Scarlet Vendetta (Book #4)

"No nuts then. I don't like my brownies with nuts."

Howell hit the gas. "Picky, picky, picky."

Jones just smiled to herself.

Twenty Seven

Their limo stopped at the curb in front of Callie's parent's house. Chasandra's white Volvo was parked in the driveway next to Callie's parent's old Dodge. That meant Chasandra and Tulip were there for her visit. As Callie stepped out from the back of the limo, she was ready for anything. There was nothing. No unusual sounds, no smoke, no one on the street, not even a breeze.

Stepping out of the way, she let Karen and Wolfe out of the car. Paul, on the other side of the car with Erik, kept scanning the area. His eyes caught the curtain twitch in the window across the street. It was the neighborhood busybody, Mrs. Garcia, checking to see what was happening. Not a threat.

As Callie watched, two cars pulled to the curb down the block. No one got out. Paul made downward motions with his hands toward the cars.

"Friends," he told Callie. "They'll wait for something to happen."

Callie nodded. She really wanted to just dash into the house, but Karen's safety was her immediate priority. Once everyone was ready, they all headed up the driveway. Callie in front, Paul bringing up the rear.

Inside, everything was normal. Tulip was sitting on the couch watching a show about whales on TV while Mama, Dad and Chasandra sat at the table talking. Callie heaved a sigh of relief, though she was very careful to not let anyone see her do it. She gave each of her parents a hug and a kiss.

"Hi Mama, Dad."

"Callie." Mama closed her eyes and pressed her hand against Callie's head while Callie hugged and kissed her. "You're early."

"We were in the neighborhood and had nothing else to do, so we thought we'd stop in early. Spend some time with you guys." As Karen and Wolfe pulled out chairs at the table, Callie wandered into the living room to sit next to Tulip.

"Hi Callie. Poppy not home yet. Is not home yet." Tulip kept her eyes on the TV screen as she corrected herself.

"That's ok." Callie bumped shoulders with Tulip as she sat down. "You're my sister. I want to see you sometimes too, you know."

Tulip nodded but kept watching her movie.

"She's going to need a tutor soon. So she doesn't fall behind in her education." Callie heard Chasandra's voice. "I've made some provisions for it in her treatment plan."

"You think she's ready for that?" Mama sounded so surprised, Callie turned to look at her. Tulip looked too.

"I think so. From the things we've discussed, she wants to learn. She can learn new things. It's just that sometimes she has a hard time making everything fit into how she thinks. Sometimes it short circuits and then she has emotional setbacks from the frustration. Fewer episodes now, but she still has them."

"She is getting better. She's really speaking well now." Dad commented on Tulip's improvement, yet didn't say anything about his own. Callie knew that her father had really worked hard to overcome his own issues with Tulip's injuries. To see her so injured and unable to do anything about it had nearly broken his heart.

Now, as Tulip improved, so did their father. Interestingly enough, Tulip seemed to sense this and actually gave her father more attention than she did her mother. Sometimes, she would crawl into Dad's lap and watch TV with him until Poppy came home from school. She was really too old to be doing that, but Dad didn't seem to care.

"I think that has a lot to do with Poppy. She knows she's older than Poppy, so there's a challenge there. She wants, and needs, to speak better in order to sound like Poppy's big sister." Chasandra explained about the things she and Tulip had talked about and had worked on. Like her ongoing speech therapy.

"Poppy doesn't seem to mind, she just wants her sister home again, but Tulip does care. So I'm planning on getting her a tutor eventually. That would be better for her than trying to fit her back into school again. She's behind her old classmates and the setting might be too aggressive or competitive for her. She could respond the wrong way to just about any seemingly harsh thing she encountered. Any sort of bullying or teasing could have very bad consequences. I believe it would be better for her to not be placed into that situation any time soon. Eventually, she should be able to cope, but she's still too volatile at present."

"Chains." Tulip said before returning to her movie. "Have chains for safe."

"Safety." Chasandra corrected her.

"Safety. Have chains for safety." Tulip flicked her eyes once before correcting her sentence.

"What about chains?" Mama wanted to know afer Tulip was finished.

"She sleeps while locked in chains." Chasandra explained, knowing this subject was going to get messy. She would have preferred to never discuss it at all. However, now that Tulip brought it up, she had to.

