The Mafia Rumors

JoJo's POV

“I'm gonna murder you biches!!!” I yell at them, splashing around as my hands break the calm surface of the chlorinated water in slapping motions.

My heart bursts at the sight of my two best buddies and I realize how quiet and lonely it'd been without them these two weeks. 

I missed these bitches.

Mallory has taken position on my lounge chair and my headphones are now blasting some shit rock music while Ken tosses off her clothes, revealing a pale two-piece. She cries her excitement and jumps into the chlorinated water before I can stop her.

“Mallory, you witch! Get out of my chair and drop my headphones!!!!” I yell like a Banshee while the bitch calmly tugs the headphones up and gives me a quizzical look, “You say something there?” She smirks and I want to wring her neck.

I flip her off with two itchy middle fingers and she cracks up like the witch she is, a smile draws on my tight lips before she pops the headphones back on.

Ken blubbers as she breaks through the water surface and screeches, “What the fuck!” 

“Tried to warn ya,” I say with a shit-eating grin, fighting the urge to scratch at my sensitive skin. 

“There's chlorine in it!” she keeps yelling “Why is there chlorine in it!” 

So I yell back, “Because that's how it gets sterile!”

“Why didn't you say so earlier, you know I'm allergic to chemicals.” Her eyes burn with the accusation and the chemical reaction. 

“So am I Kenny,” I retort, stifling the urge to scratch at my irritated eyes.

“I'm sorry Jo, we just wanted to surprise you.”

“Awww, poor sweet Ken,” Mallory remarks, sitting up with an evil grin.

Our stark gazes swing to her direction, “You knew!”

The witch relaxes back on the chair, “Of course, I knew. I rigged every corner of this place with surveillance,”

We gawk at her, “Why?” 

“I missed you, Jojo,” she says and places the headphones on her head, and relaxes back on the lounge chair.

Ken and I stare at each other for a minute, stuttering with unprocessed outrage, and silently stalk to where Mallory sits, enjoying the daylight without a care in the world. I rip off the headphones and we toss the bitch into the pool.

“That was a childish comeback guys, it was just an innocent prank!” She shouts when she resurfaces and starts laughing, “I'm not allergic to chlorine, BITCHES!!”

We ignore her and enter the house. 

                                                       *****

“So what'd you find?” I ask Ken four hours later as we settle in the kitchen, making sandwiches. 

Ken and I look like ocean lobsters even after basically plastering anti-reaction cream all over our skin.

Mallory answers, “We found something, You need to see this, Jo.” She flies into her bedroom chuckling like a kid on Christmas morning and Ken just shrugs.

Mal is never excited. Her emotions are always in either an eye-roll or a weird eyebrow arch. But when she comes back with a black suitcase, I sigh in helpless awareness.

She went full-on Men in Black.

Mallory ignores me, focused on the task at hand. Ken shrugs again and bites a mouthful of ham sandwich.

Mal pulls out a laptop, a stack of pictures, a bug recorder, and a flash, “After your last check-in, he broke his routine. That night, he met with his father at a restaurant then we followed them and that's when the story gets juicy—” 

“What do you mean you followed them?” I must look horrified because Mal bluffs. 

“Calm your tits, Jo, we were careful,” she says with a nonchalant wave and Ken cringes.

Ignoring Mal, I regard Ken with a straight face, “What happened?” 

“We almost got caught!” Ken blurts out.

“What!!!”

“So Mal suggested we go into the restaurant since father and son were taking too long,” she pauses and I struggle to keep my expression calm.

“Andddd…” 

“We went in as waiters and found they'd left through the back, this was after we found out his father owns the restaurant. So we rushed back to the van and tailed them to some storage facility. That was when Mal had the 'bright' idea to dress us up as two drunk tourists lost after a bit of wild partying.” 

Mallory cuts in excitedly, “We waited outside and put on a real good show as tipsy women who wanted some fresh air and when they came out, we bugged them.”

Blood swims from my head so fast, my eyes swirl, “who's them?”

“Father and Son,” she says with a smug smile and I want to scream.

“What about the Mafia rumors?” I whisper.

“Oh! They are the Mafia.” Mal affirms like she just confirmed today's date and bites on a sandwich.

I am going crazy right now! 

Ken meets my wild eyes, “Why didn't you stop her?” 

“I was sick of the weather and she said we would finish the job faster and get outta there,” she whines.

I look at them, “You know this is bad, right?” 

“Yeah, and we're prepared for it, stop freaking out Jo,” Mal says with a mouthful of ham sandwich and I suddenly want to beat her with it.

I quietly walk up the stairs and into my room. I slam the door, fall face-first on the mattress, and shriek into the pillow until my voice goes hoarse.

“You done freaking out?” They're peeking at me from the doorway.

“Yes.” I mumble from my pillow and sit up on the bed.

“There's nothing to fear, Jo,” Ken urges.

“I just don't wanna lose my best friends to Men of the Underworld,”

Mal Scoffs, “You read too many novels, Jo, that's not how it works,” She's typing something on a burner phone.

“How does it work, Mal?” 

“We have evidence that could ruin their reputation or worse send them to jail. So they'll kiss our feet and if they try anything funny, we'll hand the evidence to the FBI and get under witness protection,” She says, in a distracted tone.

I chortle, “You're fucking delusional, Mal.” 

“At least you cracked up,” Mal Snickers

“Maybe we should stop—” 

“We can't stop now Jo, we've gone too far already, the moment those guys find the bugs, they're gonna come after us so we either sit like sitting ducks waiting for our gruesome deaths or we continue with the plan and at least try to finish this.” Ken resolves.

Mal and I nod in unison.

Let's finish this.

Ken and I notice the burner phone, “Mmh, What are you doing with the burner, Mal?”

“Activating Stage Two.”