Jessie narrowed his eyes. “In fact, that doesn’t explain why someone who, as far as I can tell, wouldn’t want to raise any alarms, just went ahead and stopped paying his bills. Knowing what would happen?”
Bobby let out an airy, half-assed laugh, “Jessie, come on, you know me.”
“Yeah,” Nikolai grunted, climbing to his shaky feet. Bobby scrunched in right tight behind his restraints as Nikolai loomed over him. “We do know you. Talk.”
“Look,” Bobby whined, grimacing at Jessie. “I felt like he was getting ready to use the real deal and that he was going to try and make someone his scapegoat. The council already has me on a tight leash, another slip up and my friends couldn’t protect mefrom Blightwood. So, I thought, maybe if I gave Bjorn someone better to be his scapegoat, someone more believable?”
Bobby trailed off and Jessie finished with a dark, low growl, “That he’d let you live?”
“He killed Pierre for snitching, what makes you think he’d let you live?” Nikolai grabbed Bobby’s right hand and pinched his skinny wrist between his thumb and forefinger. He tweaked it a little hard to the right and Bobby jerked in his seat, trying to get away.
“All of this so you could weasel your way out of paying for your mistakes?” Jessie growled.
“Jessie, man, you gotta understand, things are different now that you’ve taken up the throne. People aren’t as scared of the Bonesaw name anymore. You’re softer than he was.”
Nikolai watched Jessie intently.What’s the plan now?Standing up from the chair, Jessie dropped the knife onto the table. “You know what Bobby, I think you’ve got a point. People aren’t as scared of the Bonesaw name. And what a shame that is, ain’t it, Nik?”
A wicked smirk crawled up on Nikolai’s face behind his tusks. “Such a shame.”
“Because I’m just getting started,” Jessie added with a laugh. He took up the scarf and shoved it back into Bobby’s mouth. Nikolai waited till it muffled everything before breaking the gnome’s wrist.That’s for running you little shit.Bobby’s screams died as Nikolai made sure to jerk it the other way, in case any bones were cracked. Jessie stepped up, shooing Nikolai away with one hand and grabbing the foot of Bobby’s chair in the other. He whipped the chair out, turning Bobby upside down in his restraints, and dangled the sleezeball upside down.
“What are we doing about him?” Nikolai asked as Jessie viciously rattled the chair with Bobby still in it. Like a scrambled egg, Jessie jerked the gnome about till he was a wobbly, jiggly mess. A gasp echoed around the kitchen. Both mechanics and their current problem vehicle, aka Bobby, froze at the sound.Nikolai’s stomach twisted up as he found Isabella, clutching Barnibus in little rubber ducky pajamas, staring at them.
“Ooooooh! Jessie going to jail!” She jabbed an accusatory finger at him.
Jessie dropped Bobby’s chair on the floor. Nikolai was pretty sure he heard something crack and he hoped blood wasn’t currently oozing out of the salesman.
“What? Who says? Who did you talk to Bug?”
“Momma says if you break the rules and hurt people, go to jail,” Isabella pouted, squeezing the platypus tight to her chest. “I don’t want Jessie to go to jail.”
“Oh, oh, you’re so very right, Bella-bug. But you see, Jessie is different. Jessie has a…” Jessie patted himself self quickly, mid-third person dialogue and panicked look on his face.We’re in so much trouble. Our kid’s gonna rat us out to Katarina so fucking fast.Nikolai scrambled to right the chair and keep Bobby turned away from Isabella, just in case. Jessie let out a triumphant snort as he whisked out his wallet and shoved his work badge into Isabella’s hands. “A permit.”
“Permit?” Isabella whimpered.
“Yeah! A permit gives me permission to do something that other people aren’t allowed to do. This permit lets me do this…to Bobby. Nik’s got one too, show her Nik.” Jessie flapped his hand at the scrambling mechanic who patted his body down till he found his wallet. He pulled out his employee ID and put it into the open palm of their curious child.
“Permit!” Isabella beamed, bouncing on her toes. “I want permit.”
“Yeah! I think we can do that,” Jessie put his hands to his hips. “But it’ll have to wait till later today, okay? We got a bake sale and gotta go see Momma at the…”
Nikolai and Jessie came to the same sudden realization. A cold shiver ran down his spine.The council building.The council building where Katarina was at trying to file for full custody. Where the jackass was expecting Nikolai to be by 8am with the prototype and Bobby. Where, if they didn’t get to soon, he mightjust use the real device and say “fuck the evidence” because the evidence was in Jessie’s hands.
“We gotta go,” Nikolai roared, rushing forward, scooping up the little girl.
“She can’t go out in pajamas!” Jessie bellowed from behind him. Nikolai only stopped to pick up the prototype off the floor and fly out the front door.
“She’s like five! Plenty of five year olds live in their pajamas!” Nikolai glanced back long enough to see Jessie locking the door behind him, Bobby no longer hog-tied to a chair but bundled up and carried under his arm like a sack of potatos.
“I’m six!” Isabella huffed.
“Happy Birthday!” Nikolai huffed right back, earning himself a giggle as he fumbled with the backseat of the truck. Thankfully, the car seat was still in there. While he buckled her in, Jessie stuffed Bobby into the floorboard behind his seat. Nikolai hissed under his breath, “Put him in the trunk box!”
“You want to roll up to the council building with a child in one hand and a full grown man locked up in the trunk?” Jessie raised both brows.
Nikolai grumbled but said nothing else as he threw himself into the passenger side seat.That’s it. Bjorn dies today. I don’t care. He dies. Today.
Chapter Thirty-six:
