her wrist, popped the sword from its sheath, making a sizzling sound as it crackled to life.
Ray Ann’s eyes grew wide. “What the fuck?”
“This? My leetle fren ? This is your death if you ever even think about Brianna Stuart again.”
A look of recognition crossed Ray Ann’s face. “Ah, I see now. You’re the one she was fucking around with.”
Denny placed Epée’s tip near Ray Ann’s eye. It glowed like it was excited about the prospect of going through it. “Here’s how this goes down, mother fucker. You look at Brianna again and I’ll fucking gouge your goddamned eyeballs out and eat them in front of you. You speak to her again, and I’ll tear your tongue out of your mouth and eat that in front of you. You call her on the phone and...what do you think I’ll do to your ears?”
“Tear them off and eat them in front of me.”
“See? You aren’t nearly as stupid as you look.” Denny loosened her grip slightly before retracting Epée and shoving the cylinder back in her pocket. “Are we clear here?”
“What...what in the hell are you?” Ray Ann asked.
“Me? I’m all sorts of pain for you if you go near her again.”
“You don’t have a clue who you’re fucking with, freak. I’m a cop, and you’ve just made the biggest mistake of your life.”
Denny was back in her face, inches from her nose. “I don’t give a shit if you’re God’s first daughter. You don’t want to grab this tiger by the tail, sweetheart. I’ll bury you with your fucking badge shoved so far up your ass, it’ll settle in your stomach.”
“I’ll have you arrested within the hour, asshole.”
Denny chuckled and stepped back. “Oh really? I wonder how long you’d keep that tarnished badge with a domestic violence report against you? Maybe a minute longer than that hour?”
Ray Ann glared silently at Denny.
Denny stepped closer. “Your fucking badge can’t protect you from me Officer Thomas. In uniform or out of it, I’ll tear your arms off and beat you with the bloody ends of them if you do not heed my warning. Are we on the same page here, or do I need to break more bones?”
Tension hung in the air like west coast fog—cold, dense, invasive and lingering.
Denny’s hand darted out and grabbed hold of Ray Ann’s other wrist, digging her fingers into the fleshy part of the skin. “I don’t like repeating myself, ass wipe. Brianna is off limits. Say it.”
Ray Ann locked eyes with Denny as if she could actually win this battle of wills.
“Say it. Don’t be such a putz, Officer Ass Hat. Say it.”
“Fuck you.”
Denny grabbed Ray Ann’s thumb in a thumb lock and drove her to her knees. “Say. It.”
Ray Ann grimaced. “You’re fucking with the wrong woman, freak show.”
In one quick motion, and one very loud snap, Denny broke her other wrist.
“Motherfucker!”
Denny pushed her away, where she rolled on her side and struggled to get up without using her hands. “That’s me. In a nutshell.”
“You broke my wrists!”
Denny sighed. “I explained to you, very simply for your teeny tiny mind, what would happen if you didn’t cooperate. You didn’t cooperate. So...are you ready to tell me what I want to hear?”
“I’ll never see her again,” she said quickly.
Denny nodded. “And what will happen if you think you can somehow outsmart me?”
“You’ll break my bones and...and...”
“Say it.”
“Eat parts of me.”
“Right. And if you think of sending your boys or girls in blue after me? What will happen then?”
Ray Ann stared at her broken wrists a moment before looking back at Denny. “You’ll break my career into pieces.”
“Yes I will. Itty bitty pieces to be exact. I’ll eat you, your career, and then your life.” Denny turned for the door. Capisce ?”
Ray Ann slowly nodded.
“Good.” Denny stepped over the door. “You might want to get that fixed. This is a pretty shitty neighborhood.”
“What the fuck are you anyway, freak