The word rips out of me, raw and useless.
“Look what the cat dragged in,” a man says. Rough hands grab me from behind, fingers digging into my arms. Another man warns him, “You should let her go. That’s Vitale’s woman.”
The words barely register. They say something in Russian, then one of the men steps forward. Scarred. Smiling.
“Bring that bitch to me.”
He yanks me forward before I can brace myself. I twist, fighting, but his grip only tightens. The stench of him hits me first, sweat and alcohol. His face comes too close, his mouth opening as he tries to lick my face.
I jerk back, fury snapping through me.
“Don’t touch me.”
He laughs and leans in anyway.
So I spit.
It lands square across his cheek.
For a split second, everything freezes.
He smacks me… hard. Pain explodes across my face as his hand connects, the force of it sending me crashing to the ground. My head rings, vision blurring as the concrete rushes up to meet me. The taste of blood floods my mouth.
“What the fuck are you guys doing? You know we don’t want a fucking war with the Vitales,” the first man says, but the other two seem unfazed.
“Fuck this, I’m out of here,” the younger guy says, bolting out.
The room tilts.
I can’t breathe. I can’t scream. I’m panicking, looking for an escape when my eyes land on my father again, lying there lifeless. My chest caves in around the image burned into my mind.
“Papa,” I whisper again, my voice breaking apart as tears spill down my face.
The man walks over and starts dragging the body. I scream. “No, stop! Please!”
They don’t stop.
His weight crushes down on me, his hands tearing at my jacket. I scream, thrashing, but he’s too strong. His breath is hot and rank against my neck.
“No, stop, please!”
His phone buzzes.
He pauses, just for a second, and pulls it out.
That second is all I need.
A crowbar glints on the concrete floor. I lunge for it, swinging hard.
The impact vibrates up my arm. Metal connects with skull—a sickening crack—and he staggers back, blood streaming down his temple.
“You stupid bitch.”
He raises his gun, and the world narrows to the black circle of the barrel.
This is it. This is how I die.
BANG.
