“I can and I will.” Falcone nodded toward Father’s captor, who punched Father in the stomach, making him splutter and cough.
Falcone opened his arms. “You’ve been a good soldier, and you deserve a reward.” He gestured toward me and I thought my world was crashing down. I could see my life crumbling right before my eyes. But then everything turned so much worse. Falcone’s finger moved from me onto my sister. Growl’s eyes darted toward her. “It’s your choice.”
“No,” I cried out, tearing away from my guard. My newfound freedom was short-lived, however, as his hands grabbed me by the arms, bruising me. I winced from the pain shooting through my body.
Talia was frozen by fear and shock.
“Please,” Father said, his hands linked in a begging gesture. “They are innocent. Punish me but don’t hurt them.”
Falcone barely glanced his way. “Oh, I will punish you, don’t worry. But it won’t be that easy.” It was obvious he was enjoying himself tremendously. This room was filled with plenty of monsters, but I had a feeling he was the worst of them.
“It’s your choice, Growl. Take whoever you want. I’m sure you’ll enjoy either of them,” Falcone said with a nasty smile. I wanted nothing more than to wipe it off his face, to take the heavy marble sculpture of a naked Greek god my mother loved so much and smash it against Falcone’s ugly face. I didn’t know where those brutal notions came from. I’d never been the violent type, but I supposed that anyone could be driven to the worst in a situation like this.
Growl’s eyes rested on my face. I’d have thought he would check out my body but his gaze never strayed away from my face. I almost wished it were different. His eyes were like amber lakes of nothingness. I didn’t want to find out the horrible secrets they harbored in their depth.
“Oh, I think the choice is made,” Falcone said with a laugh.
Growl gave a small nod. “Her,” he rumbled, eyes still glued to me.
Horror, fear, despair crashed down on me. There should have been relief as well. Relief, because Talia had been spared, but while I didn’t want my sister in my stead, I couldn’t feel relief when my own life was crumbling right before my eyes.
“Very well then,” Falcone said in a patronizing manner. “She’s yours.”
“You can’t do that,” Father roared. I hadn’t expected that much power left in him.
“Take me. She’s just a child,” Mother pleaded, trying to get away from her captor once more.
Falcone laughed again, a menacing sound. “Who’d want an old prune when they can have a juicy peach?”
“Now watch your mouth,” Father hissed. Maybe I would have admired his sudden bravery more if he wasn’t the reason for our demise. “I won’t stand by while you insult my wife and give my daughter to that…” He glared at Growl with disgust. “That monster.”
Falcone nodded. “You’re right. You shouldn’t have to watch this.” Before either of us could react, he pointed his gun at Father and pulled the trigger. This time it wasn’t for show. The bullet tore through Father’s temple. His head whipped back violently, eyes widened in shock. After a second, his body toppled backwards. His legs got stuck under his back in an awkward angle.
A scream ripped from my throat. I couldn’t fathom what had happened. It seemed too surreal, like something from a movie, something that couldn’t possibly happen right in front of my eyes.
“No,” Mother screeched. This time she managed to tear herself away from her captor. She stormed toward Father and fell to her knees. She patted his chest helplessly, as if that would wake him. It almost looked like she was looking for his wallet and for a horrible moment something like a laugh wanted to bubble out of me, but at the same time my throat felt so tight that it hardly seemed possible to draw enough oxygen into my lungs, and perhaps that wouldn’t have been the worst thing right now. Mother cradled Father’s head in her lap but when she pulled back her hands, they came away covered in blood and something white.
My vision blurred and bile traveled up my throat. I swallowed hard, forcing myself to keep face among the horrible creatures surrounding me and my family. For some reason, I looked down at my own hands as if they, too, could be covered in blood. They weren’t and after a moment of relief, I couldn’t help but wonder how it would feel if Falcone’’s blood covered my hands, how it would feel to end his life like he’d done with Father’s. I suspected it would feel marvelous, and it scared me that I even entertained those thoughts.
“Your job here is done, Growl. Mike and Mimo will take care of the rest. Take your reward home and enjoy her. I’m sure she’ll keep you entertained for a while.”
It took a moment before I realized he was talking about me. Before I could react, Growl appeared in front of me, massive and tall. My gaze flitted up to his face but the look in his eyes made me recoil and I stared at his chest instead. He gripped my arm. His grip was tight, on the verge of painful, but I didn’t pull away. Behind him, my mother was still kneeling beside Father, a horrible empty expression on her face I’d never seen before. Growl nudged me in the direction of the door and when I didn’t react he started pulling me along. Talia’s tear-filled eyes met mine. I tried to rip away from Growl’s grip but it was like he wasn’t even human. He hardly seemed to notice my resistance. I was a bothersome fly attacking a lion.
“Wait!” I screamed and to my surprise Growl actually halted, an uncomprehending expression on his face. I twisted until I could see Falcone again. “What about my sister and mother? What happens to them?”
“That’s none of your business,” he said with that malicious grin. Then he glanced at Growl. “Take her out of my sight. I’m growing tired of her.”
Growl tightened his grip and dragged me away despite my protests. Talia tried to run toward me but was stopped by another of Falcone’s men. Mother was beyond our reach, trapped in her sadness.
“Cara!” Talia cried, her eyes pleading with me to do something, to help her. But how?
Growl opened the door and then we were outside. Talia screamed again but her words weren’t intelligible.
The door closed between us, and Talia’s terrified cries died away. I walked on autopilot. Not that it would have changed a thing if my legs had given away. Growl would just have dragged me along. I finally drew my eyes away from my home. I couldn’t bear looking at it a moment longer knowing that I might never see it again. As my gaze settled on the tall man pulling me toward an enormous black Hummer that was way too fitting, the fear for my sister and mother took a backseat as my own fate registered. Falcone had given me to his cruelest fighter. If I survived today, would I even still want to live? Maybe death would seem like the sweetest mercy after Growl was done with me.
