Page 75 of Inside the Sun

Summer stays silent. We walk a few steps more, then he stops in front of one of the doors.

He lifts his mismatched eyes to mine, still nothing. No reaction. No words. What a strange guy.

But the desperation inside me is picking up speed. I lean in, whispering in a low, eerie voice.

"You could kill him."

Yeah, I actually say it. Or maybe it’s not me talking, maybe it’s just the pure, raw despair coming out of me. Because I don’t see another way. It’s either him… or me and my family.

Summer’s lips twitch into a sad smile.

"Easily. But if I did, the people I love would be killed."

He starts typing a code into the door panel, one hand already on the handle, about to leave, but I stop him quickly.

"I have seven brothers! There’s no way I could save them all. No way to force them to change their names, relocate, go into hiding!" My whisper is half-panicked. "It’s simply impossible. And Anzo has all their addresses. So what, are we supposed to stay here for the rest of our lives?"

I feel ridiculous even saying it. Like I’m starting to crack. Losing it completely, sounds like it. But I can’t give up.

"All you’d have to do is stop the blood flow in his heart. No one would ever know."

Summer looks away.

"If I kill him, Rocco takes over. And he won’t let me go. Or you. He always ‘claimed’ Anzo’s exes."

Gosh, I know that I sound insane, but I blurt it out anyway, "Then kill him too."

Summer closes his eyes. "And then who? Luca? Ennio? Mauro? Eliano?"

"They’re all fucking mafiosos…"

"And the soldiers? I’d have to kill them too? The staff? What then, I become a target for the FBI as a mass murderer?"

"The feds would understand; it’s self-defense. None of them are innocent, Summer! They’re all part of a criminal enterprise! This whole damn house runs on extortion, drug sales, weapons, blackmail, and prostitution. They’re all guilty! All of them!"

My breath hitches, my cheeks flush, emotions boil. I must look like a madman, babbling about murdering all those people. But, dear Fate, I’m a tortured prisoner here, and my family is in danger. Can you blame me?

Something flickers across Summer’s face. He gazes at me pensively, then looks away, and finally says, "There’s something else. My brother, Moon… he had certain abilities. Glimpses. Sometimes he saw pieces of the future."

He presses his lips together and goes quiet for a moment, like he’s wrestling with himself.

"Go on, go on. He saw the future?"

"Not always clearly, the visions fluctuated. But some paths leading into the future seemed crystal clear, like they were solidifying. He was still learning to understand it, but he insisted some things were certain."

"But did he tell you anything specific? About Anzo?" I press.

"Yes. He insisted I shouldn’t kill him. That if I do, several paths leading to happiness in the future formanypeople will collapse."

I stare at him, not quite believing what I just heard. Collapse of paths? It sounds like something straight out of a sci-fi movie.

"Happiness, huh? Is this, what we’re going through right now, is this part of that ‘happily ever after’ path? C’mon! You must be joking!"

Summer’s lips tighten, and I close my eyes, searching for more restraint, but it’s hard with my inner turmoil. Finally I just plead, "Please, Summer… you’re the only one who can save us!"

But Summer ignores me, only turns the handle, and slips through the door. This time, I don’t stop him. He shuts it behind him.

I just stand there for a second, staring at the wooden surface. Then I press my hands to my temples, trying to hold back the flood of insanity.

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