“Fuck you,” the man scoffs. “Bitch had it comin?—”
My fist lands on his face so hard it’s possible I’ve broken a finger or two. It hurts him more.
“Don’t knock him out before we know what’s going on,” Phoenix advises.
The man shakes his head of the fog then spits blood at my feet. "The Keans send their regards. Your pretty wife won't be so lucky next time."
My vision goes red. I lift him from the chair, slamming him against the wall, forearm crushing his windpipe. "What did you say about my wife?"
Phoenix steps forward. "Ash, we need him alive."
"Mr. Kean says she'll burn just like your last whore." The man's lips curl into a sneer.
Something snaps inside me. All I can see is Meghan's body in flames, Hannah's body covered in blood. My hands move of their own accord, twisting sharply. The crack of his neck breaking echoes through the warehouse.
The body crumples at my feet.
I expect Phoenix to curse at me, but instead he puts his hand on my shoulder. “It’s like he was asking for you to kill him.”
"He knew about Meghan." My voice sounds strange, distant. "Hampton is taunting me with her death."
“Why you?” Phoenix asks. “I called Flint and Blaise to tell them what happened and suggest they keep a close eye on Lucy and Jenna, but there’s no sense they’ve been targeted. So why Hannah? Why you?”
“Maybe because we’ve turned O’Donnell and how well Hannah has been helping build an alliance against Kean.”
“Right.”
The rage still pulses through my veins, demanding blood for blood. They threatened Hannah. Used Meghan's memory as a weapon. They need to die.
“Get rid of him. Make him disappear.” I stare at the body at my feet, the initial satisfaction of killing him suddenly giving way to cold dread. I glance at Phoenix. “What if this spooks O’Donnell and the others? If we can’t protect our own, how can we promise them protection?”
Phoenix's face shifts from frustration to calculation. "Maybe not. We could use this." He kicks the dead man's leg. "Instead of hiding the body, we leave it on Kean's doorstep. Ifrinns aren’t hiding and they’re coming after them."
I consider it, the tactical part of my brain having difficulty engaging because of the rage still coursing through me.
"The other families would see we're not afraid to strike back.”
"Exactly." Phoenix nods. "Hampton's been hiding in his mansion since Ronan died. This proves the Ifrinns aren't just shadow warriors. We'll claim the kill proudly. We brought it to his house when Blaise killed Ronan and we’re bringing it back to his doorstep. He can’t stop us."
But if he takes Hannah from me, he’ll destroy me, and somehow, Hampton knows that. Still, Phoenix’s plan is good to spook Hampton and show the families we’re not afraid of him. It’s time to let Hampton know we’re ready to come out of the shadows and meet him head on.
“I want someone watching the house,” I say to Marco. “I want a report of Hampton’s reaction when we plop this fucker on his doorstep.”
Phoenix says, “Maybe we could put a note. Something like, ‘Nice try, motherfucker.’”
A ridiculous idea pops into my mind. “I want to do it.” I want Hampton Kean to know I’m not afraid of him. Or at least think I’m not afraid of him. I’m terrified of what he could do to Hannah.
“Do what?”
“I want to drop the body. I want to hand it over to Hampton,” I say.
“That’s a death wish, Brother.” Phoenix looks at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“Get him up,” I order my men. “Where’s his knife? The one he cut Hannah with?”
“Ash.”
“I’m doing this, Phoenix.”
