Page 44 of Reckless Games

“Well, find her before Don kills us!”

This felt wrong. I felt lost. Where should I go? How would I find Mommy and Daddy? Then I saw another shadow in the distance. My feet propelled me forward as I followed the shadow leading me to a man.

“Excuse me, sir,” I said with a smile, hoping he would take me back to Mommy and Daddy. But the moment he turned around with his yellow-toothed smile and the scar running down his left eye, I knew I had made a mistake.

“Yes, honey?” His smile was sickeningly sweet, almost nasty and evil.

“No...nothing.”

“What happened, dear? You can tell me. Are you lost?” He took a step forward, making me step back instinctively.

“N...no.” He did not feel welcoming. He felt... not nice. But he didn’t stop until I was cornered against a wall.

“You don’t have to worry one bit, sweetheart.” His lips curled up on one end, making him look scary. “I have some chocolates for you. Do you want them?” Mommy had told me never to take candy from strangers.

“No.” My response was instant.

“No?” He pouted. “Well, too bad. You still have to come with me!” He lunged at me, clamping his hand over my mouth, and lifted me off the ground. I used my ultimate self-defense move. I jabbed my teeth into his skin so hard, I could taste blood. I kicked my legs simultaneously, hitting his shin again and again. He stumbled back, pushing me hard into the wall and sending a sharp pain shooting up my head. “You little bitch want it rough, huh? I’ll have my fun before I rip your pussy apart!” He recovered from clutching his bitten hand and lunged at me again. But just as he was about to grab me, a gunshot echoed, and he went silent, dropping to the ground before me. I watched in horror as the man who stood behind him stepped forward.

Don.

The same person who had promised to take me to Mommy and Daddy last week but broke his promise and kept me locked up. I stared back at him, trying my best to keep my trembling under control. I did not break eye contact, staring back right into his soul, maintaining my facade of bravery. I would not be weak again.

He bent down to my level, giving me a surprisingly proud smile. “You are different from them. You have so much more potential than I thought,” he said, shaking his head as if he had solved a million-dollar question. “You don’t have to be scared, little girl. I won’t hurt you.” I knew I could not trust him, but the way he said it felt oddly comforting. “Come,” hestretched out his hand for me to take. “I can’t take you to your old daddy. Sadly, he is no more. Neither is your mommy.” The news felt like someone splashed a bucket of cold water over me. I knew what that meant. I knew what it meant the moment the ambulances arrived at the scene of the accident. I just did not want to accept it. Not until now, when he slapped reality into my face like that. “But I can be your new one! I won’t lock you up this time. I promise.” I eyed him skeptically. “If I do, you’re allowed to bite me.” I thought about it. The deal wasn’t bad. But I knew I could bargain for more.

“I want proper food this time!” I negotiated, making him throw his head back and laugh.

“Deal! Proper food this time.” And with that, I held my hand out to him, sealing our unbreakable deal.

“Do I need to get someone to fix that hole in the wall?” Jacob’s voice startled me, snapping me out of my memory. I glanced back to see him leaning against the door frame with his arms folded across his chest.

“What hole? And for the record, do you know how to knock?” I shook my head and continued folding my clothes.

“The hole your pinning gaze caused in the wall,” he said, clearly noticing my zoned-out state. “And for the record, yes, I do know how to knock. I was doing it for a whole minute, but someone was too busy carving holes with their eyes.”

“What do you want?” I asked in a monotone, keeping my back to him and focusing on packing my suitcase. I could feel his gaze hot on the back of my head, the silence growing awkward.

“Wait, is that a cockroach?” Jacob suddenly exclaimed, pointing at something on the wall opposite me. My eyes fell on the crawling bug. In a heartbeat, I drew my gun from its holster and pressed the trigger, hitting my target dead in the center. Thebullet embedded itself in the wall, and the roach lay lifeless on the floor.

I stared at the bug, my mind wandering. Cockroaches could live without their heads for a few days, or was it weeks? I couldn't quite remember. I tilted my head to inspect the creature. Its head was still intact, but its body was severed. Would it survive for a few days like that? Who cares? At least it was not moving anymore. I would get someone to dispose of it later.

“Well, damn. How are your aims so perfect? You never miss, do you?” Jacob’s voice was filled with amazement, bringing a proud grin to my lips.

“Never.”

“Uh-huh. Yet you missed Lorenzo when you had the perfect chance to kill him.” The grin vanished from my face. My hands paused mid-fold, the slight challenge in Jacob’s voice hanging in the air.

***

Chapter 23

Angela

I put the shirt away and slowly turned around, my face expressionless as I carefully observed him. Jacob stood there, waiting for my reaction, his eyes watching intently, ready to catch anything that would put me on thin ice. I raised a single eyebrow, refusing to give him the satisfaction he sought. “What’s your point?”

“I’ll elaborate then. Why didn’t you kill him when you had the chance? You had enough time, a perfect aim—everything was a piece of cake for you in that moment,” Jacob said, pushing himself off the door frame and making his way towards me. “So how come you missed when you’re the best Nikolai has?”

“I didn’t miss. I never miss. The plan was to shoot him, and I did. The bullet hit him,” I explained, keeping my head high. “And saved Nikolai.”

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