The Life: Sacrifice (The Life 3)

“I can see you’re upset, so I’m going to leave it alone, but you’ve got one day to tell me what the hell you did to her.” I hate when he goes into disappointed little brother mode, it really gets under my skin. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the twins came peeling down the driveway like bats outta hell and slammed out of their cars in anger.

No need to guess who they were pissed at since they didn’t even acknowledge my presence. Poor Lance got caught in the crosshairs because Anna called him a not-so-nice name when she passed by him. I didn’t need him looking at me like it was all my fault either, like I wasn’t hurting from the breakup as well. I guess because I was the one who initiated it, I get no sympathy. Meanwhile, I felt like someone had scooped out my insides with a rusty spoon.

Pop came down the steps at a jog, calling out a greeting to the two of us. “Let’s go, boys…what’s wrong with you?” He stopped in front of me and grabbed my shoulders while he studied my face.

“Nothing, Pop, where are we going?” He looked from me to Lance and back before letting it go, which I’m sure means he’s going to grill Lance later.

“We’re gonna see a guy about a thing.” Oh boy! Lance and I just followed him into the back of the Escalade with Tommy at the wheel. I was almost not surprised when we pulled into the police station twenty minutes later, but Lance looked like he was about to shit a brick. “Unc?”

“Don’t worry, Lancelot, you’re good. Let’s go show this asshole why he shouldn’t ever mess with the Russos.” This ought to be good.

* * *

GIANNA

* * *

I don’t think I’ve ever been this mad or this hurt in my life. Not even when dealing with Becky, Victoria, and my dad in the past. Maybe it’s because of all that had transpired in the last month or so that I was feeling such anger where normally I would’ve kept my head down and accepted my licks. Or maybe it’s because I’ve had days to come to terms with this eventuality.

I knew deep down inside that something like this was coming; I had talked myself through just such a scenario a time or two ever since I noticed him pulling away. But somehow, I’d still convinced myself that it wouldn’t happen; there was no reason for it to. Things were going great between us; even his sisters said so.

It was their encouragement, them always telling me how different Gabriel was with me than with anyone else, that had kept my hope alive. Now there was no more hope, no more anything. Just thinking about facing him again left me feeling anxious and afraid. And what about school? How could I ever face anyone there again? Wouldn’t they laugh at me? I can just hear them now; the ugly duckling turned swan had been cast aside by the school’s heartthrob.

I felt sick like I had to throw up sick. Grandma and the aunts had been trying to talk me into going back home with them now that dad was going to jail, but I’d been holding out, hoping that there was another solution that somehow, I’d be able to stay here. I’m old enough after all, and my inheritance from mom would be coming through in another few months once I turn eighteen; I could be on my own, as long as I had Gabriel.

Dad had even gone ahead and transferred most of his money and half of his business into my name, which his lawyer said is one of the reasons he was having trouble proving that dad hadn’t set out to commit premeditated murder, but that’s another story. The more I thought of facing everyone I knew, the more panic set in until I was imagining crazy things in my head.

That night after grandma went to bed, I stayed up thinking, and before I could stop myself, I was on the computer. The first thing I had to take care of was school. At least the one good thing to come out of the pandemic was online classes and the ease with which I could do that today. So, I went ahead and set that up, but I didn’t stop there. I was mad, like really incredibly mad, and I may have let that anger lead me to do something no rational person in my situation would’ve done.

It was spiteful and harsh, especially to the grandmother that I’d just been reunited with, but at that moment, I wanted nothing to do with my life, nothing at all. I didn’t take anything, just my birth certificate, social security card, and whatever paperwork I might need.