Sniping Her Mafia King
Chapter 53

Wednesday afternoon was sombre as she and Deidre shuffled into their home following the funeral for Miley. Arwen moved to the kitchen and put the tea kettle on and watched from the corner of her eye as Deidre sat at the table, slouching over it as if the world were settled on her shoulders.

"How are you holding up?"

"It's weird," Deidre sadly played with salt and pepper shakers on the table. "To think I'll never get to hear her laugh or squeal again is awful." She looked up to Arwen, "did you know the text message she got from her brother, right before she took off her seatbelt was about Warrick? She took it off because she wanted to come hug me across the car. I know it's why."

"His funeral was today as well." Arwen offered quietly.

"Weird pervert," Deidre made a face. "The rumor on campus is he liked to drug girls up and diddle with them. He sent an email to the police with his stash of weird s**t as a suicide note. I can't believe I thought him being quiet and a loner-type was mysterious and hot. Turns out he was just hiding in the library with his twisted thoughts."

"How did you hear that?"

"One of the girls he supposedly molested was contacted by the police. He had a video of her. She said she'd had no idea it was him. Can you imagine every day going to school and knowing someone there had violated you and you had no idea who it was? What a scumbag." She clinked the salt and pepper together, "he and Raven would have made a perfect couple." "Speaking of Raven," she looked to her. "You had a few weird internet searches on your school device."

"Why did you track my internet searches?" "Protocol."

"The group you belong to?"

"Yes, Clara did the search to see what you might have already guessed. We found out you were trying to learn how to be a hacker."

"It's way harder than I thought." Deidre admitted with a wry smile. "Raven tried to pressure Miley into sleeping with a professor for a grade. I'm not sure she doesn't get commission from the way she pushes girls to get on their knees, but Miley told her to f**k off and then Raven and her friends started targeting her. I got in the way, and it took the target off Miley, and they focused on bullying me for a bit. It's why Miley was mad at me for a while and didn't come around. She wanted me to just let it go but I couldn't." Arwen realized Sabine had been right on the money with her hypothesis. It was creepy how good this team was at their job. "While we were at the funeral, Raven and two of her friends were arrested."

Deidre's head snapped up, "no way!"

"Along with three professors at the college. They've all been indicted today. The evidence is clear and solid." Arwen moved to sit across from Deidre, "Dee, you need to come to me with stuff like this. You shouldn't be trying to hide things like this. I can help." "I just wanted to try to take care of it myself instead of running to you all the time."

"Deidre, first and foremost, I love helping you. It brings me joy to help you. Secondly, I have resources of which you can only dream. I never work alone. I have people I rely on every single day. If I have a problem, I know is going to be bigger than I can handle alone, I reach out." "Really?"

"Yes. On Friday I had a girl come to me and tell me she was scared, and her brother's friends were outside my physio clinic, and they wanted to take her back to Russia. The very first thing I did was call Jesse. Jesse called the rest of our team. We're not lone wolves, we're a pack."

"How did you get her out of there safely?"

"Trapdoor," she grinned.

"Your clinic has a trapdoor? Miley would have found this so cool." She repeated a previous statement and gave a sad sniff as she turned back to the table.

Arwen had an idea. It was probably a horrible idea but seeing her cousin so down and so sad, she decided it was worth it. Sabine had said it was up to her if she wanted to reveal more. She just couldn't divulge missions. "If an FBI agent put a gun to your head and asked you to spill my secrets, what would you do?"

"Die," Deidre shrugged, "I ain't no snitch. My daddy would come back and haunt my a*s."

Arwen laughed at her blustering. "Good girl," she got up from the table. "Come on. I want to show you something."

Arwen turned and shut the stove off and then was pulling Deidre stumbling through the house.

"Where are we going?"

"We are going to go do something fun, stupidly dangerous and clandestine." She could tell by Deidre's eyebrows now perched high on her forehead she was surprised by Arwen's words. "Are you in?"

Forty minutes later, Arwen waved to the security agents in the sedan who had followed her and Deidre to the physio clinic. She walked in with Deidre on her arm and smiled at Norah at the counter. "Hey Norah."

"Hi Arwen. Hi Deidre. I didn't think we'd see you in here today."

