Read Online A Bloody Kingdom (Ruthless People Book 4) by J.J. McAvoy - Free Book Online Page B

in a lot of time trying to repair the ghettos. However, Southbend and Bella Vista were still holding out against all my efforts. The crime rates had dropped, but it was hard to rebuild a community the rest of the state didn’t want to invest in. It was even harder when those in that same community tried to do everything in their power to get in my way.
    “Governor, are you sure about this?” Murphy said to me when I stepped out in front of the old diner. He was going to learn to never ask me that question.
    “Please make this quick,” Mina said behind me as one other guard walked in front. The place smelled like stale coffee, pancakes, and beef. Every booth was filled with members of the Royals. Their heads all snapped back to me, their eyes wandering down my face to my heels.
    “Lady, you lost or somethin’?”
    It was always easy to spot the leader in a group. He was always the one who sat at the table farthest from the door, his back to the wall. His table always had, at least, one female and a cigarette or drink in his hand. In this case, it was two light-skinned women and a cigar.
    Walking over to his table, I saw them all tense up.
    “You’re in my seat,” I said to the man sitting across from him. He looked to his boss, grinning like a fool as he blew smoke from his lips.
    “Let the good ol’ white lady sit down.”
    They laughed and when he moved, I put my purse down beside me, crossing my legs when I sat.
    “First off, I’m not white.”
    “You got skin like a white woman, eyes like a white woman, and your nose so far up you gotta be a white woman.” The girl on his right laughed.
    The girl on the left replied. “Nah, maybe she thinks she black like that lady…what her name again?”
    “Rachel Dolezal,” I answered.
    “Yeah, that her.” They laughed. “Where you from home girl? Cuz you lookin’ hella white to me right now.”
    “I’m Italian, which means I got a whole different certification to beat your ass. Now get back to the pole or street corner; he and I have business to discuss.”
    She reached for her glass of orange juice.
    “Do it. I just came from church and I swear to God, I will end you.”
    She hesitated, her eyes going to Murphy, who stood beside me. The next instant, she made up her mind and flung the glass of orange juice at me. I didn’t even move; Murphy’s body hovered over mine, the glass connecting with his shoulder and the juice splashing back on the table.
    He didn’t say anything, only stood straighter beside me. Reaching for a few napkins, I cleaned off the table.
    “Are you going to keep them beside you or are you going to speak?” I asked him.
    “Y’all go, this will only take a second.”
    “I’m still here, bitch. When my ending at?” She sneered at me, swinging her waist as she left. Ignoring her, I focused on cleaning.
    “So you’re the governor?”
    “So you do know who I am,” I said, not bothering to look up at him.
    This table is fucking disgusting.
    “Yeah, yeah. Everybody knows the famous Melody Callahan, plus I saw your picture in the paper. Your husband looks like he has one hell of a time with you. I wonder how it feels to grope one of them.” He nodded at my breasts.
    “It feels like two .38 Special bullets in the spine.” I smiled. “Or at least, that’s what my husband would say, but I know you wouldn’t even make it close enough in your dreams, so you shouldn’t bother asking.”
    “You’re a spicy one, Governor, it must be that Italian—”
    “I’m tired of wasting words with you, so I’m going to cut to the chase. The drive-bys and shootouts, those end today. You will also give me the person responsible for the drive-by on 42 nd . Then you will crawl back to whatever hole you came out of and stay there until my husband or I say otherwise.”
    “Can you believe this bitch?” He laughed outright along with the rest of his crew. “Come into my diner and you gonna boss me around, sweetheart? Go back to your ivory