Highlander Ever After

Smackdown

Anna

Caroline looked around the house with disgust and wrinkled her nose at the drawings that Caleb had hung up.

“I didna realize ye had a kid. These are mediocre.” Cassius squeezed my hand because I was ready to strangle the woman with her pearls.

“Oh, you didn’t know? Caleb was Gregor’s child with Claire.” Baba let out a chuckle and I was getting ready to correct her when I saw that Caroline was ready to bust a vein, while Baba just kept walking along calmly.

She turned on me and speared me with a nasty glare, “There is no way that my son had a bastard with ye.” She was getting ready to poke me in the chest and I pushed her hand away.

“We had a kid you stupid hag, but I lost it. THAT kid is from him and Claire.” Her mouth hung open in shock and Cassius started to chuckle.

“Don’t stand there with your mouth open, that isn’t very ladylike. Come along you said you wanted to chat and my old bones would rather not do this in the foyer.” Caroline looked as if she wanted to slap me and I wanted her to.

Any reason to throw her out on her bony butt. Baba grabbed her arm and started yanking her down the hallway, steel in her eyes and a smile on her face. I glanced at Cassius out of the corner of my eye and he looked worried.

“Should I be worried about leaving her with Baba?” I whispered. Cassius stuffed his hands in his pockets and grinned.

“As long as Mrs. Mackenzie plays nice. There should be nothing she has to worry about.” He seemed so sure that the woman in front of us was going to behave herself. We both saw how she acted at the luncheon.

Baba sat down with a groan and didn’t even wait for Caroline to find a spot; the only spot left was a chair Angus loved to sit in so it was covered in dog hair and slobber.

“Please have a seat, Mrs. Mackenzie.” Baba gestured toward the chair and Caroline wrinkled her nose and shook her head.

“No thank ye, I would rather stand.”

“I insist you sit down, young lady. I am old and looking up at you makes my neck hurt.” Caroline gingerly sat down on the chair and looked like she was going to fall off.

“Sit back and get comfortable.” The tone in Baba’s voice made Caroline jump, she scooted back in the chair and gagged.

“What is that fishy odor?” I started coughing to hide the laughter that was bubbling up.

“It must be you dear. I don’t smell anything. Do you two smell anything?” Cassius mumbled no and I shook my head.

“I must say ye are being quite rude to me. I am Caroline Mackenzie of the clan Mackenzie. We are one of the oldest clans in Scotland.” She was getting ready to stand up and Baba slammed her fist down on the arm of her chair.

“Lady, I don’t care who you are. You are at Annabelle’s house and she has extended that courtesy to me, so this is my house as well. Right now, your attitude is appalling. I heard how you treated your son and my girl over here.” Caroline’s face turned bright red.

“Ye will address me as Lady Caroline Mackenzie.”

“You will learn your place and be quiet while I am talking, young lady.” Cassius and I watched this battle of wills and my money was on Baba.

“How dare ye address me in such a manner. I came here to talk with Anna.” Baba put up her hand and snapped her fingers at Caroline.

“Yes, well, now you have all of us, whatever you have to say you can say to all of us. Now what is it that you wanted to say?” Caroline scowled and pulled back her teeth in a grimace.

“I would prefer to speak with Anna privately.”

“I would prefer you not to be here, but we don’t always get what we want now, do we?” I snorted and started laughing. Caroline shot another nasty look at me and Baba snapped her fingers again.

“I am not a dog, ye old blind bat. Stop snapping yer fingers at me.” I sucked in a breath and Cassius stiffened beside me.

“First of all, Mrs. Mackenzie, you are lucky I even let you out of your car. Secondly, Baba is my family and you do not speak to her. Third, take your bony ass out of my house right at this moment. Whatever you have to say, I don’t care anymore.” Caroline stood up and there was a brown stain down the back of her skirt.