Arwen walked to the counter and whispered to Norah, "Deidre had a bit of a debrief this week."

"No!" Norah looked to Deidre with a grin. "How much of a debrief?"

"Just a taste but I'm going to give her a tour of my office and then the armory."

"You're in for a treat."

"Does Norah ..." Dee's voice trailed off as Arwen tugged her behind her towards her office. "Yeah, the whole office."

"Holy s**t," Deidre whispered as she stepped into Arwen's office. "Beth, Karla and Joy?"

"Sweetheart, Karla is a massage therapist but she's also a trained interrogator. She can replace a pressure point to make a grown man squeal like a pig faster than you could blink." She closed the door behind them. "Go sit at my desk." Deidre sat down. "Now what."

"Pull the drawer open and if you feel around under the desktop there is a button, press it."

"This is too cool," Deidre giggled excitedly. "Oh!" she jumped as the windows all darkened down.

"You've just made this room inaccessible. Nobody outside the room can see in. The windows are almost impenetrable and your cell phone or any listening device won't work in here. The door is locked by a remote which can only be undone if you hit the button again." "Arwen!" she squealed.

"When the girl came to Friday, we sat in here and I got her story. This is where I called Jesse from and let her know we were going to help. She gave me directions to get her to a safehouse."

"A safehouse?"

"Yup." Arwen grinned, "push the button again and the close up the drawer."

Once the room was back to normal, she took Deidre by the hand and noticed the brightness in her eyes and the excitement she was feeling. She saw Beth and Joy at the reception desk both grinning in their direction. "Can you put a carpet down after me?" "Of course!" Beth followed them.

"Where are we going?" Deidre was searching for the floor of the gym as if looking for the trapdoor Arwen had mentioned.

Once the trio were in the vestibule at the back entrance of the clinic, Beth pulled back the rug as Arwen held her watch up to the security system mounted on the wall. They laughed as Deidre gave a shriek when the floor beneath her started to move. Beth giggled and pulled her towards her, "your cousin had way too much fun putting this in."

"It's so dark," Deidre said.

"Step on the first step."

It lit up under Deidre's feet and she gave an excited shout, "this is sick."

In the basement, Deidre looked around in amazement and then looked up as the roof overhead closed off. "It's only a basement. Is this where you hid the girl?"

"Nope." Arwen crossed the basement and hit the hidden button on the wall and a door opened up to the hidden room on the other side of the wall. "Come on, then." She led a smiling and perplexed Deidre through the underground to the far side and then opened another hidden door. "Are you ready for this?"

"Doesn't this lead to the next building's basement?" "Honey, I own most of the buildings on this block."

Deidre's face dropped, "what? Since when?"

Arwen didn't answer but stepped into her armory, leaned against a bench, and waited for Deidre to follow her into the room. She watched with a wide smirk as her cousin moved cautiously while looking around the room in confusion. Her eyes settled on the cherry red car.

"That's a Ferrari."

"Yeah, I stole it."

"You stole a Ferrari?"

"The guy had a concubine of like ten teenagers. He died so he didn't need it anymore. I took it."

"Is that a Spyder?" Deidre rushed to the car.

Arwen hadn't realized Deidre could move so fast. Clearly, she had inherited her father's love of automobiles. "It's the car the girl picked for me to take her out of here in."

"Holy f**k. All of this is yours? Or your organization?"

"Our collective," she shrugged, "pays top dollar each time we help a woman in danger. Everything in this room is mine from profits I've made or taken."

"Even all the bikes?"

"All of it," she punched her fist gently against the wall behind the bench she lounged against, and another short wall lifted like a garage door. She saw Deidre's head spin to the wall of weaponry.

She laughed as Deidre blinked and then turned her head back and forth between her wall and Arwen, "is that? Holy s**t, Arwen! You have a rocket launcher!"

She walked over to the wall and lifted the gun she had grabbed the other night, "I took this off one of the guys who held you captive Sunday night."

"You were there? You weren't kidding when you said ..." Deidre's blue eyes snapped to Arwen's in awe.

"When I said I killed him? No. I wasn't kidding."

