"Don't peak under there!! We're almost there okay?"

Joey smiled as Kenzi seemed very antsy under her blindfold as to where this engagement surprise Joey got for her could be or what it was. She heard a door shut behind her and the air was different she was clearly inside a large room of some sort and could swear there was the sound of muffled voice. 

Joey winked at Alucard who had tracked and taken care of the present until Joey was able to bring Kenzi, Alucard winked back and kicked the prisoner in the shin hard for shits and giggles. Alucard came up and hugged Joey and congratulated him before hugging Kenzi, he then gestured for them to go forward to the present. Joey took off Kenzi's blindfold so she could see her present, and before her stood a gagged tied to a chair Angelo who had DEFINITELY seen better days.

It took a moment for Kenzi's eyes to adjust to the dim light of what appeared to be some kind of basement. The sound of a muffled and garbled groan drew her eyes immediately downward- where they fell directly onto Angelo Falucci. 

Kenzi gasped and took a step back, her stomach knotting tightly before her brain processed that the monster was bound tightly to a chair and gagged with a cloth. His right eye was red and puffy, as if it had been clocked pretty hard. Kenzi looked back at Joey for a moment, then to Alucard. At that point, she realized just what the two of them had done for her. Not only had they captured the snake of a man for her- they had put him at Kenzi's mercy. 

Joey gave her a reassuring nod, squeezing her hand. With a deep breath, Kenzi stepped toward Angelo.  For the first time in months, Kenzi allowed a lifetime of dark, frightful memories to enter her mind. She needed them now. What she had tried so hard to sweep under the rug and keep away from her new, happy life, she now called upon to help her.  As she came within inches of him, Angelo Falucci looked up.

She was dressed in a pair of grey, finely tailored suit pants, a cream colored silk cap-sleeved blouse, and the pearls that Joey had given her. Her blonde hair was smoothed and lay in beautiful, bouncy curls on her shoulders. The diamond ring on her finger glinted with the light of the room. She looked like a woman now. It was clear that Angelo didn't recognize her at first. He squinted his good eye in an attempt to recognize her. Kenzi- still not quite sure where to even start- reached out and grabbed the gag, yanking it roughly out of his mouth. The roughed-up demon sputtered.

"Who the hell are you, bitch? What is this shit?!"

At the word "bitch," Kenzi could feel Joey bristle, and lightly glanced back, nodding once to him to say 'I've got this.' It was finally time for Kenzi to stand for herself. 

Like lightening, her hand reared back, then laid hard across Falucci's face. 

"What's the matter, Angelo? You don't recognize me anymore?"

She changed her voice just a tad- making it more meek, almost pleading.

"Please, Mr. Angelo...please don't do that to me again. I promise I won't run."

The way she said it was like that of a small child begging for pardon from a punishment. But the imagery that came out with the words were enough to sicken the stomach of the strongest man. 

Angelo Falucci looked back to her slowly.

"Fucking...shit...you little..."

Another slap landed across his cheek as Kenzi stopped him.

"No, you monstrous piece of garbage. You don't get to talk right now."

She pulled a .38 revolver from the back of her slacks and expertly spun the full barrel. Her face was as solemn as an undertaker as she leaned down to look him directly in the eye.

"Missed me, huh?"

Kenzi smirked and spit in his face.

Joey watched as his love, realized what was before her and what she could do. He didn't want them starting their new life together under the fear of her old one so that was going to end one or another right here however she decided. Joey continued to look on as Kenzi slapped him around a bunch to get him to see the new pecking order around here before tapping her on the shoulder and nodding his head towards a work bench with many different "tools" she could use throughout this little reunification.

Joey then motioned to @Lord-Alucard for them to take a seat and watch Kenzi work so could get to work on planning wedding details and a bachelor party. Before going to sit Joey kicked Angelo in the balls once before whispering in his ear.

"You haven't experienced pain yet you piece of shit"

Kenzi's eyes followed Joey's glance. Certainly, there were a plethora of implements that she could use. With her back turned to Angelo, she looked briefly at each one.  Blood was not something Kenzi was sure she was ready to shed, but as Angelo started babbling behind her, the uncertainty began to slowly waver. The sound of his voice grated on her entire being. 

