’ve done the hard work for you!” I motioned toward the body that was screeching like an injured fool.
“Doesn’t look like the job is finished if he’s making that kind of noise.” Ori shook his head with a tisking sound, disappointed in me.
“Forgive me for thinking that you weren’t the type of man to beat a dead horse.”
Ori scratched the side of his face casually. “The definition of dead must have changed lately. He’s still breathing, so he isn’t, in fact dead.”
“He’s at least incapacitated!”
He glanced back over my shoulder, and I turned, watching Wilbur trying to get up from the chair. “That’s debatable.”
“You think that I didn’t hit my shot?”
“Oh, I’m sure you did. But men who know they’re on the cusp of death will always rally.”
“Experience in the field I’m assuming?”
“Of course. Can I demonstrate?”
I took a step back ceding the floor to him with a gesture of my hand. “Be my guest.”
“Not in here, I don’t want to ruin your clothes.”
Ori walked toward the man who was now fading but he had no regard for human life. At least not this human. He lifted him off his feet with ease and drug him to a back bedroom that had nothing in it. Ori tossed Wilbur into the room and he immediately started to beg.
“Please, you’ve got to help me.”
Ori was shaking his head as he cracked his neck like he was about to put in work.
