Chapter 24
Jennifer
I woke a bit sore but completely relaxed.
I felt lighter.
Better.
Like someone just removed a 50 pound rock off of me. The sun was still out and I stretched sitting up in bed.
"Adam?" I called out.
Vvvvzzzztttt vvvvzzztttt vvvvzzzttt
I looked over to my nightstand and picked up my phone.
It was Alma Skype calling me. I pulled the blanket up around my chest and answer the call,"Mommy!"
My heart melted as I saw her front tooth came out,"Baby, your tooth".
She held up her baby tooth and with a slight lisp said," Uncle Nate tied a string to my teeth and slammed the door shut and it came out. And look Sofía came!"
"Tooth and that's wonderful. You're such a big girl! The tooth fairy is going to be so excited to get that".
I had to show Adam.
"Hold on, little one. Let me show daddy", I said putting down my phone. I quickly through on some grey work pants and a black blouse. I put on the closest shoes to me which happened to be my black Louis Vuitton red bottom heels. I started walking through the house looking for Adam.
"Look what Auntie Sara made", Alma said excitedly holding up a pink crocheted super chunky yarn blanket."Sofía has one too!" She said rubbing her cheek against the soft fabric.
Well isn't Sara just the perfect one. I can make a blanket. I can repair aortic valve, I can suture a man back to life, I've held life and death in my hands. "That beautiful".
Alma kept talking but my mind was more wrapped up and how I was going to make a blanket to out-compete Sara. I've never been DIY crafty. I've always been bargain-hunting savvy. I wonder if there's a craft store close by?
Everything Heather and Allen had was handmade or stitched by Sara. Was it bad that I just bought Alma things? I guess I should be making baby blankets and caps for the twins.
I can do that.
It's something Alma or the twins can give to their kids. I could even make one for Lara and she can throw it across her bed or something.
I searched the house top to bottom and couldn't find Adam. Until eventually I had to tell Alma goodbye. She was getting bored, and wanted to go play on her piano.
I was definitely going to have to reimburse Nate. He went above and beyond as usual. The house was eerily quiet and empty.
I heard a soft banging like someone was hitting a pipe.
Odd.
I followed the sound into the basement. The basement was more of a bunker, all concrete and no personality. Near the ceiling were long low windows, no wider than the slits in a castle turret but lying on their sides. Without any circulation of air the stagnant aroma made it dungeonesque. Four concert speakers stood in each corner,"Just tell us who Henthorn is and we can make all this stop".
I heard muffled angry screaming and I smelled burning flesh. I sat on the stairs barely in view and watch the gruesome scene unfold for me. Francisco Lorenzo, was torturing the would-be bomber using a hot iron poker. The man was completely naked and tied down to a chair his face had bloody gashes and dark purple bruises all around his body. His chair was in the middle of a black tarp. It look like he lost a big toe, and he had slice marks up and down his torso. He was covered in sweat and had a gag in his mouth. "Once more, you don't need to protect this person he is not coming for you. You were sent on a suicide mission".
Francisco Lorenzo was dressed in a find tailored black suit I could tell he was enjoying what he was doing. The bomber started to shake and cry violently. Until I descended the stairs making my presence be known.
"Mrs. Caffery, you don't need to see this---"
I held my hand up and said making eye contact with are prisoner I told Francisco,"Why don't you take a walk. Now".
"Yes, ma'am", he said apprehensively but eventually did.
It was only a single light hanging above us," I've always found torture barbaric", I said walking towards the corner of the room and grabbing a chair. Francisco Lorenzo, he brought his work kit. I peeked into the bag and saw: knives, guns, blowtorch, saws, dissection tools, rope, bleach, Dental Supplies. Francisco came prepared.
I drank too seat to sit in front of the bomber and rip the tape off of his mouth I sat back with my hands folded in my lap and my legs crossed,"What's your name?"
"Fuck you!" He said coughing up blood.
"I plan on doing just that", I said calmly.
"Bitch, HELP! HELP!" He screamed like a wild animal until he couldn't scream anymore.
"Are you finished?" I asked. He hung his head and said nothing,"Are you hungry? Or thirsty perhaps?"
Nothing.
"I don't think my husband would have been feeding you. He has other think on his mind".
Silence.
"Someone much higher up the food chain killed two very important people to him", I said.
