Chloe went big-eyed but she didn’t miss a beat as she grabbed hold of Lucy’s hair and said, “He was never yours, bitch! I’m taking him back and I’m taking Patrick, too! You couldn’t handle them anyway! Watch me and see if I don’t, bitch!” She bit her lip to keep from laughing and Lucy covered the sound with a scream as she rolled her eyes.
Emily Anne started wailing and watched for Baxter to come back in the room. “Help me! These two are going to kill each other and me in the process. Why did you put them next to each other? They’re rival—hookers! Yeah, rival hookers! Help me! I don’t have anything to do with this!” Her screeching was very convincing.
They were screaming and carrying on and making enough noise to wake the dead when Baxter came into the room, looking wild-eyed and very angry.
He waded into the melee as Lucy and Chloe wrestled each other on the floor, screamed, slapped, and kicked, or at least as much as they were able to with bound hands and feet.
“What the hell is going on here? You two bitches cut this shit out or I’m shooting both of you! I only need one hostage and she’s less trouble. Cut it oooout!” he shouted and then howled as Lucy and Chloe suddenly released each other and tangled themselves around his legs, taking him down into the pile with them. He landed on the floor with a great crash, in the process elbowing Lucy in the head so hard she saw stars.
The gun fell from his hand, slid across the floor, and Emily Anne hobbled after it. While he was temporarily stunned, Chloe crawled over his legs and held them down, straddling his knees and sitting on them so he was trapped on his back.
Lucy straddled his chest, which hurt like hell with her ankles bound but she was determined. She used her elbows to bash him in the head and howled when she accidentally hit her funny bone on his chin, but she didn’t give up pummeling him.
Baxter cursed and fought until she landed her bound, booted feet against his crotch. He was temporarily immobilized and she took that chance to pinion his arms with her knees. She brought her balled-up fists down on his nose, breaking it and causing blood to spurt everywhere. He screamed like a woman, and then it rose in pitch and kept rising until Lucy looked behind her and understood why.
Recalling that the whole point of this misadventure had been to get Chloe and her sister a measure of justice, she rolled over and taking advantage of Baxter’s temporarily dazed state, she wrapped her still bound forearm around his neck and put him in a headlock, making it possible for Chloe to see his ugly, bloodied face.
Chloe looked like a vengeful blonde Valkyrie as she grimaced at Baxter, with his balls trapped in her tied hands, squeezing them hard.
“Please stop! Oh God help me! Please stop her! Mama!”
Lucy jerked him tight. “You thought you had us didn’t you, you stupid dickhead. Never leave three women alone to make plans. That was your mistake.”
“I just want to go. I just want to go.” He screamed again and turned green in the face as Chloe squeezed harder.
Chloe sniffled and Lucy saw the tears she was fighting pooling in her eyes. Off to the side, Emily Anne was still fumbling for the gun under the couch. “Hold him! I don’t have the gun yet!”
“Say your peace, Chloe,” Lucy grunted as she tightened her hold on Baxter, which tightened the ropes on her wrists until she saw stars.
Chloe sniffled and fought the tears back and Lucy mentally cheered her on because this bastard didn’t deserve to see Chloe’s tears. “You bastard. You don’t even recognize me, do you? I’m Chloe Rhodes. I’m Donald and Alice Rhodes’ daughter, and I am your karma! You abandoned me and Carrie to be abused in the foster care system. Your greediness hurt two innocent children, you thief. Murderer. We looked up to you as an uncle but you’re nothing but a piece of shit. I hope you enjoy your time in prison, because you’re never getting free!”
“I got it! I got it!” Emily cried as she fumbled with the gun in her bound hands and it went off, scaring them all into screaming again as plaster from the ceiling rained down on them.
The front and back doors exploded open and the room was suddenly filled with men.
Emily Anne smiled up at one of the big hulking men Lucy didn’t recognize, and said, “Hi, honey. Here ya go,” as she handed him the revolver with hands so shaky she nearly dropped it.
The man looked ready to weep with relief and all Lucy wanted was her men. She finally laid back and wilted, her arms still hooked around the crazy man’s neck. He gurgled a little and someone came and released her poor aching wrists from that bastard’s neck and the rough ropes he’d used.