BK 2 - Chapter 34 - Acting Skills
Otto and Tito stared at Kitty and Harley with their eyes widened in fear. Kitty continued rubbing Harley's head as he stared at the two men. The twins seemed to have the same idea as they reached into their waistbands, and they looked shocked when they came up empty. Kitty started laughing as she held up the two handguns.
"Looking for these? I haven't forgotten how to pickpocket, and I knew you would be so startled by the presence of my lion that you were easy prey. Now I think it's time we have a talk unless you want to end up like Ronaldo." Kitty scratched behind Harley's ears, and he purred loudly as the men continued to stare with their mouths open.
"If we talk with you, will you let us go? We promise not to bother you anymore, but we can't promise that Ricky won't send anyone else." Otto spoke quietly, afraid of angering the giant cat.
"That all depends on what you tell me. My lion doesn't care much for strange men following me around, intending to kill me. So please tell me, what was your plan?" Kitty looked at the large men with a smirk, and they suddenly felt smaller than the petite woman in front of them.
"Well, uh, Ricky told us to make you and your boyfriend disappear." Tito wondered where Aiden was as he answered her. He surely wouldn't leave her alone to face them. However, she did have a lion to protect her.
"That tells me what Ricky wanted. You didn't tell me your plan." Kitty tapped her foot impatiently while rubbing Harley's head. The twins looked at each other.
"We were planning to kidnap you and your boyfriend. Take you to a remote location and kill you both." Otto felt his fear reach a new height as the lion moved toward them and growled softly. Kitty threw her head back and laughed, surprising the two brothers.
"It looks like your plan didn't go so well. As you see, we're not that easy to get. What do you think, Harley? Should we take them to a remote area and kill them as they had planned with Aiden and me?" Harley roared loudly as he stood only a few feet from the twins.
"Please don't kill us. If you let us go, we'll disappear. We won't tell Ricky where you are or give him any information about you." Otto knew he sounded like a child begging for his life, but he didn't like the look in the lion's eyes.
"I don't know if I can trust you. You broke into this house intending to kill my fiance and me. How can I guarantee you won't try again if we let you go? What do you think, Harley? Should we let them go?" The two men simultaneously looked at the lion.
Harley was enjoying himself. Even if Kitty hadn't let him bite them yet, he could feel their anxiety and see it in their eyes. He decided to have a little fun with the twins. He walked over to stand directly in front of them, only a few inches away. He opened his mouth as wide as he could while getting closer. Otto and Tito started screaming when they saw the enormous lion's mouth moving toward them, but they were too scared to move.
"I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm not in the business of killing people like your boss is, so I'll let you both live. However, you have to do something for me first." Kitty looked at the brothers, who were nodding eagerly.
"We will do whatever you say," Tito said anxiously.
"I know Ricky will kill you if you don't kill me, as he ordered you to. I want you to call him and make it sound like you're dying. Tell him about my lion and make it sound as though he's tearing you apart. You have to be good actors, so make it believable. If you aren't convincing, my lion will help by removing one body part at a time." Kitty smiled as Harley sat beside her and rubbed his head against her while purring.
*"Why are you playing with these idiots? Just let Harley tear them to pieces."* Zola wished that Kitty could shift so she could help Harley. How dare they come after her human and their mate?
*"I'm giving them a chance to redeem themselves. I don't care about them living as long as they do it far from here. I just want to live in peace, and as long as I'm being hunted, I can't do that."* Zola still wasn't happy, but she would respect Kitty's decision.
"After your phone call with Ricky, I want you to drive across the country to New York, Chicago, or anywhere else on the East Coast. I don't care as long as I never hear from you again."
The twins looked at each other in disbelief. This woman would let them live as long as they could convince Ricky they were dying. Otto thought about this and knew she was right. They would be killed if they went back to San Francisco without proof that she was dead. However, if it appeared as though they had died from an attack by her lion, they would be free, and Ricky would back off.
"Alright, you have our word. We'll call Ricky, pretend we're dying, and then drive to the East," Otto answered Kitty without hesitation. They didn't mind starting over somewhere fresh. There was always someone looking for some muscle.
"Great. Now I want you to use your phone to call him. For sound effects, I'll have Harley roar in the background." Otto pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and looked at his brother.
"Are you ready?" His brother nodded. Otto took a deep breath and clicked on Ricky's number. It rang twice, and as soon as they heard Ricky pick up, they began screaming. Harley roared loudly.
"Otto, Tito? What's going on?" They heard Ricky ask on the other line.
"Ricky. We found the girl, and she has a lion." Otto was talking like he was weak and out of breath.
"Did you kill her?" Ricky asked, not liking the sounds coming from the phone. His blood ran cold when he heard the lion roaring.
"We didn't get a chance to get near her. Her lion attacked us. I think Tito is already dead. I'm missing a leg and an arm. Please tell our mom we're sorry. Bye, Ricky." Otto screamed one more time as Harley roared before hanging up the phone. Kitty nodded her approval.
"Well done. You can leave now, but with a warning. I have more than one lion. We'll hunt you down and won't be so nice next time we cross paths with you." She rubbed Harley's head as he growled at the men.
"Thank you. We won't be anywhere in California in the next couple of hours, and we'll never be back." Otto and Tito began backing toward the door as they kept their eyes on Kitty and the lion. They didn't want to be taken by surprise. Tito reached for the door handle, and they both took off running out of the house, not stopping until they got to the SUV. Kitty and Aiden stood at the window laughing as they watched.
"That was a terrific idea. I think you got your point across without one drop of blood. Those two fools will be halfway across the country soon. I hope Ricky has learned his lesson and stops sending people." Aiden bent down and kissed Kitty's head.
They had known the men would follow them, and Kitty didn't want to wait for Trey and Cat to return. She came up with the idea of putting the fear of death in them. Aiden wasn't sure it would work, but he
was glad he listened to her.
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Ricky stared at the phone in his hand after Otto hung up. He felt sick hearing the sound of Otto's scream mixed with the lion's roar. He never thought the twins would fail. He wasn't giving up, though. That bitch had cost him too much humiliation and possibly a life sentence because of what she did.
Ricky thought about what he was going to do. Ronaldo was dead, killed by the twins for not getting the girl. Now the twins were dead, killed by her lion. He decided it was time to stop sending in children to do a mans job. A holiday was coming in a couple of weeks, which meant a three-day break from court.
Ricky would go to Sacramento to kill the girl and her boyfriend himself. This was one time when he wouldn't mind getting his hands dirty. The girl and her boyfriend would be dead if he could get the pair while they were away from their pet lion. He laughed at the thought. It was almost too easy.
