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Flashes of my time spent with Donny run through my head. All of the dates, all of our moments. I can’t see him get hurt again, left helpless on a hospital bed, all those tubes…
When my brother’s voice fades, I exit the booth.
My limbs are so stiff I wonder if my heart is seizing. I hold the wall and take a moment.
I’m Marty’s sister. He’s the boss. No one can say anything. Stand strong.
I force myself upright and move slowly around the cul-de-sac of booth doors. One has to lead inside to where Donny and his crew lay bloody.
There, at the farthest end of the circle of booth doors, is a steel one cracked open. There’s a lot of activity behind me – Marty’s men hauling the stolen goods. I slip inside.
Donny’s breathing heavily on his knees. Tears well up in my eyes, and I run to him, throwing my arms around him, unable to contain myself.
“Ellie,” his voice is a whisper of pain.
“I’m here, Donny, I’m here,” I whisper, fearful I might be heard. “I’m gonna get you out of here.”
He grunts, straining against a thick rope tied around his torso, pining his arms. Even his hands are bound.
I tug at the knots, curse, then use my teeth. Anything to get him free. These fucking knots are too tight!
There’s nothing sharp around me. I gasp, anxiety building. My eye lands on my stiletto – it’ll have to do. I yank my shoe off and force the thin spike of the heel into the knot, and I work it back and forth as fast as I can to loosen the bond.
Fuck.
The knot is starting to widen, but it’s still not enough for my fingers to undo it. I’m really panicking now. My brother or his thugs might turn up at any moment and witness my heinous crime.
“Just a bit more,” Donny says, calming me enough to still my shaking hands. I pull the stiletto out and work the loosened edge until it starts to move a bit easier.
My brother’s voice picks up again, closer. My finger loops under the strand and I could squeal from the flood of relief that fills me. I start tugging with all my might.
Donny flexes the second the rope loosens around his arms, and it slips down enough that he squirms out of it. But that’s only one. What about his wrists?
“Alright, time for the show. C’mon, Tony. Let’s check on our sewer rat prisoners,” Marty’s voice creeps closer.
My eyes widen as I give up on loosening Donny’s wrist shackles.
I’m dead if Marty sees this. If he had no problem selling me off, he’ll have no problem shooting me in cold blood.
At least I’ll die with Donny. It’s better than dying alone.
I gulp past a lump in my throat as I lock eyes with Donny one last time. I’m about to kiss him goodbye, but a wild thought comes over me. I catch a confused squint in his eye just before looking away.
I stand and scream just as the steel door flings open. Then I punch Donny’s face with the softest part of my shoe and make the most feral noise a woman can make. “I hate you. You fucking ruined me! I hate you!” I punch Donny again, and it kills me to hurt him.
“Wo-ho-ho!” Marty laughs, loving my vigor. “Hell, I didn’t even need my boys for this one. Hey, Tony, get a load of this. Hah. I didn’t know you had it in you, sis!” He claps, cheering me on.
I pretend to find myself and turn. “I can’t stand this man. The Valentinos ruined my life!”
Marty’s expression turns deadly serious. He pulls out a pistol from the back of his pants and hands it over to me. “Then take your revenge.”
My entire body freezes. I tried to stay away from guns my entire life. My father would take me to ranges and teach me anyway, but still. They stayed at the range for me. I’ve heard them go off on human targets. The sound of a body slumping over from a shot to the head will never leave me. I’ve kept it all at a distance – it was never me pulling the trigger.
“Go on, Ellie. Show the Valentinos what the Rigianos are made of. I’ll bet in his wildest dreams, Donny over here never would’ve expected his prisoner to get the last laugh. Karma is a bitch, isn’t it?”
Karma… I find resolve and take the gun from my brother. I cock it back to make sure there’s a bullet live in the chamber and check that the safety is off.
“Go ahead, Ellie. Don’t be shy.” My brother elbows Tony, who’s also smiling at what’s about to go down.
