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The bright, talkative child whose mother died at birth. The five-year-old that ran through the church pews as if God’s house was her own jungle gym. The little girl who spent most of her time in the bakery, covered in flour and stained in chocolate. This was when Rana roamed the streets doing his capo’s, Sergio’s, bidding. But it wasmy bidding. My orders.
No mother. No grandparents. No aunts or uncles.
Milly only had Rana.
“Please.” His hand fell, his will faded, but his eyes waited, holding for one more second.
Holding on for peace.
Hoping while his spirit bled away with the red.
I held on to his eyes as they dimmed. Dark maroon watered down as if ice melted them from the inside, taking their color, their life, the pain.
“I won’t,” I promised, and he let go.
No father.
An orphan.
A girl alone in a ruthless world.
My heart plummeted. I had taken the only life that mattered to a child, and while I’d taken many, it hadn’t been Milly’s.
What a cruel, unfair world.
“We need to move.”
The need to lay my eyes on Katia was a current I couldn’t fight against. A tiring battle in vain, doomed with every stroke. Seeing Rana’s vacant eyes and his daughter’s name slipping past his lips as his last words was enough to succumb to the current.
“You’re hurt,” Arlo voiced.
“And Rana is dead. Viktor is gone,and my fucking woman is not by my side!” I roared. “We need to get moving, Arlo, or we will face the same fate as Rana!”
I turned to Sergio. “Where are the others?”
He whistled.
Rio, Casper, and Fer rushed through the fire and three more followed.
“The others were spread around the outside of the church, posted in corners,” Sergio added when I waited for more to appear.
“How low are you?”
Ammo.
“We are on the last clip, boss.” Casper’s bald head shone with glistening raindrops.
“Okay.” I thought about our numbers. “We will go on three. Arlo, Sergio, and I will be the last. Pick up any loaded guns you find. Ready?”
“Yes, boss,” echoed, and lawless gazes turned toward the door.
“Be quiet. We don’t know what’s waiting inside,” Arlo cautioned.
I discarded the empty gun to the side, picked up the heavy weapon on my back, and pulled the lever back.
“Ready,” Arlo uttered.
Here we go.
