“You think blood loss counts as a natural cause of death?”
Elio pauses before finally huffing out a breath, “I suppose so.”
“Alright,” I nod, dropping the bloodied scythe.
I take a step back to marvel at my creation once more before turning away from the dead man. My men are already at attention, waiting for me to speak.
“Once he takes his last breath, put his body in a casket and ship it to his brother,” I command. “He asked for proof of his death.”
My lips curl in disgust as I say the words. Every day of my life, I’ve had evidence of the truth of that saying.
Hell really is empty. All the devils walk among us.
Some of them even worse than me. They hide in the shadows and pretend.
I provide no one with the luxury of pretense. When you look at me, you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into. The darkness lives within me, sliding through every inch. I embrace it, I submit to it.
It’s a part of me, one I welcome wholeheartedly. I don’t know how to be anything else.
“Let’s go, Elly,” I call, reaching for my brother so we can leave.
He shifts out of my grasp, eyes narrowing over my appearance.
“You’re not touching me while you’re covered in blood,” he states.
I pout, “You wound me,Fratello.”
“Whatever. I’m leaving. See you later.”
“Bye,” I return, waving my hand as he walks out the door.
I’m in high spirits. I usually am after a bout of torture. One of my men brings me a change of clothes and wipes to clean off the blood. A shower would be more efficient but it’s best not to walk out here with blood all over me. You never know who’s watching.
Once I’m cleaned up enough, I head downstairs to my car and slide into the back seat.
“Where to, boss?”
“Home,” I reply, grabbing my iPad.
The car starts and I settle in to watch a football game. The closer we get home, the more dried out I feel. The rush starts to dissipate, leaving emptiness in its wake.
It’s the same old story. Apart from murder and torture, sex is another efficient method I employ to feel alive. Without them,I’m a corpse traipsing around, with nothing but my demons to keep me company.
CHAPTER TWO
LILIANA
“Where do you see yourself a year from now, Lily?”
My eyebrow arches as I look up at my boss, wondering where that even came from.
“Are you already high, Carlos? It’s barely even 7 pm,” I murmur.
We’re standing at the back of a building, a metal door between us, each of us staring up at the darkening sky, thinking about how the rest of the night is going to go. Or at least I’d been thinking of that. It seems my boss had been considering his future instead. An unseen one that requires no one to think of it.
The future will come when it comes. No use bothering about it.
“Just answer the question, sport. Humor me,” he prods. “Mention five things you’d like to do before the year runs out.”