Deidre moved to stand beside her at the wall and then paused, "your dad wanted you to be a marine but you're so much more, aren't you?" her words hung in the air between them for a brief moment.

"I am," she agreed with a single nod. She motioned to a gun hung near the top, "that was his weapon." She watched as Deidre reached up and stroked the gun with her fingertips in reverence.

"Are you rich?"

"Not Cavallaro rich, but I do okay."

"Nobody is Cavallaro rich," Deidre smirked, "he's filthy rich."

"Want to go for a drive?" she asked Deidre with a grin.

"Yes! How do you get the cars out of here?"

"Its very Bond-like." She winked. "Pick a car, any car."

Deidre didn't hesitate, "the Maserati."

She grabbed the key fob and unlocked the car. She watched as Deidre almost danced to the vehicle and she couldn't help the smile on her face. It felt good and right to share this with her. She closed up all the cabinetry and made her way to the car. She tossed her phone to Deidre, "replace some songs Miley would love to listen to and let's go for a long and stupidly fast drive. If we're lucky we can get involved in a police chase."

The phone automatically paired to the car and Deidre was smiling as she picked the first song. Arwen laughed, "are you kidding me?" Single Ladies was blaring through the speakers. Deidre giggled, "she was part of the Bee-Hive. Huge fan of Beyoncé."

As the car began to climb the hydraulic lift to street level and into the alley, Deidre shrieked with excitement.

Arwen revved the engine and then began driving the car down the street. In minutes Arwen took them onto the highway and Deidre was singing all of Miley's songs at the top of her lungs while they sped down the highway at breakneck speeds. For more than an hour they cruised along while Deidre talked about why certain songs made Miley happy or sad.

They stopped for gas and then Arwen turned to Deidre as she came out of the store. "Get in the driver's seat."

"Are you nuts?" Deidre almost dropped her slushie as she stared at Arwen while she stood outside the car. "I only have a learner's permit."

"Which you've had for three years and you're a damn good driver, you just don't want to try for your license. Get in the drivers' seat Dee."

She frowned and shook her head, "Arwen, I can't."

"What would Miley do?" Arwen taunted her.

"What if I crash the Maserati?"

"Then I deal with the insurance agency," Arwen shrugged as if it didn't matter, "but try not to crash it."

"But - "

"Dee, today we buried your best friend. If she were here, she'd be begging to drive. How many times did she try to steal my bike?" She watched the tears in Deidre's eyes. "Do this for her and do this for you." "I'm scared."

"I'll give you the car if you drive it." Arwen threw out the bribe and cockily tilted her head when Deidre blink at her in confusion.

"You can't just give me a car."

"I can and I will, but you need to prove to me you can drive it."

"Arwen this isn't the little kiddie car I had when I was four."

"No shit." Arwen laughed at her. "Don't be a p***y and get in the driver's seat."

They stared at each other for several minutes and then Arwen felt smug satisfaction as Deidre slowly walked towards the driver's side, stopping to throw her slushie in the garbage bin on the way.

"I'm probably going to stall her out and if I do, my slushie will spill all over the interior."

"I have access to hell of a detailing company. You should have kept the slushie." She teased her and then watched with interest as Deidre opened the car door as if she were pulling open the gates of hell.

"Nice car!" a random guy yelled, "did your daddy buy you it for you?"

Arwen looked at the guy at the gas pump, "no, your daddy did after I f****d him senseless while your mama watched."

"f**k you!" The man started walking towards them gesticulating wildly.

Arwen met him halfway and lifted an eyebrow. "What did you say?"

"You're a bitch." He reached up as if he were going to slap her.

Arwen heard Deidre's gasp behind her, and she grinned at the man when she caught his hand in mid-air just before it connected with her face and snapped his wrist, breaking it. She blew a kiss at the blustering man and then motioned to Deidre, "drive your car, Dee."

She got in with her and then smiled as Deidre started it up and giggled nervously.

"I can't believe that just happened. You were so brave."

"I don't put up with s**t from anyone. I told you; I always have your back. Drive your car.""

"This is crazy!"

It took a few minutes before Deidre started to feel comfortable behind the wheel and contrary to what she thought, she didn't stall it out. They were cruising along the highway at the speed limit, but Arwen didn't push her. It was a lot of car for a learner and Deidre was a nervous one to begin with.

