Vicious Minds: Part 3 (Children of Vice 6)

“You mean your family? After all, you worked so hard for that Mrs. Callahan title—”

“I don’t give a damn about them,” I replied coldly. “Wyatt, Dona, Helen, Sedric, Neal, Declan, Nari, Evelyn—”

“Coraline,” she said with anger.

“Ah, Coraline,” I pretended to think, then nodded. “I didn’t care. I was grateful, so fucking grateful her cancer came back because it would have taken so much effort trying to figure out how to fake someone’s death and prove it to Fiorello. So, I was grateful her body was weak because it was less work for me. The day she died, I thanked her. It was the best wedding gift.”

She moved to grab my morphine drip, but I gripped her wrist. “No. No. You came to me. Let’s talk since you want to talk.”

“You’re the one picking a fight,” she sneered, pulling her wrist back.

“No, I’m telling the truth. I do not care about your murderous Brady brunch clan. If pushed, if need be, I’d slit all of their throats. They are not family to me. I’ve never had a family before. It has always been me, the people I’m going to kill, and the people I haven’t killed yet. Then…then there was Ethan and now Gigi. They consider you family. They care if you all live or die. And so, I smile, I bake, and I protect them even as they insult me, belittle and try to kill me. I don’t care if they like me. The only reason they are alive is because of Ethan and Gigi. That is it. That’s all. I don’t regret it. So long as my husband and daughter want them alive, I’ll protect them even if they spit in my face. But that is not my point. M

y point is because of you, Ethan is now looking at me as another person behind his back he needs to protect.”

“My son is strong—”

“Is that why you doubted him?” I questioned. “Is that why you all thought my pretty face and tight body made him lose his mind? No. You all knew he was strong. You just also know strong is not invincible, and a man still has his weakness. Ethan’s weakness is you all. He likes to pretend that he could do it. Let you all go to die. But he can’t. Now I’m in that group. He can’t let me risk my life, as if I haven’t been doing that all of my life. It was traumatizing to see me poisoned and then shot. He doesn’t think my luck will hold out a third time.”

“And what makes you think it will?” She pressed. “The fact that you’ve made it this far could be seen as—”

“Hard work,” I snapped. “Arduous work. I didn’t start with a boss daddy, who had a whole clan of people behind me. It was just hard, fucking work. We are not the same, but we are both strong. So, you are going to help me get out of the category you’ve pushed me into.”

“I’m doing what?” She laughed.

But I was not laughing as I ripped off the covers. I pushed her legs out of the way so I could move mine out of bed, and then reaching over to her with my good arm, I pulled myself forward.

“What the hell are you doing—”

“Standing the fuck up,” I hissed, ignoring the pain and the weakness in my legs. I pushed myself with all my might to stand. I felt sick, but I stood up for only a second before my knees buckled.

She got up quickly, tossing her grapes to the floor, catching me. Holding her shirt, I pulled myself back up, breathing through my nose, until I stood eye level with her. “Give me two days, and I won’t need you to stand. Three and I’ll start walking. A week…everything will change.”

“Your shoulder will not heal properly.”

“I’ll fix it later. If not, I don’t care,” I sneered as Melody held me up, moving me back to the bed. “I’m fighting…and you’re going to help me get ready for that fight, oh great, Melody Nicci Giovanni Callahan.”

“No, thank you.” She tried to toss me off her, but I held on tighter. “Are you bloody serious right now? Let go?”

“Either you agree, or you cut off my arms.”

“Mommy?”

I heard Gigi’s voice call from behind, and I smiled. I loved my daughter; she had such perfect timing. Melody couldn’t cut off my arms now.

“What are you doing, Mommy?”

“Trying to get Grandma to help me,” I said and looked up to Melody, who glared at me.

“Grandma doesn’t like us,” she grumbled, making a face.

“Is that true, Grandma?” I asked her.

She cracked her jaw to the side and moved me over to sit on the bed. But I didn’t let go. “Even if she doesn’t like us, Gigi, we are her family, so she will help. After all, family is very important to her.”

MELODY

I ignored her all day and even into the next day.