"She puts them on herself." Chasandra talked over Mama's protests. "She has a key to the lock. She says it's because her nightmares are too scarey but she won't talk about them."

Chasandra attempted to deflect the issue. "I've tried to get her to open up to discuss her dreams, but she will not. Absolute refusal. I'm not going to force the issue because; first of all, force won't work; and secondly, she needs to be able to say no occasionally. She needs to be able to assert herself to be her own person. I gave her the right to say no if someone wants to intrude into her personal space. Even myself. When it comes to talking about her dreams, she says no. I will respect that choice."

"But, chains?"

"Ohiro, she puts them on herself." Chasandra tried to be gentle in her choice of words. "She does it, no one else. Her. Look at her, she sleeps chained because she wants to. She's not being harmed by it.

"Nor is she harmed by her other decisions. She wears leather. Only leather though she's finally back into wearing pajamas for sleeping after she rubbed that bloody sore into her leg"

Mama remembered the sore. Tulip had been furious about being forced to wear cotton shorts so the sore could be treated and heal. She'd thrown a temper tantrum nearly every day, but she'd learned she couldn't wear leather pants all the time. She had to take them off to sleep. Jade had helped by inviting them over for wine for Chasandra and playing music for Tulip. She'd worn black pajamas while they were there. Tulip had begun wearing her own again right after that.

"I leave the choice of what to wear to her." Chasandra continued. "She is a person. Hurt, damaged and under my care, but still a person. I treat her as a person. She knows I expect her to act like a person and make her own decisions as best she can. I try to guide her and limit the dangerous things, but ultimately she has to learn to make decisions and live with the consequences. So far, she's done very well.

"One of her decisions is to be like Jade. She acts like Jade because she likes Jade and wants to be happy like Jade is. I believe that is a good choice. Even though I had not intended for her to have to make that choice, it is a good choice. For her, emulating someone she likes helps her discover who she is now.

"Eventually Tulip will get her nose pierced. I'm positive of that. Either she will have someone do it, in a studio, or she will stick a needle through her nose herself. To be like Jade.

"I hope to put that off as long as possible, but I'm not going to allow her to experiment with sticking sharp objects into her own body. I do not want her to learn self mutilation as a way of achieving gratification. Before it reaches that point, I will take her to a piercing studio myself and supervise the piercing and the aftercare so she heals without infection."

Mama frowned. She didn't like the thought that her children would mutilate themselves. Not even for art's sake. Tea Rose's dragon tattoo was bad enough, but piercing?

"If she's truly going to ever be independent again, she must be treated that way. She must be allowed to be independent within reasonable limits of safety. Safety for both her and for others. If I try to hold on too tightly she will rebel against the restraint. If that happens, no one will be able to predict the results."

At Chasandra's words about independence, Karen swivelled her head to look at Callie. Callie was already looking in her direction. Unbidden, she got up from the couch, patting Tulip absently as she did, going over to stand near Karen's chair. Karen tipped her head back so she could see Callie behind her.

"I chose you, all of you. I stand by that choice. Forever." With gentle fingers Callie held Karen's head still as she leaned over. She kissed Karen on the mouth while watching Mama as she did it. Mama tipped her head as if she'd never seen her eldest daughter before and was wondering who this new person in her kitchen was.

Chasandra smiled as slender arms slipped around her own shoulders in imitation of Callie. A gentle kiss landed on her cheek. She stroked Tulip's arm gently.

"You are a good girl Tulip." Chasandra praised her.

"My." The breathy whisper in Chasandra's ear was done so softly the single word was almost inaudible even to her. "Choose Mistress."

"No." Chasandra told her.

"Yes." Tulip's response was immediate and barely louder than before.

Before Chasandra could respond, the doorbell rang. Callie answered it, opening the door to Howell and Jones. They were alone.

"Where's Poppy?" Callie's stomach immediately clenched.

"She wasn't at school. They'd all been let go by the time we got there." Howell explained that they'd cruised the area between the school and home, but had no luck spotting her.

While Howell was explaining, the phone on the kitchen wall rang. Tulip was right there and answered it before anyone else could grab it or stop her.

"Hello?" She held the phone like she remembered what it was and how it worked.

"Hi Jade!" She sounded happy at hearing from her girlfriend.