"You think a little slapping around is going to scare me, you little..."

Anger flashed in her eyes, and she reached for the first thing her hand could reach- a length of leather cording. Wrapped twice around each of her hands, she appeared behind him and tightly looped it around his neck, pulling as hard as she could. The man gasped and choked as Kenzi replied, angrily spitting out each word.

"You're really a piece of work, Angelo. I don't know if you've noticed, but you're tied to a chair and there are two very angry and strong men that aren't going to let you out until I say so. The smart thing to do would be to keep your trap shut.  But then again, you aren't a very smart man, are you?"

Nothing but whimpers and choked gasps came in reply. Rolling her eyes, Kenzi let the cord loose and walked back to the bench. She picked up a rather nasty looking knife- sharp as anything she'd ever seen. Returning to Falucci, she dragged a chair over and put it in front of him, sitting down on it an crossing her legs very ladylike as she held the blade carefully on her lap. She didn't speak for a few long moments, but when she did, her voice was more even.

"I want to kill you for what you did; to me and to the other girls you kept locked up in that wretched hell hole. The only way you are leaving this room is if you give me the two pieces of information I want. Do you understand?"

Having regained some of his breath, Falucci just peered at Kenzi, then spat on the floor beside her shoes. Quietly, Kenzi got up and grabbed a handful of his hair, pulling his head back hard. That was a move she'd learned from him. The image of herself in that same position with Falucci over her sent her blood boiling. She pressed the blade against his throat.

"Do I look like I'm bullshitting you, Angelo?"

The amount of rage bubbling up from Kenzi's tiny form seemed too much for her frame, but there was determination in her eyes. Angelo tried to squirm, and Kenzi just lightly dragged the blade an inch or two, cutting him just enough so he understood.

"OK! Ok...fuck...what do you want?!"

Joey and Alucard continued to chat about the bachelor party, Joey wanted to do it in their home of Detroit but Alucard was convinced Vegas was the best player for the young man's bachelor party. They were fairly indifferent to the sounds coming from over there, just checking every now and then if Kenzi was okay as if this was just another day at the office and they were watching an intern work. 

Joey got up and gave Kenzi a kiss on the cheek and whispered in her ear to be strong and she will never live in fear again. He handed her a hammer as well just in case he wanted to continue to toy with her and went back to his seat glaring at Angelo menacingly so he knew that Joey, Kenzi, and Alucard meant fucking business. 

Kenzi kept her cold eyes locked on Angelo Falucci as her soon-to-be husband whispered words of strength and confidence to her soul. She gripped the hammer in her hand and took a deep breath. It was time to collect the largest missing piece of her life. Returning to her chair in front of Angelo, she stood beside it and spoke in an even but bitter tone.

"Who were my parents?"

Falucci scoffed, still wheezing and squirming as a trickle of blood pooled at the neckline of his undershirt. 

"Are you shitting me?  That was over a decade ago! How the fuck am I supposed to remember--"

Kenzi cut him off, grabbing his hand and slamming it on the seat of her chair.

"Liar!"

She brought the hammer down on his pinkie. To her surprise, and his agony, the bones shattered. Falucci screamed.

"OK! Aaaahhhhh, ok ok. Um...Eric. The guy's name was Eric.  Um...fuck...Eric Carver! Carver was his name.  And the woman...Lucy, I think."

Joey watched as Kenzi finally knew where she came from and her last name before getting up because he wanted to make something clear.

"Alright you listen to me right now you fucking piece of shit you are going to tell her everything she wants to know because trust me when I say that between us" He points at him, Kenzi, and Alucard. "She's the nice one, she's also the woman I love and my whole world so if you so much as upset her you will wish to god she killed you with the gun when she walked in the fucking room do you understand me you fucking sad excuse for a "man""

Joey punched the man in the face for everything he'd done to Kenzi before returning to Alucard. 

Eric and Lucy Carver. It was the first time she'd ever heard the names, but right then and there, Kenzi knew she'd never forget them. She started to speak again, but Falucci started blabbering. His face was pale and sweaty.

"Look, I swear to God I don't know nothing else about them. They owed me money. They offered you up instead, I took it. They split town. Never heard from or seen them again."