"Good", he said trying to lift his head up,"We will control Europe . It starts in Paris and from there Columbia, South America an then---"
"The world? How sinister. And greedy. If anything my husband is a fair business man, if your superiors had tried to broker a deal we could have work together. But no, you'd rather start a war. One you will not win".
"We've already won", he said with a strain in his voice.
"No. You think you have. You know what my husband is capable of. You have no idea what the real top of the food chain looks like. Do you have a family? Girlfriend? Wife? Children? Husband?" I saw a flicker of worried in his eyes,"Boyfriend. That's beautiful, the love two people can share".
He didn't say anything but his stare set it all you hateful bitch.
"Francisco!" Called out knowing he was at the top of the stairs. Within moments he was coming back downstairs.
"Ma'am?"
"Do we have eyes on our friend here's family? His lovers?" I asked not breaking eye contact with our prisoner.
"Yes ma'am", Francisco said coming to stand behind me.
" you have a choice. I can start picking them off until you have no one left on this Earth who gives a damn about you. Are you can talk now. But you will talk. Because sooner or later, I'll fine the one person you can't live without", I promised.
He started to breathe hard.
Staying calm and cool I kept my eyes locked up with his,"Do you have a team in position?"
"Yes ma'am".
I held out my hand,"Let me see".
Francisco went into his black duffle bag and pulled out a tablet he handed it to me. I look down at the screen and without hesitation I said,"Turn on the speakers. I would hate anyone that was walking by and to hear him scream".
Francisco did as I asked.
"Hold his mouth open", I went into the black duffel bag and pulled out the container of bleach. By the time I had turned around Francisco had the man in a headlock prying open his jaw,"Do you know what happens when you drink bleach?" I said slowly walking up to him like a predator.
He started to shake,"Everyone's use bleach before. And I'm sure you've been online and seeing people tell you to go drink bleach. But what they don't realize is bleach is an oxidizer, which makes it highly reactive with organic tissues". I unscrewed the top," when you drink bleach your entire esophagus system will get burned, your stomach lining will dissolve and you will die a slow painful death that could take anywhere from 5 minutes to 30 minutes".
I started to pour the bleach down his throat,"Lucky for you I am a doctor". I bought the entire container down his throat then I sat back down in my spot picking back up the tablet. Francisco came and stood back by my side,"Send them in", I said over the man's gagging and vomiting. He made the most guttural sounds I had ever heard.
Francisco made a call and and moments later the soldiers were storming in the white brick building. " I hate to keep bossing you around but could you hold his head up make him look".
"No problem, ma'am", Francisco said. I held the the tablet up.
Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang
"NO!" He cried out,"I don't know".
"You're lying", I said with a deadness.
"No, please", I can see every vein in his body popping out he was turning a hellish purple,"I just.. I just needed the money".
"Who is Henthorn?"
"Street... Help please. I don't want to die", He begged.
"Where", I demanded.
"In America, please. Make it STOP!"
"Where in America what state?"
"O-o-o-o" fucking come on!
" Oklahoma? Ohio? Oregon?"
His mouth started to foam and his eyes glazed over as life left his body.
He was dead.
I turned off the speakers.
"Do you handle the body or do I need to call a cleanup team?"
"It is no problem, Mrs. Caffery. I will handled", Francisco said already getting to work.
"Doctor", I said staring disappointingly at the body. "Dr. Faust, please".
"Of course, ma'am. What do I tell Mr. Caffery?"
"Nothing, I'll handle it", I said.
"And the strike team?"
"Kill them all. It sends a clearer message. That we are not fucking around", I walked back up stairs.
Now, where do I get yawn at?
Adam
"Love? Are you up?" I may have gone a tad bit overboard after Elliott gave me his diagnosis. I drove an hour away to get fresh fruits and vegetables. That I had to pick.
I downloaded a book a book about postpartum depression. I listen to a good chunk of it on the way back home. I got some tennis shoes so Jennifer and I could go running from her exercise. I hope I can convince her to go see a doctor and get some medicine and possibly therapy.
But for now this was a start.
I put my bags on the kitchen counter and walked upstairs to our bedroom.
Maybe she was still sleeping?
I opened the bedroom door and,"Jesus".
"Hey", Jennifer said sitting in bed, the room was covered with yarn. And she had ordered a pizza, well there goes my eating healthy kick.
