AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He scares me.
I hate him.
Mom sweeps me into her arms and rushes into the hallway, headed toward the front door. Armed men have swarmed the house, the red dot from their weapons shining on my father's forehead.
Papa grabs the gun at his waistband and raises it to defend himself. His gaze moves between the gunmen to my mom and me.
“Abigail,” Grandfather says as she sets me on the floor, keeping me at her side. “You knew the entire time, didn’t you?” Disgust drips from his tone, and as he approaches her, his lip curls upward into a snarl. “You let a criminal into our family. Into your home.” He shakes his head. “You’re not as smart as you think, my dear. I uncovered all of your lies.”
She stood straighter, chin raised. “I never lied to you, Father.”
Grandfather clicks his tongue. “Save it, Abigail. You’re a terrible liar. Almost as bad as your conman husband.” He inches toward her. “You and your sister are such a disappointment. The two of you could have been anything. I gave you every opportunity, and you both married poorly against my counsel.”
My mother throws out her arm in front of me.
Grandfather smirks. “You can’t keep her from me. And you won’t be seeing her where you’re going.”
“I’ll never let you have her.” Mom pushes me to the side, but I still see her face. “Katarina is my daughter.”
The red dots on my father’s head shift toward my mom. Her eyes go as wide as her mouth. Then, Grandfather turns on his heels, his dress shoes tapping on the floor.
“Get rid of them,” he orders.
A shot fires and the bullet grazes his arm and sinks into my mother's chest. She falls backward and onto the marble floor. Blood seeps through her white blouse, a puddle pooling around her body that goes painfully still.
"Mommy!” Tears sting my eyes, her blood coating my skin as I cry for her. "Mommy, wake up!"
There’s so much blood.
On my face and fingers.
All over my clothes.
“Abigail,” my father yells, sinking to his knees on the floor beside her lifeless body. “No.” He breathes air into her mouth, but she’s not moving. “Abigail, please.” He presses his palms on her chest and takes turns breathing into her mouth. “Come on, my darling. Open your eyes.”
“Back away from her, Romanov,” a man dressed in camouflage growls at my father, pointing a gun at his head.
Dad rises to his feet and faces off with the man. “You killed her.” He effortlessly steals the gun from the man’s hand and turns it on him. Then he glances over at me. “Katarina, go to your special place.”
I know what that means, but I’m shaking so badly I can’t move. My dad created a hiding spot just for me. He said it would keep me safe if the bad men came looking for us.
When I don’t move, Papa attempts to lift me off the bloody floor with one hand while holding the gun in the other. “Katerina, I want you to close your eyes and sing our song. Can you do that for Papa?”
I close my eyes and sing my favorite Russian lullaby, Bayushki Bayu.
Sleep, my darling, sleep, my baby, close your eyes, and sleep.
Papa sings it to me every night. It’s how he taught me to speak Russian.
I’m still singing when my dad fires his weapon at the men. He gets a few more shots in before a gunman on his right tackles him to the ground. I crash to the floor with them while another man forces him to submit.
A different man grips me beneath my armpits and lifts me.
“Papa, no!” I kick, scream, and even try to bite the man carrying me toward the door. “Help me!”
"Katarina," he says as his eyes meet mine, fighting against the weight of the men holding him down. “Papa will find you. I will never stop looking for you, kisa."
My eyes sting from all the tears as we step outside. And from a distance, I hear the voice of a man I hate.