Arwen's cell phone began ringing through the dash and Deidre blinked as if unsure what to do.

"It's okay. It's just Addy." Arwen shuffled her phone in her hand and took the call. "Hey Addy, what's up."

"Did you ditch your security at the physio clinic?" His tone was accusatory and reminded Arwen of a disgruntled parent.

Arwen and Deidre shared a giggle. "Deidre, tell Addy what you're doing."

"I'm driving! I'm driving down the highway."

"Piccola, you are driving a car down the highway?" now he sounded impressed.

"Yes," she giggled again, "I'm driving Arwen's Maserati."

"It's your Maserati," Arwen corrected. "I told you if you drove her, you could have her."

"You own a Maserati?" Addy interrupted; his impressed tone gone. "I've been out of the country for two days and you have a Maserati and you've dodged your security."

"You've been out of the country two days and didn't call," Deidre chastised him. "You only called because we ditched our security."

Arwen blinked at Deidre's words. Someone was feeling sassy driving her new car.

"I was about to call you and see how you made out today when my men called me to say you had been in the clinic for more than two hours and they were questioning whether they should go in and check on you or not."

"Yeah, we're not there," Deidre cackled suddenly. "Arwen showed me her lair and let me pick out a car."

"Her lair?" Addy questioned.

"It's more of an armory s***h garage," Arwen corrected Deidre's description. "It just houses the things I can't keep at the farm."

"How many cars did you have a choice of Deidre?" Addy's voice was curiously tight.

"Eight," Arwen spoke up, "and five bikes."

Addy's silence spoke volumes and the two women giggled again.

"Addy," Deidre kept speaking, "Arwen said you wanted to move in with us." When he still didn't speak, she cast a sideways glance at Arwen, "I'm fine with it but if you hurt her, I now know where she keeps all her guns and I'll make what the Russian guy did look like child's play."

Arwen choked on her spit at Deidre's words and the wicked grin on her lips. "Jesus, Deidre."

"I will take your warning into consideration," Addy spoke with a hint of laughter in his voice.

"When are you coming home?" Deidre pressed him.

"I will be a few more days," his words were guarded.

"Are you hiding out because your face looks like Arwen beat you up?" Deidre asked bluntly.

"Deidre," Addy spoke quietly, "you are acting strangely out of sorts. Don't be rude."

"Yes dad," she mocked him. "I'm just trying to channel my inner Miley."

"Well for the record, I'm not hiding because my face is a mess. I'm working and there are a few situations I need to resolve before coming back to New York."

"Speaking of situations needing to be resolved," Arwen butted into the conversation, "Agent O'Malley tried to place a tracking device on my car yesterday. My lawyers are meeting with his supervisors today."

He was silent for several long seconds. "You are supposed to let me know right away when they approach you."

His infuriated his made Arwen smirk. "Your goons you had following me yesterday watched the whole interaction. I figured they gave you a report."

"No. They did not. I don't have them spying on you for me, Arwen. I have them making sure you are safe and not in danger. They are your backup nothing more."

"Huh," she pursed her lips and looked to Deidre with a wicked grin, "then we could have gone to the all-male-review and watched the strippers. He would never have known."

Deidre giggled as Addy cursed and Arwen chuckled.

"Arwen, make sure you both arrive home safe. And I want to see your lair. It sounds impressive."

"She has a rocket launcher," Deidre tossed out.

"You're supposed to be keeping silent," Arwen reprimanded

"With Addy?" Deidre made a confused face at her. "What's the point?"

"Ugh, fine." Arwen threw her hands up in surrender. "Now, Addy, we're going to go because I'm tired of Deidre driving the speed limit. This car was meant to cruise not coast and she's going to need her focus on the road and off of you if she's going to put the petal to the metal."

"Don't you dare," Addy spoke up.

Arwen hung up on him gleefully and then turned it off. "Come on Deidre. Show me what you got."

Deidre took a deep breath and with an excited shriek stepped on the gas and the car lurched forward as Deidre drove faster than she ever had before.

Arwen considered this was quite possibly the best afternoon she had ever spent with her cousin.