JOSI

The news hits around midday. Josi is in the bedroom by Idris's side, who has resorted to sticking by her. She's the only one that brings him some level of peace. She sits there on the couch with his head on her lap, combing through his hair with her fingers. She knows it relaxes him. Her touch. Her presence. The mere sight of her. He has come to rely on Josi.

Idris is the one who turns the TV on. He browses through channel by channel, as if he has a clear goal in his mind. But Josi knows it's for naught. He's doing so aimlessly. It isn't until he hits the news channel does he finally stop. And there on the screen is the thing that returns what little life back to Idris.

"Alvize Tesoro, who allegedly died by suicide, was found at a club in East Village."

Idris gazes at the TV, completely shell-shocked. He should be. His greatest enemy just met his end to suicide. He should be happy. And he is, only after his mind gets past the shock. He leaves his spot by Josi's lap and goes to stand in front of the TV, as if he really can't believe it. And then he begins laughing. How astonishing it must be for him.

Josi simply sighs. With any luck, the authorities will keep it as mere suicide. Which, in a way, it is. If you disregard her involvement. But no one will come looking for her. This, she made sure of. It's the story she wrote for Alvize. A figure so strong, but in the end, gave in to his own temptation.

Josi goes and stands besides Idris, arms around his waist in an embrace. "I told you it would all work out."

Idris looks at her, still so astonished yet thrilled. He must think he's been spared. He must think he's gotten a second chance. Josi will let him find out if he really has all on his own.

For now she kisses him and shares in on his victory. The victory she secured for him. He has no idea she once held his life in the palm of her hands. Should she have truly chosen to side with Alvize, he'd be a dead man walking.

But unbeknownst to it all, Idris returns Josi's kiss and embraces her. He pulls away just to study her, and in that instance Josi smiles. Not only because it charms him, but because she has Idris all to herself. Now that Alvize is gone, there's no one standing in the way between her and Idris.

The familiar exhilaration settles in. Josi stands there by Idris's side and keeps up with the news as much as he does. Each word the anchorman speaks brings her so much joy. So much glee. Alvize Tesoro is dead. This is what the anchorman says. And although it wasn't planned, the couple smile. Both at the same time.

__

And then there was one. The last remaining obstacle. Seven. Josi knows that from the deaths of the previous enemies, Seven's own death won't be simple. Whether it be heated dart pins, a wild animal, or mutilation, he will suffer greatly before his time of death. Too bad he's walking the plank last. It's like witnessing those before him jump into the sea, knowing fully well that his time will soon come.

But it seems Seven is trying desperately not to follow in the others' footsteps. "He barricaded himself in his home and won't come out." Josi says to Dami who's seated in the passenger's seat. "Stuffed all his guards in there with him. He's paranoid."

Of course, he's paranoid. Why wouldn't he be? The angel of death has descended upon the Verdonni family, and one by one they have all departed from the world in manners too ruthless. Josi can only offer condolences. All that matters is that she isn't in their shoes.

Dami, who doesn't seem phased by the news, leans back into her seat and pulls out a lollipop. But she doesn't peel the paper off. She lets it sit there in her hands, off in her own mind, thinking. Perhaps it's the sentiment that comes with almost being done. One last name off the list and she would truly have gotten revenge.

"I'll go to him. I just need the blueprint to his house."

Although Dami has accomplished a great many feats, this still leaves Josi unsure. Seven's home is a mansion surrounded by gates and walls and guards. Security. Manpower. Even if she manages to get past the hoards of soldiers, she still has the size of his home to consider. A blueprint just won't cut it.

"Are you sure?" Josi asks. "We can always wait him out."

Dami shakes her head. "He has everything at his disposal in that mansion. It'll take years before he leaves. He won't risk it."

Dami's reasoning is seamless, but Josi still can't help but be doubtful. Dami takes notice of this. "I'll be fine. This will be light work."

From her tone, Josi can tell she means the things she says, and from her eyes, Josi can tell she's dreamt of this moment for years. Dami is past ready to bring this story to its conclusion.

And so is Josi. Let the rest of this maddening story come to an end. It has run long overdue.

__

Who better to access the blueprint than Seven's guards themselves. Josi has already selected from within the capo's security a suitable target. Vince Whitlock, a guard who has been by Seven's side for years now.

With his timeline in that mansion, he should certainly know more about the blueprint than any other guard. And with the new plan Josi has just constructed, getting that blueprint won't be much trouble.

As the bar meets its peak, Josi saunters in and goes in search of her target. Vince's blonde hair should be an instant attraction in this pool of busy bodies. She finds him at the front, ordering some drink from the bartender.

"Vince Whitlock," Josi calls. "I would like to have a word with you."

Vince turns to her with skepticism, which then transfers over to doubt-because why would Idris Verdonni's girlfriend be at this bar querying for his attention? But the doubt soon turns to indifference. "Get lost. I'm busy." He goes back to his mug of beer.

Josi only pushes further. "You're going to want to know what this is about. Trust me."

She can see that his interest has been piqued, because though he eyes her suspiciously, he still doesn't turn her away. He says nothing else, and Josi takes it as a sign to join him.

"Make this quick." Vince says, more entertained by his beer.

Josi heeds his words. She shoots straight for the hoop. "How much have you stolen from Seven?"

Now Vince freezes. Suddenly his beer has lost all meaning. He sets the mug down and turns to Josi slowly, eyes so wide it looks cartoonish.

"Oh, do you need proof? I have it." Josi digs into her bag for a recording and hands it to Vince, all smiles. Then she watches him reel over the evidence. He must not have expected his crimes to be captured on camera.