Mama carefully took the phone away from Tulip. "Jade?" Mama asked before listening for a moment. Her face went white and she dropped the phone. It hung swinging from it's cord against the wall as tiny sounds came from the earpiece.

Callie dove and grabbed it before anyone else could. Her father scooped her mother into his arms and held her tightly. From her reaction, something bad was happening.

"Jade? It's Callie. What's going on?" As Callie held the receiver up to her ear listening, her eyes hardened to brittleness.

"Yes, I understand. Now it's your turn to listen. If she's hurt, I will hunt you down with every ounce of strength I have. I will use whatever means I can to find you. No matter how long it takes, I will find you and I will kill you. You and your asswipe buddies will all die. So you'd better be sure she's not hurt because just one scratch means you die. You won't get lucky like Brute did."

"I'll be there. So will she. You just make sure my sister is unharmed. Got it Ernie? Make sure, because you know I'll do it. Just ask your sister if I won't." Callie hung up the phone.

"He's at Jade's. He has Poppy and Jade. He wants us to go there. He says he'll swap Poppy and Jade for me and Karen."

"Don't," Jones quickly told her. "We can send in SWAT. It's what they train for."

"What are the odds that both of them will get out unhurt?" Callie looked at Howell for the answer. Not that she didn't believe Jones, but she trusted Steven to tell her the truth.

Howell and Jones traded looks.

"Steven." Wolfe spoke for the first time.

Howell looked at her for a moment. He nodded his agreement. They deserved the truth.

"Depending on the situation, fifty-fifty. Better odds if the place has easy access. Worse if it doesn't."

"Jade lives in a second story apartment. The only way in is up some narrow enclosed stairs." Chasandra explained the layout. "No chance for surprise. No other entrance."

"Shit!" Jones swore and dug out her phone. She began to dial before Howell closed his hand over hers.

"Stop. They'll take charge and do it their way. Their priority will be catching him, not saving the hostages. We have flexibility, they don't."

Jones looked at him, staring into his eyes. Howell could see her about to pull rank.

"Pamela, don't go there. This one is ours. You and me. We can nail a dirty cop at the same time we save a little girl. Believe me, Callie can take him out before he blinks twice. All we need to do is get the hostages out unharmed and she'll do the rest."

While Howell was explaining to Jones, Callie and Karen eased out of the kitchen. They were almost to the car when Tulip slipped her hand into Callie's.

"Go see Jade." She said happily. "Girlfriend."

"Tulip, you have to stay here." Callie tried to unhook Tulip's hand. They needed to leave. Now!

"Tulip?" Chasandra's voice carried from the entrance to the house. "Where are you going?"

Callie finally got her hand back, but Tulip just opened the door to the limo and crawled inside. She sat in one of the small jumpseats and looked at them.

"Go see Jade."

Chasandra listened for a moment before hurrying down the driveway. She waved her hands in a flapping motion at them. "They're still arguing in there. Get in the car. Let's go."

Callie and Karen got in, nearly falling on top of each other. Chasandra slid in next to them and quietly closed the door. Erik immediately pulled away, the car making almost no noise at all. Karen, twisting and checking through the rear window, saw no one follow them. She pressed the button to talk to Erik.

"Erik, take us to Jade's apartment. Quickly."

Twenty Eight

Erik's driving skills were impeccable, as always. He eased the limo to a stop, double parking in front of Jade's apartment. Before anyone could move, Tulip opened the door and flew out of the car.

"SEE JADE!," Tulip yelled as she dashed up the stairs.

"Tulip!" Chasandra was right behind her.

As Karen and Callie both exited the car, Erik and Paul joined them.

"Wait," Karen told them. "He's up there and has Jade and Poppy hostage. Now he has Chasandra and Tulip too. He says he wants to trade. If he does, we'll send them out to you. Take them to safety."

"Karen . . ." Paul began before Karen's eyes bored into him.

"Who?"

Paul stepped back as the rage Karen was holding checked came through her single questioning word. He knew he wasn't in her best grace at the moment because of what he'd been doing without her knowledge for the past week. Adding that on top of the current situation and now his faux pas of using her name with familiarity, then trying to tell her what to do, he'd seriously screwed up. No matter if he had good reason, he'd screwed up. Badly.

"Sorry ma'am." Paul dropped his eyes.

