AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What I really should have said was that I loved your money. But that well has dried up, hasn’t it, Brian? Your beloved daughter is the one with all the dough.”
I give Irina a scathing look. Not because of how she’s treating my dad, because a sick part of me is almost gleeful at the fact they’re turning on him. Yet another part is enraged that my mom and Leslie died for nothing.
“I’ll fucking kill you!” I scream at Irina, who just laughs.
“Aww, coming to daddy’s rescue?” she taunts, and some of the Reapers chuckle.
Turning my head, I look at dad as Noose and another Reaper drag him over to Rusty. “No,” I say, forcefully. “For being so fucking basic it’s disappointing. Money… really?”
I don’t know where the words are coming from or why they keep coming.
“I expected more from you, Irina. Going after a married man with a family for money is nothing more than a common gold digger. You’re not even worthy of being the Mama.”
The crowd all inhales sharply as I stop talking. That tells me I’ve acted differently than what they expected, and I can only hope that’s good.
“Basic?” Irina laughs, but it’s a forced sound. “I’ll show you fucking basic when I fuck up your pretty face.” She pulls a knife from behind her back and makes a big show of licking the blade.
Despite the trepidation I feel, I roll my eyes. “Whatever you say.”
“Well, it looks like our women are hungry to fight for glory,” Rusty shouts. “And what are the Reapers if not accommodating? Let’s give Zoe a weapon to even the fight.”
Turning my head, I watch him get up, kick my dad as he passes him and makes his way over to me. “Here yougo,” Rusty says. I take the pocketknife from his outstretched hand.
“She’s your sister,” I hiss, unexplainably feeling outrage that he’s arming me in a fight against his own flesh and fucking blood.
Rusty just shrugs. “She could take you with both her arms tied behind her back. This is just for show so make it a good one.”
On his way back, he kicks my dad again, and this time I swear I hear bones break.
“S-she’s my d-daughter,” dad cries out in pain. “Let me take her place.”
I should feel relieved he’s finally remembering who I am to him, and that he’s meant to protect me, but I don’t. All I can muster up is pity as I look at the man who’s responsible for everything bad that’s happened to me.
How I fucking wish I could get inside his head and figure out what went wrong. If he wasn’t happy with mom, why not just divorce her? What fucking drives a man to want his wife dead? In this case, it seems the answer is greed and orgasms.
“What do you say, Zoe?” Rusty’s question pulls me from my thoughts. “Do you want your old man to fight in your place?”
I should say yes, shouldn’t I? Take the way out I’m being offered and see him get his comeuppance.
“No,” I say, fisting the pocketknife harder. “I don’t want anything from him.” With those words, I turn my back on them and face Irina.
“Let’s dance,” she sing-songs.
The Reapers begin to chant the creepy Trick or Treat shit again, though without distorting their voices this time.
Irina does another fucking twirl before skipping toward me, closing the distance between us. Her fist shoots out, but I manage to duck just in time to avoid the punch.
“Ooh, baby got moves,” she croons.
I’m not quick enough to move out of the way of her leg, and she kicks me right in the stomach. My air comes out in an “oof” and I double over, wheezing.
Taking my eyes off of her even for a split second turns deadly when she kicks me again, sending me crashing to my knees.
“This is hardly any fun,” she pouts. “Get back up and try again. I promise to stand still.”
Although I know I’m playing into her hand, I swing my arms, but she dodges me like she knows my move before I can carry it out.
After dodging another punch I tried to land, she retaliates with one to my face. My head snaps to the side from the impact, and I feel blood seeping from my nose. Motherfucker it hurts. Tears gather in my eyes, and I angrily swipe them away, refusing to even let one fall.