Kenzi stared at him. How in the hell could anyone accept a child in place of money? For that matter, how could anyone exchange their own child? The intentions of her parents were not her concern now. Even with so much power and control at her fingertips, Kenzi Carver could only think of one other thing.

"Where are the others?  The other girls?  Same place you kept me?"

Falucci stopped blabbering for a moment, looking as if he was thinking about shutting up. Kenzi lifted the hammer again.

"YES! Ok, yes.  They're in Brooklyn. Storage building on South 138th Street. My guys have them guarded. You try anything, they're gonna take you out. Only way to get to them is if you take me."

Kenzi could tell immediately that he was trying to worm his way out of an early grave. There was no way that was going to happen.

Before he could finish, Kenzi took the hammer down again, this time on his ring finger.

"That's for Melissa. She was 14 when you sent her off to bed with that drug dealer- for a good time."

Angelo Falucci screamed in utter anguish, but Kenzi continued.  Middle finger. Crunch.

"That's for Iliana. She couldn't even speak English. She tried to run, you pumped her full of coke. She was 16."

Crunch. Screaming. Sobbing. A spatter of his blood hit Kenzi's silk blouse.

"Andrea. She was my age at the time. 13. You made her a prostitute at thirteen."

Falucci's hand was now a mangled, bloody mess. Kenzi lifted the hammer again and aimed for his thumb.

"And this one is for Judith. She was eleven fucking years old, you piece of shit."

The man screamed before the hammer got to his thumb- but it didn't ever make contact with his thumb. Instead, the head of the hammer made contact with his forehead. It made the most gruesome yet satisfying crack Kenzi had ever heard. Rage boiled inside her as she thought of the faces of the other girls whose lives were ruined or ended at the hands of Angelo Falucci. She swung the hammer again, this time meeting his right temple. More blood spurted from the shattered skull. 

Once Joey heard the man give up the information Kenzi wanted he walked up to her and handed her a gun.

"Just end it love, no need to prolong this we have more important things to do like save those girls, and then plan your wedding so you can never have to look over your shoulder again"

He made sure the gun was loaded and the safety was off as held her trembling shoulders, and wiped a spec of blood off her chin.

"This is it Kenzi, no more fear for you ever again and you will make sure those girls will never have to deal with this piece off filth again."

His gun was slightly bigger than her revolver, but it felt good in her hand. She nodded to him without a word, then turned and fired a single shot into the chest of Angelo Falucci. 

After the echo of the gun faded, there was no more sound. No more blabbering, wheezing, screaming, or gagging. Angelo was dead. He was dead, and Kenzi had killed him. She lowered the gun slowly and looked at the scene around her. The body of her torturer was a disturbing mess. Kenzi looked at her clothes; streaked with blood and bits of skull and grey matter. Everything registered all at once. 

It was only then that she realized she was shaking, but not panicking. She handed Joey the gun and wiped the back of her hand across her forehead. Still staring at the body, she said to Joey 

"Is there any of that moonshine left?" 

​​​​​​

Joey handed her some moonshine and took the gun in another hand with a cloth and started cleaning it before putting it back in its holster.

”Hey Alucard can you take this out with the rest of the trash and lock up here? You did both me and Kenzi a real solid tracking down this fucker and holding him for us, not to mention the other girls we’re gonna be releasing from this fucker’s grasp. One thing we don’t condone we don’t deal with or mess with children, and this guys goons are gonna have their heads rolling for this.”

Joey looked over to Kenzi who still seemed a little shaken but the moonshine calmed her a bit and her resolve looked like it had never been stronger.

”I’m going to New York to free them and I know you’re coming too, the people behind this are going to pay very dearly for this and then finally you can leave this nightmare behind. I promised you safety and security after this no more looking over your shoulder, and no more demons to haunt you. Just you and me babe.”

Kenzi was still staring at the body when Joey took her hand to lead her out. The moonshine still burned in her chest--a nice distraction from the thoughts in her head. Finally, she turned and buried her face in Joey's chest as he spoke about never having to look over her shoulder again. She had her reckoning, and now it was time to free the others.

As they walked out of the building into the cool night air, Kenzi stopped and took both of Joey's hands, looking him in the eyes.

"Thank you, babe. I...needed this more than I realized."