The Joy of Revenge

CHAPTER 144 No Excuse Cristos 54% | was in Sebastian’s room, still in my hideous camping disguise, waiting for Sebastian to wake up, so | could tell him | was going home. Xavier agreed to letgo under one condition... | had to tell Sebastian my decision.

Sebastian’s room was a reflection of his personality. It was contemporary and efficient, but styled with boring minimalist pieces in monotonous tones of white, gray and black. Sure, everything looked clean and neat in all its simplicity, however it gave off a rather dull impression.

There was one small object though which contrasted with the simpleness of the room. On his smart nightstand was an old cigar box, its varnished wood gleaming under the soft glow of the yellow light coming from the matte black dimmable table lamp situated right beside it. That box, | knew, was from Joy. Just like our hin Los Angeles, Sebastian's room had the ssubtle Joy touch. There was one piece of vintage furniture that stood out in his monochromatic bedroom, a restored vintage black leather chair located right beside hist window... another gift from Joy.

Joy and I, we had the stastes when it cto furniture. We loved antiquing, spending hours and hours during the weekends flittering from one antique shop to another, purchasing unique items created during a certain period of tin history. We enjoyed incorporating each item into our sp acious contemporary hand adored how each carefully crafted piece brought character to our surroundings.

Sebastian, of course, wasn’t the only one who received gifts from Joy. | had a beautiful bla leather antique cufflink box in my office at the pub which I brought withfrom Californi while Xavier had an antique pistol case in his office at Bo’s; small trinkets that reminded us how well Joy knew us.

Our Joy...

| couldn’t believe | almost lost her. | didn’t even think that worn down, fly infested gas station was a hotspot.

From outside, it looked completely harmless, yet on the inside, it served as a trap and operated as a prison.

How could | have been so naive? I've been berating myself for being so careless since we left that disgusting place.

1/5 CHAPTER 144 No Excuse When we left New Salem to pick up Ki ki at the airport, | didn’t expect that a somewhat uneventful morning would turn into a tragedy cnoon.

Outside, as | waited by the gas pumps, | kind of suspected something was wrong when the ice cream truck music began to play through the loudspeakers hanging on the canopy. It was so loud, | couldn’t even hear myself think.

Through the dirty windows of the convenience store, | manage to see Joy's silhouette walking through the aisles as she casually looked around and shopped. After a couple more minutes, | noticed her rushing to the counter to pay. She moved so fast, | expected she would be coming out as soon as she was done paying.

“K, hurry up. V is at the counter paying. Once she’s out, we'll head down further south a bit, then make a u-turn back to Mandan. Knowing Bo, he’s probably freaking out,” | yelled to Kiki.

“We'll contact him as soon as we hit the road again, so he won't have to worry,” K iki yelled back. “I'm about done. Just giveanother minute to tie this thing up and we can be on our merry way.” After several minutes had passed with no Joy, | began to fret. Ki ki was already done tying the VSAT system in place on the truck bed while Joy was still inside the store. She should have been out by now.

“K, I think I should go and check on V,” | yelled, pointing at the convenience store.

“She isn’t out yet?!” K iki asked surprised. She quickly let go of the piece of tarp she was covering the satellite dish with and jumped off the truck. That's when | saw the worrie in her eyes.

The expression on her face was enough forto walk on over to the convenience store. pushed on the wooden door with all my might, but the da mn thing was locked.

| peered through the windows and saw two men pass by, walking towards the counter. Where in the hell did those two cfrom?! The hairs behind my neck stood up and my heart began to beat rapidly in trouble.

in my chest. Joy was “What's going on? And why are you still outside?” Ki ki asked loudly as she peered through the glass windows.

2/5 12:19 Wed, Apr3 M CHAPTER 144 No Excuse 54% “V's in trouble and the door’s locked,” | yelled, banging on the door and shaking it, hoping for smiracle.

“It’s locked?!” K iki exclaimed, pulling out her gun. She aimed at the window furthest from where we were and shot at it. | expected the glass to break, but to my utter shock and dismay, it was bulletproof glass.

“This place looks like it’s falling apart, but their windows are made of bulletproof glass,” K iki exclaimed. “This dump is a front. We need to get inside before it’s too late. Is there a keyhole?” She looked down at the door. “There's no keyhole, C. This thing is locked from the inside.” A cold sweat appeared on my forehead and my hands began to shake uncontrollably. | felt a sudden pain in my chest at exactly where my heart was, as if someone was squeezing the life out of me.

| gasped for air; the grip-like constriction in my chest made it difficult forto breathe. For a split second, | actually thought | was going to keel over from a heart attack.

| closed my eyes and steadied my breathing. | needed to get a grip on myself. Joy needed me.

| opened my eyes... We were going to get inside that store... by any means necessary.

| took a step back and rammed my shoulder against the door, but it wouldn't budge. | took another step back, silently praying the lock would give when | rammed into it again.

