The Butcher of the Bay Part II - J. Bree Page 0,35

alive than the last time I saw him. Harbin glances over his shoulder and huffs out a breath. “Oh look, he’s still fucking alive. This bullshit over my boys is putting fucking everyone at risk. What’s your plans now? Let’s fucking forget mine, leave them at the bottom of the fucking bottle.”

Well, my problems are a little more coherent than his. I wait until Roxas joins us and then I pull the torn page out of my pocket and smooth it out onto the table in front of us all.

I made a list.

An honest to fucking God numbered list on a page torn out of one of Odie's sketchbooks the night I got her home. It starts with her first buyer, her would-be husband, then I work through Alcatron and the men who raped her. Those ones fucking kill me to leave for a minute but killing Mecedo will lead me to them.

Then there's her parents and the ex-boyfriend. A little trip to France is in order there but I think that will be healing for my girl. Maybe we can sightsee or some shit, make it a holiday as well as a hunting trip.

Then I'm taking out the Vulture. I need the auctions gone from the Bay.

I know that evil men will always find a way to find and abuse women and children. I'm not so naive to think that killing him will stop it but it's a fucking start. It'll make it harder for them and that's all I can do right now.

Then there's D'Ardo.

Killing him should be first on my list and in a perfect world it would be, but the traitorous little fuck has dug himself deep into the underworld of the Bay. Deep enough that I can't just kill him, not without knowing what the fuck to do about the bomb and his allies. The Bear and the Ox are both pretty fucking close to them and their own little gangs aren’t so fucking little.

Then there's the kid.

I need to be sure that whatever I do here doesn't get her killed. He’ll have eyes on her up at that school, I know this for fucking sure, and it's not as easy as just killing them off. He'll always just send more in.

I need both of my girls safe. The woman I love and the kid who might just be the closest thing to blood I'll ever have.

So D'Ardo goes on the bottom of the list. I'll keep an eye on him, close enough that I know the second he tries any of his bullshit on me or mine again, but I'll have to be patient. Even if it kills me.

Harbin reads through it and nods, tapping on D’Ardo’s name at the bottom and says, "You want him dead right? You want to be the one to kill him? Don’t tell me you’re letting him go out of some bullshit friendship he pissed all over when he betrayed you.“

I nod. "He's dead by my hand or the kid's. No one else deserves it, except Odie but I'm not letting him near her."

Harbin nods. "Yeah, the sick fuck should be bled out by the little Wolf. I wouldn't mind being around to see it though, she's fucking good at what she does."

Roxas grunts and orders another round. “I wasn't expecting that much from her. I kind of thought the Jackal was behind half her kills. What pint-sized fucking kid can do the shit she can? She didn't hesitate once when we got your girl back."

I shrug. "You weren't born and raised here. Mounties are bred different, there's something in the water here."

Roxas shrugs and grabs the list, rereading the whole thing to himself again. “So what’s the plan to get Alcatron? How the fuck are you going to find him now when you couldn’t before?”

I smirk at him, gesturing to the bartender for another bottle because this one is done for. “I’m the Butcher of the Bay. There’s enough people out there who want to be on my good side for giving me the information I want and nothing will get them there faster than helping with this shit.”

Harbin grimaces and raises his glass in a mock salute. “Well, let’s get them fucking dead then shall we, boys?”

Chapter Ten

Odie

My body holds aches and twinges everywhere but I’ve never felt so happy, so at peace, as I do now.

Johnny Illium is a sex god.

I knew he was a man of war, a man who spills blood and wreaks