5
500words
Blood dripped onto the polished floor.
Lily Ann shrieked, throwing herself at Vincent, her eyes blazing hatred at me.
“Serena! How dare you?! After everything?!”
“You hurt Vincent! You’re dead! You hear me? DEAD!”
She screamed at the men behind her. “You idiots! She stabbed Vincent! What are you waiting for?!”
“Kill the bitch! If anything happens to Vincent, you’re all dead!”
Vincent clutched his face, handsome features twisted in pain.
He glared at me, all warmth gone, replaced by pure fury.
“Serena. You asked for it. Do it!”
Lily Ann helped Vincent up, triumph radiating from her. “Serena. You’re finished.”
Silence.
The massive conference room. Not a single man moved.
Vincent’s eyes widened. He barked, “I said DO IT! Are you deaf?!”
Kyle stepped forward, kicked Vincent’s legs out from under him, sending him sprawling. Then he bowed deeply to me.
“Miss. Your seat awaits.”
Lily Ann screeched, “That’s Vincent’s chair! Serena, don’t you dare!”
“Have you all lost your minds?! Vincent is your boss! The Kingpin of Port City!”
“You’re just letting Serena humiliate him?! Kill her! NOW!”
Click. Click. Click.
The guns that had been aimed at me swiveled in unison.
Under Vincent’s disbelieving stare, every captain in the room stood. They bowed.
“Miss! Your seat awaits!”
“Serena! Take the chair!”
I walked slowly to the high-backed chair and sat down, my gaze icy on Vincent.
“You seem surprised, Vincent.”
“Did you forget? I’m not just your wife. I’m Serena, daughter of Carlo ‘The King’. Half your men call me ‘Miss’ first.”
“The other half? They didn’t just follow you out of the East End slums. They followed me.”
Sweat beaded on Vincent’s forehead – pain or fear, hard to tell.
Lily Ann turned ghostly pale. “You traitors! Pointing guns at Vincent?!”
“Who gave you your fancy cars, your penthouse views? Vincent! Serena is nothing! How dare you betray him?!”
“I swear, put those guns down now, or I’ll have you all fed to the dogs!”
Before the echo faded, Lily Ann shrieked as she was slammed to the floor.
I walked over, grabbed a fistful of her hair, yanking her head back, savoring the terror in her eyes.
“God, I hate your voice. Wonder if you’ll still be so chatty without a tongue?”
Vincent’s eyes bulged, veins throbbing on his neck.
“Serena! Don’t touch her! Hurt her, and we are through! Forever!”
Kyle stepped up, pistol-whipping Vincent hard across the face. Two blows sent him crashing back down.
A sharp blade touched Lily Ann’s tongue. She whimpered, trembling violently.
I stood over Vincent, laughing until my sides hurt.
“Aren’t we already through?”
Just as the blade pressed down, gunfire erupted outside the door.
I spun around, startled. Vincent lunged.
He grabbed my wrist, twisted, and slammed the knife he’d taken against my own throat.
“Serena! Did you really think I wouldn’t have a backup plan?!”
“I spoiled you before. This? This is the end.”
