Page 84 of Blood on Ice

Val nodded. “We checked there, too, and we can’t find an entrance for a basement. It looks like there’s got to be one, though.”

A banging sound made me jump. It came again, followed by something that might be muffled screaming. “Where’s that coming from?”

“It sounds like it’s below us. We’ve got to find a basement entrance.” Val said.

I burst out the door, intending to look for an outside entrance to the basement, but Val grabbed my arm and yanked me back. “You’re not going anywhere. You’re going to stay right here.”

“No, I’m going to find the man I love.”

Everyone’s eyes went wide. Val exhaled. “Fine. Let’s go.”

31

VITO

That was Zeke’s voice. What was Zeke doing here? How long had I been unconscious? Was his game over?

I rocked the chair back and forth, banging it on the concrete floor, as I tried to scream for Zeke, despite the tape over my mouth.

I heard voices again. Zeke and Val and someone else. Maybe Joe? I needed to get this fucking tape off my mouth and scream so they’d be able to find me.

Their steps retreated, letting me know they hadn’t found the hidden door upstairs. If I remembered right from looking around after my fall, the door to the outside had been bricked over. I kept rocking the chair back and forth and doing my best yell. I needed to make as much noise as possible.

A few moments later, I heard Zeke again. It sounded like he was sobbing. “We can’t get in this way. There’s got to be another door.”

He was right there, and I couldn’t do anything about it. I was going to make Benito suffer so fucking bad for this.

“Wait. Follow me,” Val yelled.

The voices retreated again then I heard more footsteps overhead. A few moments later the door opened, and they ran down the stairs with Zeke in the lead.

“Vito, oh God, are you okay?” He fell to his knees in front of me and ripped the tape off my mouth. “I didn’t know if you were… We weren’t sure….”

I had to clear my throat several times before I could speak. “I’m okay. I think my wrist might be broken, but I’ll be fine.”

Zeke made a noise that didn’t sound human. “I want to kill him. I want to fucking kill him.”

“We’ll take care of it,” Val promised as he worked to untie the ropes around my arms. “I’m trying to be as gentle as I can. Zeke you work on his ankles.” Val kept his voice low and soothing like he was talking to a crazy person. Zeke was only acting like the rest of us would in the same situation, but that meant he needed me as much as I needed him.

Val freed my hands, and I was trying to get the feeling back in my arms as Zeke worked on my ankles.

“Drop your weapons and stand back.”

Benito. I looked up the stairs, but I didn’t see him. Then Zeke pointed to a red dot on my chest.

“I won’t hesitate to kill him.”

Val brought a finger to his lips and backed away.

I needed to distract him. I had to keep his attention off Zeke. “I was prepared to talk to you, work things out,” I said.

Zeke’s eyes widened, but he didn’t move.

Benito snorted. “You were ready to fuck me over like the rest of your family.”

I could see him now. He’d moved from where he was hiding. I needed to keep talking. “You’re wrong. I came here to?—”

“Shut up.”

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