"What's this?" I asked.
"I am making a blanket for Alma, hopefully some for the twins and Lara", she said focused on her work.
This is good, right?
A hobby.
"We had no food I went to the grocery store", she said as I took off my tie and watch.
"I did too", I said.
"So a couple things happened today", she said putting down her yarn.
I was eager to listen. I sat on the edge of the bed and gave her my full undivided attention,"Yeah?"
"Alma lost her baby tooth", She said showing a selfie Alma had taken."Our baby isn't baby anymore".
"She's going to baby until the day I die", I sent the picture to myself. I felt like this needed to go in my office.
"And Francisco left", She said.
"O I need to call him?" That's not like him to check in with me if he had a question.
Jennifer picked back up her knitting and said,"No. The prisoner is dead. I poured bleach down his throat it only took about five minutes for him to die. Henthorn isn't a person it's a place. A street in Ohio comprise of 41 houses. The most interesting thing is someone just bought two lots. And I think that's your Henthorn".
"What?" I said completely caught off guard.
"Yeah, I sent Alejandro to check it out. Francisco went too. Isn't that great your Hitman and my Hitman are going on a mission together. I told Alejandro to play nice we'll see how that goes. O and I killed the prisoners friends and family. It sends a better message with a stronger point".
"WHAT!"
"We need a stronger presence in Paris so I called Michael. And had him sent a few members of the Sinaloa Cartel into central Paris around the First through the twentieth arrondissment. You are now the the proud owner of a shipping yard in Logi, Russia. Not that you have to take my advice but I would send my product there in the meantime until we flush out this threat".
Too much to fast.
"Lara called for you too", She added.
"And I wrote a backup eulogy for you", She pointing to the nightstand
I repeat it back what I heard exactly," did you just start a war, kill a man, annex a territory back and steal a shipping yard, did the shopping, sent two highly trained assassins to kill a man, all in the time it took me to go pick fruits and vegetables?"
"I made that blanket over there", she said pointing to a white Afghan thrown over the foot of the bed.
I know I should say just about a hundred different things but the only thing I was able to manage was,"Since when do you knit?"
"I just started. I'm a little late to the game, but not bad work. The kids should have something handmade every once in awhile. That's what mom's do, right?"
"I think there's more to being a mom than just knitting. I don't I think my mom ever knitted, embroidered, sewed or stitched in her life".
"I just want them to have something special from me", she said in a small voice.
O shit. I wasn't trying to make her feel bad,"And you are. They'll love them. Hell, make me one".
"You want a blanket?" She said surprised.
"It's not like I won't use it", I admitted.
I can support this.
Jennifer gave me a look that said what ever,"The more you make the more I'll find people to take them. Celine would love one, Michael would take one, Brandon and Kairi", depending on how serious she got about this I could make the other houses start taking her project.
"It's just for the kids. And you if you want one", She said.
"I do", I said standing up undressing. I moved here yarn off of my side and crawled into bed with her. I turned off my side lamp and scooted closer to her holding Jennifer by her waist,"Do we need to talk about the guy you killed?"
"No, he was the enemy and I took care of it. There's nothing to do until we hear back from Alejandro and Francisco", she said still knitting.
"Okay", let's see how this plays out. "The funeral is coming up".
"I'll be there right next to you", she said pulling her knitting down and looking at me.
"You don't have to, if it's to much---"
"To much? Why would it be too much? If anything we need someone there who knows how to behave during a Catholic mass. And that reminds me we need to get Lara baptized", she said.
"And you say Catholicism isn't a cult. This magic water makes you, one of us, one of us", I joked to myself.
She pulled my ear.
"I'll call Father Ferreira", I said.
"Thank you", she said putting away her knitting and turning off her light. We laid facing each other, in silence until Jennifer finally said,"What did you do today?"
I pulled her hips close to mine liking how close we were,"I bought groceries and running shoes".
"Sexy", she said.
"Hmm, we can wake up early tomorrow and go for a run?" I said hopeful she would say yes.
"Sure, but are you sure it's safe? We would be making ourselves open for any kind of attack", She completely right but Elliott did stress the importance of exercise.
"A mile won't kill us", I said positioning myself above her.
"Do you want to get in a pre workout", she said wrapping her arms around my neck.
Fuck yes.