AllFreeNovel
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“Sit. Rest. They’re coming,bebita.En cualquier momento. En cualquier momento nena.” Any minute now, baby girl.
“Ohhh shiiiiiiit” Gailo pipes up beside me.
Robbie hits his comm button. “Alright, Ellie, Your uncle and father are pulling into the driveway now. Don’t change a thing. You’re doing great.” We all see her freeze for a split second when he talks to her.
“Let me talk to her.” I say.
“No. You’re too emotional.” Van’s gruff voice comes over audio. I’m surprised. He’s in the deepest out of all of us and can’t normally join in. I really did fuck everything sideways for him to be in contact again so soon.
“Never thought I’d see the day!” Gailo says, laughing.
“Can you quit smiling like we’re at a fucking comedy club? What’s wrong with you?” I snarl at him.
“See? Emotional. It’s wild.” He grins.
All of us snap our attention back to the screen at the men’s voices.
“Princesa!”Renaldo rushes to his daughter’s side. She hugs him hard.
“They will pay, Eleanna. They will pay for this.” Fausto puts a hand on her shoulder.
She’s crying silently. Is she afraid to talk? She’ll be fine. I wish I could tell her so. She nods and looks up, handing her uncle the phone. He opens the unlocked screen and the video is already pulled up.
All of us straighten, even Gailo. This is a pivotal moment. Will theybuy the video? Will Ellie sell it for us? Can she convince her family?
Fausto watches the video, curses, mutters in Spanish, watches again and then turns to my wife.
He reaches out and lifts her chin so he can look at the bandage on her neck. “The Italians. That was an Italian who did this to you?”
This is it.
She can come clean here.
A blink, a shake of her head.
She pauses.
Fuck fuck fuck
Please, Ellie. Don’t leave us. Don’t leave me.
All of us freeze.
It’s taking too long.
“Damn it, say something, sweetheart. You can do it.” I whisper out loud without meaning to.
“I - I think so.” She says.
We all relax, blowing out the biggest exhale that’s ever been or will ever be.
“I really, really hate you Mark.” Zander says softly.
Fausto assaults her with questions about the men, the pizza shop, the basement, the video, how many men, what else did she hear, see, even smell. Robbie feeds her every answer, and she repeats his phrases naturally, making adjustments so it sounds more real, more like her. She grabs her head and slips in and out of Spanish. She cries and shakes. But she doesn’t miss a single beat.
Fuck me dead. She. Is. Brilliant.
Eventually, she asks to go to bed. Fausto keeps her phone, as expected. He and Renaldo start barking orders and making calls. So far, so good.