"Understand this clearly. I'm going to fire you. You and your friends think you know better than I do. You don't. Ever. Don't fuck this up so badly I have to dismiss you from Scarlet as well. Understand?"

Callie was surprised at the vulgarity in Karen's words. She'd heard Karen swear, but never be vulgar. She must really be pissed. Paul kept his eyes down while he crossed his wrists in front of his waist.

"Yes ma'am. I hear and obey."

"You're going to be doing scut work for a long time Paul. I'm going to find all kinds of really degrading and meaningless things for you to never do correctly. I am so angry with you that I don't know if you can ever redeem yourself in my eyes." Karen stabbed her finger into Paul's chest, driving him backward into the side of the long black car with just the pressure from her finger.

"Be very thankful Maria intervened on your behalf or you'd already be flayed, quartered and left to ROT!" With those final words, Karen removed her finger from his chest and slapped him with her full palm across the face. She put all of her strength from working out with Callie and Wolfe at the fitness center into it. Paul's head rocked from the force before Karen stepped close and grabbed his throat in her hand, adding pressure as Paul looked at her helplessly.

"You hear me now?"

"Yes ma'am." Paul forced himself to speak through the pressure on his throat.

"Yes, WHO?"

"I hear and obey, Scarlet."

With a curt nod to Erik, who stepped back as she looked at him, Karen released Paul. She snapped her hand toward the stairs.

"Let's go Callie. He already knows we're here."

Callie trotted past her to be the first up the stairs. Reaching the top she stopped at the open door. Looking inside, she saw Tulip on the floor in front of Jade and Poppy. They had their hands tied with cords and Tulip was trying to untie Jade's wrists. Chasandra was standing mid-way into the room. In the corner, only a few feet from Tulip, was Ernie. He had a gun in his hand. Next to him were two other members of Los Perros. Callie only recognized one of the pair.

"Come on in Callie. You and your friend." Ernie waved the gun at them as both Callie and Karen entered Jade's apartment. He leveled the gun at Karen.

As Ernie pointed the gun at Karen, Chasandra stepped sideways to place herself between them. Protecting Karen's body with her own as Ernie fired. Callie heard the thump as the bullet hit her in the chest. Chasandra coughed and fell back against Karen. Tulip screamed in rage.

"NO TOUCHING!"

At Tulip's scream, Rusk jerked his eyes toward the unexpected threat. Tulip launched herself off the floor at him. He fired again, the bullet just missing Tulip to hit the wall over Poppy's and Jade's heads by inches.

Callie moved. Using Tulip's screaming fit as a distraction, she slammed into the two Los Perros gang members. As she kicked to disable the first, she saw Tulip barrel into Ernie knocking them both onto the floor.

Tulip's technique was non-existent. Not that she needed it to be, Tulip's rage made her an uncontrolled berserker. Callie analyzed her sister's fighting style even as she grabbed, locked, twisted and levered, feeling the neck in her grip snap. Her first target didn't make a sound as he dropped to the floor. She followed him down to sweep number two's legs and scissor his body. She slammed an elbow into his throat, permanently crushing his windpipe. This was down and dirty and no one got awarded any points for style or first contact. Only survival counted.

Ernie fired more shots as she continued to crush number two's throat to pulp. His arms and legs flailed as he tried to breathe and couldn't. He wasn't ever going to get up again. Hearing the shots, she whipped to her feet. Tulip was in danger.

She needn't have worried. The shots weren't from Ernie. Tulip had somehow gotten the gun and had fired the shots into him instead. She continued to fire the gun until there were no more bullets left, then began to pound his face with the pistol. She kept screaming as she did. Even after Ernie's face turned into unrecognizable mush she continued to pound the pistol into him.

Callie snapped her head around to check on Karen. Karen was on the floor, Chasandra's head cradled in her lap. As Callie looked, Karen lifted her eyes to her and shook her head. She was crying silent tears. There was blood everywhere.

Howell and Jones slammed into the room, guns drawn. At their entrance, Tulip paused in her mutilation of Ernie's face and stopped screaming. She faced them, saw their guns and snarled.

"Put the guns away. It's over. Put them away before it starts again." Callie stepped between Tulip and the newcomers. "Tulip, it's me. Callie."

Tulip's eyes focused on her sister. "Callie?"

"Hi Tulip." Callie forced her voice to sound cheerful and opened her arms. "Be a good girl and come give me a hug."