“Perché non dovremmo? Cosa diavolo dovrei fare con una bambina di dieci anni?” Why wouldn’t we? What in the hell am I supposed to do with a ten-year-old girl?
“La tata. Può crescerla e, quando sarà abbastanza grande, la rivendicherò.” The nanny. She can raise her, and when she’s old enough, I will claim her. I blurt out, my chest heaving with adrenaline.
Samuele looks back and forth between Carlo and me for several minutes. It’s so long that I begin to grow restless. And just when I think he isn’t going to give in, he smiles.
“Bene. Uccidi Marco, dimostra il tuo valore e ti darò la ragazza.” Fine. Kill Marco, prove your worth, and I’ll give you the girl.
All I can do is nod. Not in a million years did I think that would work, but it did. He caved. He’s going to let me prove myself, something I’ve wanted for a very long time, and at the same time, I’ll keep her safe.
“Conosco la sua routine,” I admit. I know his routine.
“Come lo sapresti?” How would you know that?
“Li ho guardati.” I’ve been watching them.
“Hmph.” Samuele smirks. “Sono impressionato.” I’m impressed.
“Lo faremo domani sera. Dovrebbe essere solo lui e la sua famiglia, nessuno dei suoi uomini.” We’ll do it tomorrow night. It should be just him and his family, none of his men.
“Bene. Domani allora.” Okay. Tomorrow then.
I tip my chin at him and turn to leave the room.
“E Christian,” he calls out, finishing when I glance at him from over my shoulder. “Fai un casino e la ucciderò proprio di fronte a te.” And Christian. Screw this up, and I’ll kill her right in front of you.
“Non lo farò.” I won’t, I deadpan and leave the room without another word.
I don’t get very far when I hear my father say, “Mentre sta uccidendo Marco, ti assicuri che tutti gli altri siano morti... specialmente la ragazza.” While he’s killing Marco, you make sure everyone else is dead… especially the girl.
I freeze in place, fighting the urge to run back in there. Instead, I gather my emotions and decide right here and now that I’ll have to find another way to keep her safe.
1
SIN
What the hell happened to me?My head is so heavy and foggy. I don’t want to be awake right now. I must be sick, or else why would I feel this way? Maybe I’m still asleep enough that I can get back to it before I wake up too much.
My stomach churns when I turn my head from one side to the other. God, I’m so nauseated. I think I'm going to throw up, and the sensation only gets worse when I move my head again. I should stay still. Ride it out. Whatever this is, I can sleep it off.
But something is wrong. I can't shake the feeling of something being very wrong. It won't let me rest. What I need more than anything is to sink back into oblivion, but my brain won't let me. Like now that the lights are starting to turn on, the rest are flipping on, too. They flood my head with light forcing me to remember whatever it is I should’ve been thinking about. But what is that?
My mouth is so dry, like cotton. I try to moisten it, but it's no use. My eyes are still closed, but I hear what sounds like the hum of an engine. I'm not bumping around, though, and I don't feel tires rolling along a road underneath me. I'm not in a car. But there's machinery around somewhere, something like that. The incessant whining is like an ice pick in my ear. No wonder I couldn't fall back to sleep with all this noise.
What is it I need to remember? Maybe Christian would tell me if I could only wet my mouth enough to ask.
It slams into me with all the force of a wrecking ball. All it took was remembering Christian. Pulling up his face in my mind's eye. It's been him all along. He's the stalker. He's the one who's tormented my life all this time.
And he's somewhere near. I can feel him. I don't dare open my eyes to show I'm awake, but I know he's somewhere close. And knowing him, he'll notice the slightest flutter from my eyelids. He’s been watching me long enough. So even though my heart is racing and my body starts to tremble, I pull it together as best I can and stay very calm and very still.
All this time. I trusted him. I believed him. I let him into my life. He's a twisted, sadistic monster. He's known what he was doing all along. All this time, he's been taking pictures of me like the ones I found in the apartment. Of Kyla, too. I bite my tongue to keep from making a sound at the thought of her. I was so stupid not to believe her!