Chapter 37 Flora and Fauna
Flora and Fauna
Anika
Almost a week had gone by since Mikko’s water logged break in, and despite leaving Dimitri’s necklace out for him to see, nothing had happened.
In reality, she was a bit disappointed. A man of his status and upbringing should be able to catch the small details—to not be afraid to dole out punishment where it was due.
And yet, Anika remained unharmed, unthreatened.
How boring.
Except, that wasn’t entirely true. Two days ago, Levi had reached out, promising a relaxing date at his apartment again.
It was all too close in timing to be a coincidence.
Testing the waters, she declined, curious to see how far he would push her.
If he was up to something suspicious, he wouldn’t let her denial drop.
And he didn’t.
“Your place, then?” he’d asked through text.
A devious grin had graced her countenance as she replied with, “Perfect!”
He may be more forward than Mikko, but he was twice as dumb. His own desperation and bullheadedness would work in her favor.
Now, she stood in her kitchen, the soft din of the movie they’d chosen playing on the TV in her living room.
The carefree rom-com echoed down the hall, a terrible backdrop for Levi’s soon-to-be downfall.
In front of her, she mixed two cocktails.
Levi’s consisted of a large square ice cube, a generous splash of vodka, and a finishing touch Anika was fiercely proud of.
Her own homemade violet liqueur made from ingredients she’d grown herself in her backyard.
It was a potent batch, a few drinks containing the liquid sure to put the drinker to sleep. Most people used these flowers for insomnia and anxiety, but Anika had gotten creative. A fact she’d tested with Ivan and perfected with Dimitri.
Defeating men at their own game was easy when it came to mental challenges, but physical ones proved to be slightly more difficult. This drink leveled the playing field, especially since she discovered Levi had shown up to her house armed.
When he’d given her an enthusiastic hug right inside the front door, he’d made a fatal mistake.
Well, two, but who was counting? The first was coming to her house, her domain.
And the second was embracing her tightly, the unmistakable press of his gun poking into her abdomen.
They’d made out enough on her couch for her to know what his erection felt like, and it was nothing like that.
Mikko had warned him, and now Levi had a dark plan unfolding in his mind.
But so did she.
Her drink looked similar to his, but the ingredients were vastly different.
Instead of vodka, she’d substituted it with soda water with a dash of food coloring to give it the same ethereal lavender hue as his.
If he looked closely, he might be able to tell the difference, but he was too dimwitted to do so.
This secret would be one for her and her alone.
Satisfied with the results, she gripped both glasses and returned to the living room. Levi sat there, his body positioned to look like he was lounging, but his muscles were wound tight. His hand rested on his upper thigh, close to the concealed gun he carried in the front of his jeans.
“I’m so glad you like these,” Anika said before plopping down on the couch next to him. He’d already had two thirty minutes prior, the flavor too good for him to resist. The idea of liquid courage was an added benefit.
“Never had anything like it,” he grinned while taking his glass from her.
“It’s a similar recipe to a drink I had while traveling on the east coast.” Her eyes hungrily watched him take a sip.
Men had such privilege. It infuriated her.
All her life she’d been raised to be aware of men, to cover her drink while out with friends, and to never accept drinks that weren’t capped or hadn’t been made in front of her. Yet, Levi missed that lesson.
A fatal flaw.
Holding in a scoff, she leaned in. It was time to play a loving and supportive girlfriend until his eyelids drooped. If he kept going at this rate, it wouldn’t be long.
“I didn’t know you traveled that far,” he responded, keeping his drink in his clutch. As if it’d help; she’d already tampered with it.
“I’ve been known to be full of surprises.”
“Something I’m coming to realize.” His pupils dilated and the tension seeped from his shoulders as he took another swig. “It’s why the nickname firecracker fits you so well.”
She hardly reigned in her grimace.
To keep up appearances, she drained half her drink in one go. Long ago, Anika had realized people tended to follow in suit if their friends’ inhibitions were equally impaired. Too bad she couldn’t get drunk on soda water.
“Nervous?” he asked, falling into her trap.
With a timid giggle, Anika said, “A little, I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.” Lies, but Levi would misconstrue her faux drunkenness as a sign she wouldn’t even fight back against whatever he was planning.
Ha.
“No need to be nervous,” he reached out to tuck a hair behind her ear, but his movements were sloppy. “You know me.”
All too well. “I do. Thank you for coming over tonight.”
Levi took another large gulp. His body slouched. “Of…course.”
“Are you okay?”
