My eyes jump to Mom. She’s a whimpering bloody mess. I can actually see her body trembling from the pain she must be feeling. She looks dazed, not fully aware of her surroundings.
Who would beat Mom so badly? Why? My beautiful and loving mother … who would be so cruel to hurt her like this, to hur
t us all? What did we do to deserve this?
Logan groans, and my eyes dart back to where the man is pulling Logan off the chair and then he drags him to the side of the room. He handcuffs Logan to a pipe that’s bolted to the wall, near the metal sheets. He looks even worse now that I have a clear view of his face. There’s a cut above his left eye that’s gushing blood. Stupidly I think that he’ll need stitches, and that it will definitely leave a scar on his handsome face.
The man grabs the back of Josh’s chair and drags him to the middle of the floor and it’s only then that I realize he’s positioning us in a circle formation around Josh.
Everything slows down until my world becomes a blur and it’s hard to focus on anything. It’s hard to make sense of what I’m seeing.
I hear a roar of anger as Josh comes to.
Everything will be okay now. Josh is waking up. Josh will fix this mess - because that’s all it is - some horrible misunderstanding.
The man comes over to me and he unties the bonds that are keeping my wrists tied to the chair. He hauls me up onto unsteady legs and then his hand slams hard against the back of my already throbbing head. My body loses the will to stand, and I fall to my knees. Pain explodes through my kneecaps, vibrating up to my hips.
Something cold and unyielding comes around my neck and then I’m pulled backwards. Cold steel bites into my neck and I feel it tearing at my skin. I start to gag, making awful noises as my fingers claw at the chain around my neck.
My mind just can’t process what’s happening. If I process my surroundings, my beaten family, the pain and fear – then it will make all of this horribly real.
“Fuck you!” I hear Josh scream and it sounds desperate … so desperate it makes my heart shudder with dread. “Let them go! They have nothing to do with this.” I hear him sob and then he begs, “Fuck … please … please let my family go.”
I raise my upper body so I can see Josh. I need to try and offer him some sort of comfort. I hear a weird sound behind me, like metal running over metal, and then the chain around my neck bites at my skin, and I’m hauled up from the floor until I’m standing on the very tip of my toes.
Through blurring eyes I see Josh. He’s fighting the restrains that’s keeping him tied to the chair. He growl in anger and his eyes dart to each one of us - Dad, Mom, Logan and then me. He looks almost feverish with panic.
I’ve never felt fear like this before. The three men who have always protected me are tied up and severely beaten. The three men who have given me absolute shelter throughout my life can’t even help themselves, never mind me or Mom. The thought paralyzes me. I always thought my father and brothers were unbreakable.
“They’re innocent. Please, let them go,” Josh cries out as he tries to free himself from the restraints.
“Innocent.” The word is spit into the air, and my eyes dart in the direction it came from. Boots scuff on the concrete floor.
I see a pale skinned man, and my eyes widen with fear. It makes sweat bead along the back of my neck.
His neck, jaw and cheeks are covered with rubbery skin that looks like a burn wound. The burned skin makes his left eye drag downwards. He’s tall and skinny and seems to be walking with a limp.
My skin crawls at the sight of him. His dark eyes find mine and he gives me a malicious grin that makes my stomach sink to the floor.
That’s when I think of it for the first time … death. This man wants to kill me and he’s going to enjoy doing it.
All I can hear is my thundering heart and short, panicked breaths.
My whole body goes numb with a suffocating fear as he continues to stare at me.
“There’s no such thing,” he spits the words out, and for a sluggish moment my brain struggles to understand what he’s saying.
The man turns his cruel eyes on Josh and then he says, “How does it feel, Mr. Woods?” He throws his arms wide and sneers hatefully, “Your family is at my mercy.”
“Let them go, Volkov,” Josh says. It sounds more like a hopeless whimper. “They have nothing to do with this. Your business is with me.”
The man nods and he actually looks deep in thought, as if he’s considering Josh’s plea. But then he shakes his head again.
He snaps his fingers. “Dmitri!”
A man dressed in a crisp, black suit walks towards Josh. It’s only then that I notice the other two men as well. They all have heavy looking guns tucked into a strap that rests under their left arms. They look professional and calm.
Dmitri stops in front of Josh. He’s carrying a cracked old bowl.