It looked as if she had taken a huge dump in her skirt. I was not about to point it out either. Let her go about her chores with a giant brown spot on her.

“I was going to offer ye money to stay away from Gregor, ye can do whatever ye want with that bastard Sullivan. His father’s w***e would probably be happy to have ye as a part of her family.” I saw red and before I knew it I punched Caroline Mackenzie in the face.

Cassius was holding me back and Baba was on her feet yelling in Russian and spitting on Caroline. I was seething and wrenched out of Cassius’s grip and grabbed Caroline’s hair.

I started dragging her out of the house and Angus was barking furiously from the front of the house.

“Let go of me ye heathen.”

“No, YOU are going to apologize to Sullivan for being a heinous b***h and making him feel like he is disgusting.”

“HE IS DISGUSTING!” I yanked her hair harder and she screamed as I dug my nails into her shoulder.

“YE ARE HURTING ME!”

“GOOD! YOU NEED TO HURT AS MUCH AS YOU HURT YOUR SON!” Sullivan was standing with a snarling Angus; Caleb was peeking out from behind him and I hated him seeing me like that but he would get over it.

Melina was bouncing Isla on her hip but she looked like she was ready to jump in. Caroline stumbled down the stairs and I yanked her back up by her hair and she screamed again.

“Melina, please take Caleb and Angus inside. I don’t need my dog biting this rotten woman and Caleb does not need to see what I am going to do.” She nodded and hurried Caleb and the snarling dog into the house. When I heard the door close, I dragged Caroline over to Sully.

“Anna, what is going on here?”

“This nasty b***h owes you an apology for making you feel like trash.”

“THAT IS BECAUSE HE IS TRASH.” I gripped her hair harder and kicked the back of her knees, forcing her to kneel on the stones.

“HE IS NOT TRASH YOU b***h NOW APOLOGIZE TO HIM!” She tried standing up but I forced her down again.

“Anna, you don’t have to do this.” He looked ill and I knew I didn’t have to do this but he needed that apology.

“I will not apologize to my husband’s bastard.” I sucked in a breath and slapped her on the back of the head.

“I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU WANT, YOU ARE LUCKY I DON’T MAKE YOU DISAPPEAR YOU PRETENTIOUS COW!”

“ANNA CALM DOWN!”

“NO! APOLOGIZE NOW CAROLINE!” I didn’t care if she meant it. He deserved an apology. I can’t fix all the trauma that is plaguing him, but I can give him this small victory.

“I willna apologise.”

“Just let her go. She isn’t worth it.” Sully was looking defeated and tired. I let her go and spit on her.

“If I ever see you on my property again, I will make sure you won’t leave here.” She scurried into her car and drove off.

“What was that?” I stared at Sullivan and shrugged.

“You should ask Cassius why Baba was screaming Russian at her and then spit on her.” We both turned to Cassius, who was grinning.

“Actually, Anna, you may want to get a lawyer. I don’t think she is going to let this go.”

“Anna is a Nikolaev. No one is going to mess with her. Besides, one call to Uncle Konstantin will be enough to keep her safe.”

“OK, but that doesn’t extend to me.” Cassius reached out and pulled Sully into a hug.

“It does! Baba wouldn’t have it otherwise.”

“So what was going on with Baba?”

“I just cursed that woman. Her soul is so poisonous it will consume her sooner than later, but I decided to put a little curse on her.” We all stood open-mouthed and stared at the old woman.

“By the way did you see the s**t stain on her Chanel skirt?” Baba was grinning and chuckling.

“Oh, that wasn’t poop that was anal glands.” Sully looked confused.

“She sat in Angus’s chair and well he probably licked his butt and expressed his anal glands.” Sullivan started laughing and pulled me into a hug with him and Cassius.

“That was better than any apology.”

I was glad he was happy about that small victory. I didn’t think was going to be the last we saw Caroline though. That woman was going to be like a bad case of herpes and we weren’t going to get rid of her.