“Y-yeah…just got really tired out of…nowhere.”
Anika stifled her smile. “We can turn off the movie and go to bed if you’d like?”
“I don’t think–really?”
“You’re in no state to drive home.”
“But you’ve never let…me stay before…”
“I think now is as good of a time as any.” Standing, she set her own glass down before turning to help him stand.
Facing him once more, her smile turned sinful. Levi had sloppily drawn his gun, elbow resting on his thigh as if his own arm was too heavy to endure holding it up and aiming it at her completely.
Feigning surprise, Anika held up her hands. “Well, well, well, someone is happy to see me.”
“Wha–what did you put…in m-my drink?” Levi slurred, his words taking a painfully long time to leave his mouth, but she waited all the same.
“I don’t know what you’re—”
“Bullshit.”
Her mouth popped open, his anger hardly veiled now. It was only dimmed because of the violets coursing through his body. Before she could call him all the filthy words in the book, his hold on his glass slipped.
Crash!
The delicate cup shattered as soon as it hit her wood floors, splinters of glass flying across the space and littering the hardwoods. The last swig of the drink that he’d been saving now leaked out from the broken vessel.
Anika didn’t flinch. “Shame, that was a family heirloom.” Another lie. “And now I’m going to have to punish you for it.”
“Oops.”
She knew her eyes must be damn near glowing with her fury. “Give me your gun.”
“No.”
“I’m trying to be nice here and allow you to cooperate, but I won’t hesitate to take it myself.”
“You won’t–can’t.”
“Want to bet?”
“Ye—”
Before the rest of the word left his foul mouth, Anika leapt at him. His motor skills were slow and before he could even move his finger to touch the trigger, she was in his lap. With practiced motions, she had the gun unloaded and tossed aside.
“Can’t have you figuring out how to use that, now can we?” she taunted.
Levi’s stunned look, although clouded with the violet haze, made her black heart soar.
“W-who are you?”
“A nobody really,” she replied, gripping his face in her hand before squeezing. Any pain she could cause him before his death was a win. “But you still should’ve been more careful. Didn’t anyone teach you not to take open drinks from strangers?”
“What was…in that…what did you…” his voice trailed off, his tongue damn near worthless inside his mouth. She hoped he’d bite it off in his own blabbering stupor.
“What did I put in it?” she repeated. “Honestly, you’re lucky. I could’ve slipped you something nasty, something that could’ve really altered your brain, but I prefer organic solutions to my problems. Mother nature gives, but she can also take.”
Levi gurgled on his accumulating spit.
“My special drink is made from violets.” Levi’s brows furrowed. Anika rolled her eyes before continuing. “Which makes you sleepy, especially when highly concentrated and paired with vodka.”
“Y-you drugged me?”
“And you came here to kill me. Call us even, yeah?” She nodded to the dismantled gun lying on the floor a couple feet away. “I must say, though, you and your friends took way too long to figure this out. To figure me out.”
“Figure what out?”
“Aw, don’t play dumb now. I’ll start to actually believe it.
” His hands came up to swat at hers currently still gripping his face.
She brushed them off, his weakened state making it easy.
“I had so much fun with Ivan; he begged up until the very end. I tried to warn him, but before I started firing off shots he’d laughed in my face,” she paused in thought, “so I plucked his eyes out.”
Levi’s eyes widened, either in surprise or confirmation, she wasn’t sure. Semantics didn’t matter.
“And Dimitri…well, we had some fun before I did the same thing to him,” she continued. “I’m sure his bloated body will turn up soon. Both pairs of their eyes fetched me a large sum of money and information. No one is tight lipped when you name their price.
“And then there’s you,” she drawled. “I was going to wait a little longer before killing you, but…I was rushed.”
Levi swallowed audibly. “You won’t.”
“I’m afraid I will. You won’t be my first kill, milyy. Nor my last.”
Shaking his head feebly in her hands, he tried to break free, hips bucking up against her, but she gripped him tighter. Her center of gravity was low, it would take much more to dislodge her, and he was too weak.
“Drinking three of my concoctions was a bad choice now, wasn’t it?”
His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, but she leaned in and waited. “Bitch.”
“Such a dirty little mouth”—she slapped him—“but that can be fixed.”
Opening his mouth, to scream no doubt, Anika clapped her hand over it.
Silencing whatever words or noises he’d been about to unleash, she whispered in his ear.
“No need to scream; we’re going to have some fun you and I.
” Mumbled yelling vibrated against her hand.
“Maybe I’ll even let you keep your eyes. ”