In that video, Vince can be seen making off with a bag of cannabis from Seven's warehouse. Josi knows it's not the first time he's committed theft, but it matters little, just as long as she has one of those instances on camera.

The bartender presents Josi her glass of cocktail. Meanwhile, Vince still hasn't moved on from the video. If Seven sets his eyes on that evidence, his existence would be over in a matter of seconds. You don't bite the hand that feeds you. But Vince never thought much of that very hand, because not only did he bite it, he severed it. And if Seven finds out . . . Josi can only imagine.

Vince grits his teeth. "What do you want?"

"I'm glad you asked." Josi sets her glass down. "I need the blueprint to Seven's home."

"What do you want with his blueprint?"

"Sadly, that's confidential. But what won't be confidential is that video if I don't get that blueprint by Friday. Do we have an understanding?"

Vince does not take kindly to her threat, but it's not exactly like he can retaliate. He retaliates and she exposes him. Simple as that. So Vince slowly, begrudgingly, nods his head yes. And now Josi has scored herself another sweet deal.

"How do I know you won't have backups available after I give you the blueprint?" Vince asks.

"You're just going to have to trust my word." Josi says to him. "And in exchange for all the evidence I have, I'll need you to forget about this deal after it's done and over with."

This should be an easy enough bargain for Vince. But the way he looks at her lets Josi know he isn't taking this blackmail lightly. If he had no hatred for her, he certainly does now. Not that Josi cares. All she needs is the blueprint. And she will have it by any means necessary.

__

Once Friday comes, Josi visits Vince at a deserted parking lot. She chooses the hour after the sun has set, because it's the best available time for criminals to conduct business. She parks her car some distance away from Vince's, then heads for him and takes her place in the passenger's seat.

Vince is more than ready to conclude this deal. He tosses the blueprint to Josi. "There, I did it. Now hand the rest of the evidence over."

If he wants it so bad he can have it. Josi searches through her bag for the flash drive and hands it over to Vince, whose slouched shoulders shows his relief. He inspects it, then once he's done, he gives Josi something mixed with hatred.

"Whatever it is you're planning, it won't work."

Josi disregards his statement. "What are you going to do after this?"

Vince looks confused. "What do you mean?"

"I trust you'll keep your own end of the bargain and pretend this never happened?"

Figuring out lies is a skill Josi has come to perfect. Now she uses this same skill on Vince. He nods his head yes, because this is an answer expected from him. But his eyes are insincere. He isn't even looking straight at her. Josi smiles. He's lying.

She sticks a hand out. "Pleasure doing business with you."

And although Vince has no such pleasure, he completes the handshake. Josi steps out the car. He'll probably go run his mouth to Seven as soon as he gets back now that he's no longer being threatened. Not that Josi didn't expect this.

Still, she honored her words and gave him all the evidence. There are no backups available. Vince should be glad he struck a deal with her and not someone as callous as Idris who would probably have broken his end of the bargain.

But not even two minutes after Josi's departure, Vince's car bursts into flames. He must have tried starting his car, but unbeknownst to him, it was tampered with. Josi comes to a stop and turns to watch the explosion. It really is vibrant under the night sky, almost like a miniature sun. Too bad Vince isn't alive to see it.

Before Josi can take her leave, she receives a phone call from her mother. Except she's greeted by Aspen. "Josi?"

Something between anxiety and uneasiness washes over Josi. She was not expecting Aspen's voice. And even if she wasn't, why should she feel this tentative? Like she's been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She says nothing for the first part of the conversation, still trying to get accustomed to her sister. Then she clears her throat and even smiles, as though Aspen were physically there.

"Penny, I thought it was past your bedtime."

"It is, but mom's too busy with her TV show."

The fire still shows no signs of dialing down. Josi takes a couple steps back, though she's already at a safe distance. "And dad?"

"He thinks I'm asleep, so I don't have much time. Are you coming home this weekend?"

The visit home. Josi had forgotten. Then again there's not much room for anything else when your mind has gotten too full of everything to do with revenge.

"Of course, I am." Josi says with a smile. Though that smile isn't even sure of itself.

Aspen squeals despite having to keep a hushed tone. "You're the best sister ever! I love you."

A profession of love should be reciprocated. But Josi can't say a thing. She stands there and watches the flames, how it has engulfed the car in its entirety, charring both the steel and the body trapped inside. The best sister ever . . . In what regard would that statement be true?

"Josi?"

Josi brings herself back to the present. "I love you, too."

Aspen, now much more satisfied, greets Josi goodnight and ends the call. If Aspen were present to witness this scene before Josi, would she still think so highly of her? What about her parents? Do they know that their daughter orchestrated not one, not two, not even three — but numerous murders? What would they think if they saw her for who she now is? Would they love her still? Would they consider her one of their own?

Josi truly has no idea, and for the first time in a while, she grows fearful. But more pondering only fosters more doubts. They would all despise her for certain. No one wants a murderer for a daughter. No one wants a killer for a sister. They would condemn her. They would shun and turn her away.

And Bradley. He would never take her back as she is. He would be revolted once he found out. He, too, would condemn her very being. He would detest her for all she's worth.

Josi tries maintaining her breathing, but fails and keeps up the struggle. Not enough air flow. She rushes towards her car and takes a seat, hoping that it will, at least, return some strength back to her legs.

Still with shaky breaths, Josi leans her head against the steering wheel and closes her eyes. They can't know. They can never know. No one can ever know. Because if they find out, she will no longer be Josita Cade. She will be a stranger.

_____________________________________