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My stomach churns and the sick feeling returns in spades.
“They remind me of my own. Anyone else in your family have eyes like yours? No, they don’t do they. Oh, and it’s funny.” He chuckles, reaching down and taking my hand, turning it over and holding his other one up, palm turned toward my face. “We also seem to have the same curve in our little fingers. What do you think the genetic likelihood is of two complete strangers with the same rare eye feature as well as that?”
I stare at my hand and at his. I’d never even noticed it before. On my hand it’s not as pronounced as his, but he’s right.
The room starts to spin and it feels like my head is disconnected from my body. It’s too much.
First my lies. Then whatever they were saying about Stas.
Now this.
Whatever this is.
“Get away from me!” I scream, right in his stupid face. The vitriol in my outburst surprises even me, but I need space. I can’t breathe with him standing right there. “I want to go home. Let me go. You can’t keep me here!”
“Oh, I definitely can, little girl. And, just in case you think of running, now or in the future, Stas will die along with your precious donkeys. As a matter of fact, look.” He pulls out his phone and faces it toward me and my throat closes.
There’s a picture of a pick-up truck with a cage in the bed. Inside are two miniature donkeys. In the background an enormous building with a sign on the outside, ‘Harrison Rendering’.
A slaughterhouse.
I have to fight the wail building in my throat. What if they’re already…
“Don’t look so worried, sweet Stephanie. Do as you’re told and I’ll return them to you at your new home. I promise. And unlike Stas, I don’t lie.”
“Those animals are not coming with her.” Grandmother spits.
It’s all too much.
Even if what he says about Stas is true, and his actions have me leaning toward believing everything, I still don’t want him to die. I still, even in the worst hurt, would want him to live.
Would want him to be happy.
I guess that’s the true definition of love. When you want the other person to be happy, no matter if you get to be with them or not. Whether or not you even forgive them for betraying you.
My grandmother turns her back as he drops my hand.
Tears flow from my eyes and I don’t care anymore. “Tell me how you know each other.” I dart my eyes from one to the other. “Why are you doing this?” It’s not a ploy anymore to set them off their game, I need to know. This is too much.
I watch my Grandmother drop her head as the man walks toward the window, turning on one foot and holding his arms outstretched wide.
Her eyes dart to him. “Don’t you dare tell her!”
“Why not? After all, it’s all about family now, isn’t it?”
“What are you talking about?” I interject, the feeling of tension rising to a level that has every muscle in my body twitching. I need this to be over.
The man smiles, his arms still outstretched in a welcoming gesture.
“Daddy wants a hug, babygirl.”
I go numb.
He’s laughing as dry heaves tear at my gut. Before I can catch my breath there’s a sound like thunder striking right inside the cabin, my hands fly to my ears as a scream rips from my throat and everything goes black.
15
Stas
The last hour feels like a year.
But it’s time, we’re here and my future hinges on what happens in the next minute.
My fingers twitch as I focus on the strike point, raise my boot and kick the door open. In one quick movement, I toss the explosive into the small cabin.
As the flash bang goes off, I cover my own ears and barrel through the door.
Inside the cabin, tunnel vision takes over in the fog.
I see her in a heap on the floor to my left, the lavender fabric of her pajamas signaling me through the smoke.
In one motion, I’m next to her, crouched down.
She’s on the floor because the flash has stunned everyone as intended. It was the only way to put him to the ground and not give him a chance to do anything stupid before I could get her out of harm’s way.
The explosive stuns, it shouldn’t have harmed her in any way, but seeing her helpless laying there has me questioning every decision I made on how to strike, strike hard and get her out.
In a matter of seconds, I’m at a dead run, back out the door with her in my arms, not looking back as ten other guys descend on the cabin to finish what we started.
By the time I get her to the car she’s coming around. Dazed eyes look up at the sky first as I brush her hair from her face and adjust her crooked glasses back onto her face.
