Grinning, I took a photo of her bloodied face and sent it to Marcus.
[Take your dog away,] I texted him.
——
In just ten minutes, he showed up with a gun tucked in his arm.
“What did you do?” he asked.
“I dealt with a disobedient dog,” I said. “Aren’t you supposed to be grateful?”
His brow tightened. The blind eye flashed a strange rage as he ground his teeth. “Melody, you can’t hit the dog without asking the owner. You’re being presumptuous.”
Impatient, I lit a cigarette and rubbed my ear. “What are you barking? I don’t hear you. Say that again.”
“Melody, you—” The woman, Judy Moss, clutched her ruined face and sobbed. “Marcus, kill her. Kill her for me! She ruined my face because she's jealous that you like me!”
When Marcus pulled her hand away and looked at the bloody scars, his eyes went bloodshot. He put the gun to my forehead, and the chamber clicked. His voice was colder than the muzzle as he said, “Melody, you’ve gone too far. She’s only a girl! She’s not like us!”
I smiled, pushed the barrel aside with my hand, and blew a smoke ring into his face. “So what? Are you going to kill me to avenge her?”