Ki ki positioned herself besideto help and both of us slammed our shoulders onto door. We felt it move, but it didn’t open..

“Let’s use the truck,” | yelled to K iki, who was massaging her shoulder. “Con. It's only way in.” K iki nodded her head and gavea thumbs up sign. | turned to run to th truck when | heard K iki call out to me.

“Hold on, C,” Ki ki suddenly yelled. “Do you hear that?” Inspite of the loud irritating ice cream truck music, we heard the unmistakable sound of the door unlocking. Oh thank G od! | immediately placed my hand on the grip of my gun tucked in the rear waistband of my shorts and gestured to Ki ki.

She took her gun out and glanced inside the store before crouching low. She gestured she 3/5 12:19 Wed, Apr3 M CHAPTER 144 No Excuse had eyes on one bogey standing near the door... right before she barged in.

A wave of relief flowed through my body seeing Joy standing with a gun in her hand aimed. at the poor schmuck crying on the floor. She was okay! Actually, she was more than okay. She had killed two men without any help. A dead man was lying on top of a wooden rack, his blood staining the merchandise. And judging by the blood splatter on the wall, another one was behind the counter.

| wanted to cradle Joy in my arms and kiss her, but it wasn’t the place nor the time. Good thing K iki had her wits about her. She quickly barricaded the door from where the two thugs emerged from and quickly decided it was best if we set the whole place on fire.

| picked up the wounded man named Douglas off the floor and led him outside to the camper trailer, realizing the filthy m otherf ucker had peed in his pants. He was terrified.

If you want to live, be a good boy. You never know... we might need you for something else,” | whispered in his ear, giving him hope so he would cooperate.

lin the camper trailer, | had to fight the urge to strangle him with my bare hands while | ckchained him to the sink in the bathroom.

| toughed in disgust as | inhaled his horrid stench. His smell was so terrible, | had to make thhe conscious effort to breathe in through my mouth, while | binded his arms and legs. together, to prevent myself from puking.

| doubted his lack of hygiene was because of the lack of water. It was more likely it was because he and his friends seldomly left the basement. An old man behind the counter wasnt rutich of a threat to the campers who happened to drive through these pa kept out obtisight to lure them in.

When i was sture Douglas couldn't escape, | hit him in the head with the butt of m rendering himunnconscious for the trip to Mandan headquarters.

This was all my tattlt! | had a lapse in judgement. | knew Pete wanted Joy delivered to the this gas as station... that alone should have been enough forto suspect that station was one of Petre’s hotspots.

ey At Mandan, | only had ddo.toke one look at Xavier's enraged face to know | really f u cked up. When he learned we had daatinned with one of the men who tried to kidnap Joy, he quickly pulled out his gun and entered the camper trailer to confront the s onofa bi tch. Both Joy and K iki had to restrain him ben killing the ba stard, convincing him that we still needed Douglas for questioning.

4/5 12:19 Wed, Apr.

CHAPTER 144 No Excuse “What is that smell?” Xavier yelled, kicking Douglas awake. Douglas woke up screaming, the sound m uffled by the duct tape covering his mouth. “You f u cking stink... You worthless piece of sh it!” A red-faced Xavier lifted his gun above his head to hit Douglas in the face, but stopped, knowing that hitting him was futile.

Unexpectedly, Xavier raised his face towards the ceiling and bellowed out his rage and frustration through clenched teeth in front of a cowering Douglas and a frightened Ki ki. It was very rare to see Xavier so furious, so it wasn’t a surprise when K iki jumped back in alarm.

After he was done releasing sof his pent up anger, he spat at Douglas before gesturing to Sam and Max to take him into a holding cell. You know what to do with him. And hose him down, will yah? He f ucking smells like s hit.” Xavier quickly exited the camper trailer with Ki ki close behind him.

“Xavier, brother. | need to tell you something... Ki ki began.

| raised my finger to silence K iki and shook my head at her, warning her not to say another word. This wasn’t the tto make excuses.

“You three, cwith me. And the rest of you, get back to work,” Xavier said, walking towards the offices at the end of the warehouse.

With our heads hung low, we followed him quietly amidst the curious eyes of our fello Blood Disciples.

There was no excuse.

And I... | never ever wanted to feel that helpless again.

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