“Oolong tea,” George announced as he returned with three mugs. Sera took hers with an appreciative smile but gave it a moment to cool off. Katarina, however, clinking her mug with George, gave it a quick blow, then let the boiling hot water splash over her tongue. He hummed, nodding as he grew lost in thought. She stood there, staring at her scattered things on the desk, and took another sip.
“Why oolong?” she asked, glancing at George.
“It always makes me feel more fearless. Like I can challenge the gods in the sky or a dragon in its lair.” George flashed her a tired smile.
“It’s the caffeine,” Sera muttered to herself as she finished packing up Katarina’s pictures on her desk. All except one, that she handed the frame over to the succubus. She stared down at her and Gill’s wedding photo. Without another thought, she popped the back off, tore the photo in half, and left Gill’s part on her desk. Katarina put the frame in her box and stuffed the ripped part of her somewhere in her pocket. The photo wasn’t important, but a good frame is a good frame. Sera snorted, rolling her eyes.
“See! Fearless,” George chuckled as he walked back to his desk. “You’re gonna do great things Katarina! I can feel it in my dewlap.”
Chapter Ten:
~Jessie~
Jessieperchedahoofup on the hood of Big Bobby’s sports car and kept it from moving forward. Tire iron over his shoulder, he pointed his hoof down and crunched the metal. Jessie looked at Bobby in his big, green eyes and arched a brow. Bobby shrieked, changing gears, and trying to peel out. Jessie sighed, “Nik?”
“Got ‘em boss!” Nik called out, swinging a hatchet at the back tires. The pop of the rubber was only second to the sound of the car dropping to the concrete. Dust kicked up from the old, cracked driveway.
Bobby, a barrel-chested gnome, threw himself out of the car. Red in face, little button nose dripping with blood from where Jessie popped him with the door, and busted lip, Bobby cried out. “Not the car! Anything but the car.”
Jessie pushed down onto the hood, crunching it further before sauntering toward the distressed man dressed in nothing but his boxers and slippers.
“Oops.” Nik smirked as he dropped the hatchet on the other tire. Big Bobby squealed like a rabbit being murdered as he lunged toward the back of his car. Jessie caught his ankle with the tire iron. Bobby slid across the concrete, belly first.
“Look, Bobby, we tried to be civil about this, but you weren’t listening. So now I gotta make you listen,” Jessie sighed,scratching his head around his horns. He planted a hoof to Bobby’s back.I really did try to be nice about this.
“I’ll get you the money!” Bobby cried, arms and feet flailing.
“See, that’s what you saidlast time.”Jessie pointed a finger at Nik then at the front door that Bobby fled out of just moments ago. “Nik, would you help Bobby find his wallet?”
“Yeah, Boss.” Nik dragged the hatchet across the back of the car before letting the weapon clatter to the ground behind the sunken car. Bobby was trembling by the time Nik lumbered inside his house.
“You’re a rotten bastard, you know that!” Bobby sniffled.
“And you have a deal that says to use my services, you pay me a cleaning fee. Now, I tried to have my nice guy come collect for you, and you turned him away. I even paid a visit to your office myself, all cordial like. And I know you pay the Devil in the woods upfront. It’s about time you start respecting me like you respect him.” Jessie lifted his hoof off Bobby’s back and nudged him to get up. As the shivering, nearly naked entrepreneur climbed to his wobbly legs, Jessie watched for Nik’s return. While Jessie didn’t consider himself a genius, he considered himself wise.
Wise enough to know when another bozo is about to try something. Jessie clocked Bobby going for the hatchet before the business owner even knew he was about to do it. He simply waited for him to act on it. When he did, Jessie swung with a fraction of his strength, knocking Bobby’s head into the side of his vehicle. At first Jessie worried he’d killed the man, but then Bobby groaned as he slid down the side of the vehicle.
Nik returned to the front lawn with a sack of gold and a wallet. Jessie’s enforcer snatched up his hatchet and returned it to his belt loop. He steadied his gaze on the minotaur in charge. “House is empty now.”
“Leave him five for new boxers. He’s gonna need ‘em,” Jessie sneered as he took the sack of coin out of Nik’s hands. While he was sure that Bobby wouldn’t use their services anymore, it wasn’t about losing a client. The Bonesaws graveyard wasaccessible to any who wanted to pay a cleaning fee. Many people needed clean tags or plates or numbers for vehicles they acquired through less than proper means. This was about sending a message. Jessie Bonesaw wasn’t suffering any more insults to his reputation. If people wanted the Bonesaw service? They paid the Bonesaw price.
Jessie slid into the front of his truck, throwing the tire iron into the back seat for cleaning. Nik hopped up into his side, stashing the credit cards into the glove compartment for shredding. Only a fool left a digital footprint of their crimes. It was more about leaving Bobby with work to get his shit back. Jessie was nothing if not efficient. If Big Bobby wanted to make his business hard, Jessie was going to make Bobby’slifeharder. Nik giggled evilly as Jessie pulled away from the dead-end road on the western edge of the city.
“What?” Jessie peeked at his evil smirking enforcer.
“I stole his library card and his parking pass for that garage uptown.” Nik held up his hand, showing off the only two cards he hadn’t tossed aside.
“And what are you planning to do with those?” Jessie scoffed, furrowing his brows.You can’t even use those for money!
“You know how hard it is to get a new parking pass for that garage? Plus, he’ll forget about the library card, and those books Iaccidentallyhid in his vents are going to go late. He won’t be able to renew it until he pays.” Nik eyed him like it were completely obvious what his evil plans were.
“Calm down, killer,” Jessie laughed. “Remind me to never piss you off.”
“I’d just replace your lube with icy hot cream,” Nik snickered darkly.
“You’re a monster,” Jessie huffed.
“Maybe if someone’s cock wasn't so sensitive,” Nik smirked, dropping the spoils of their afternoon into the cup holders. “How is it?”
