Page 3 of Deadly Wrath

I squeeze my arms around his neck, trying to swallow the lump in my throat. “Missed you too, Daddy.”

Mommy stands back, with her arms wrapped around herself, watching us.

We don’t talk much on the drive home. Daddy taps his fingers against the wheel, humming under his breath, but his shoulders look stiff. He smiles back at me, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. Mommy keeps glancing at him, her fingers fidgeting in her lap, but she doesn’t say anything. I watch them but don’t know what to say, so Ipress my forehead against the window and pretend everything is fine. But it’s not fine because Daddy seems different.

I wake up when the car stops. Blinking a few times, I sit up, rubbing my eyes. It’s nighttime, but we’re home. The porch light flickers and the old mailbox leans to the side, just like I remember.

I want to run inside, to climb into my own bed, to believe everything is back to the way it was. But when Daddy turns off the engine, he just sits still for a moment, his fingers are gripping the wheel so hard his hands turn white.

I glance at Mommy. Her hands are still clenched in her lap. No one moves for what feels like forever. Then Daddy lets out a sharp exhale and smiles at me, all big and bright. “Welcome home, kiddo.”

Mommy gets out of the car first. She comes to my door, takes my hand, and guides me inside. She helps me get ready for bed, and for the first time in what feels like forever, I sleep in my own room, and I fall right to sleep.

Something wakes me before the sun. I slide out of bed, my bare feet touching the soft carpet, and tiptoe down the hall. I peek into Mommy and Daddy’s room, but the bed is empty. The covers are messy, like they got up in a hurry. My heart starts to thump harder, and that weird, twisty feeling in my stomach gets worse.

The house feels too still. I move toward the living room, my bare feet making soft shuffling sounds on the rug. A large shape is slouched on the couch, and my heart jumps.

“Daddy?”

He doesn’t answer right away. He’s staring at the floor, with his hands gripping his knees so tight his knuckles are white.

I swallow, stepping closer. “Where’s Mommy?”

Daddy lifts his head slowly, and that’s when I see his eyes are red and puffy. He’s been crying. My stomach twists into a tight knot. He looks at me like he wants to say something, but the words don’t come out.

Tears fill my eyes. “Daddy?” I call out again.

Something creaks behind me. I spin around just as Uncle Tito steps out of the kitchen. He’s holding a glass, the ice inside clinking softly. His face is blank, but there’s something cold in his eyes. Something that makes my skin prickle on my neck.

He takes a slow sip, watching me. “Damn liabilities,” he mutters under his breath.

I turn back to Daddy, panic rising in my belly. “Where’s Mommy?” I ask again, louder this time. He flinches. His hands clench into fists, his whole body tenses like he’s trying to hold himself together. “She’s…” His voice breaks. He shakes his head, and I see the moment he can’t hold the truth back any longer. His shoulders collapse, and his face crumples.

“She’s gone, Livy Bear.”

The words don’t make sense. Gone? Like… gone to the store? Gone to another safe house?

“No.” My voice feels small. I shake my head, refusing to believe him. Mommy wouldn’t leave me. “No, she said we were safe. She said—”

He squeezes his eyes shut, a tear slipping down his cheek, and that’s when I know. I feel like I’m falling, even though I’m standing still.

My vision blurs, my legs wobble, and my knees give out. But before I can fall, rough hands yank me backward.

The grip on my arm is too tight. Uncle Tito’s fingers dig into my skin, and I bite my lip to keep from crying out. My arm burns, like he might rip it right off if I move too much.

Then the front door explodes. The boom shakes the whole house, rattling the pictures on the wall, making my bones feel like they’re jumping inside me. My head jerks up just in time to see the splinters fly, the wood burstingapart like fireworks.

Uncle Tito let’s go just before the big booms start. It’s so loud and hurts my ears. The ringing drowns everything out, Daddy’s voice, my own heartbeat, and the world itself. I don’t even realize I’m backing up until I hit the couch. Before I can move my hands over my ears, a can of smoke pours into the room. My eyes start to burn. I rub them with my fists, but it’s not helping.

Black shadows burst through the smoke. Big men, dressed in all black, their faces are covered, so I can’t see what they look like. But they are monsters that move fast with big boots that slam against the floor, shaking everything. A hand grabs my arm, the same spot that still hurts a little from Uncle Tito.

I kick and thrash, my tiny fists pounding against something solid, then I’m lifted off the ground. I try to reach out, stretching my fingers for something to hold onto. “Daddy!” I shout, but I can’t even hear my own voice.

I see him crouched down behind our coffee table. His face is pale, his eyes are wide, almost frozen in place. His mouth moves, but I can’t hear him over all of the noise.

Another loud boom goes off right behind me. Then everything goes black. A bag is shoved over my head, and there’s nothing but darkness. I scream, but the fabric muffles my voice. I can’t breathe and I can’t see. I try tokick and fight, but it’s useless. Their hands are too strong.

The world flips upside down, and I’m tossed into the backseat of a car. My head smacks against something hard, then the car jerks forward. The doors slam—one, two, three, four—trapping me inside. My heart pounds so fast it makes my chest hurt.

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