Page 23 of Wrathful King
“Stay down!” Those were the last words I heard before a weight fell on me. I jerked violently, my screams muffled by the silky material that had suddenly lost its appeal.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
It was dark. I couldn’t see anything. I couldn’t breathe.
Something heavy suffocated me, and it took me a moment to realize it was a body on top of me, and it wasn’t moving. The screams and raw shrieks had my ears ringing. More gunshots filled the air, bodies falling down with loud thuds.
First the bodyguards, then the sales ladies. The smell of rust filled my nostrils, like the coins Mamma sometimes gave us to throw in the fountain.
I shook with fear, my face buried in the material. All I could do was tremble and cry silently and pray for the shrieking to die down.
Until the terrifying silence came.
And the words I’d spend the rest of my life forcing myself to forget.
“Your girls are illegitimate,” the crazy lady screamed while I shook underneath the pile of expensive fabric. I suddenly didn’t want to be here in this store or in this country. I wanted to go back home where things were peaceful and Mamma didn’t cry all the time. “They will come for her. The Cortes cartel. Or who knows, maybe Angelo will decide he wants to raise her.”
“He’llneverhave her,” Mamma cried. I shifted under the material, risking moving the silk around so I could see what was going on. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
The woman cackled. “Really?” Her dark eyes and pink dress didn’t suit her bitter smile. “Did he tell you the annulment came through? Because it didn’t; he lied. His marriage to you is a sham. He never divorced me.”
A hand grabbed the back of my head and I yelped. Kicking and screaming, I tried to fight her off, but it was pointless. The angry lady yanked me up to my feet by my hair.
“Mamma,” I whimpered, wide-eyed. My heart pounded against my chest and I brought my hand to it. It hurt so bad. I couldn’t see Phoenix anywhere. Did they take my sister?
“This little brat disgusts me,” the woman spat, tugging on my hair and making my scalp burn. “She’s a carbon copy of you.” What did she mean by that? The shop was spinning now, and I felt like I was going to be sick.
Mamma shoved the woman away, then pushed me protectively behind her back.
“Don’t ever touch my daughter, Hana,” Mamma hissed. She was freaked out, her entire body shaking and her face pale, but she was still protecting me. “Or I swear to God—”
“Teach her a lesson, won’t you?” the woman interrupted, flicking a look behind her to one of her men.
Mamma buried my face in her rich silk skirt, but not before I saw the man approach. He smiled, but it wasn’t a nice smile. It was evil and dark.
He raised his hand and Mamma’s grip on me tightened. I squeezed my eyes shut, when—
Smack.
Mamma staggered back from the impact. I cried out, feeling her pain like it was my own.
The man who hit her turned his attention on me and I instinctively stepped back, further into my mamma’s skirt. He brushed his fingers over my cheek and I flinched.
“Don’t touch her,” Mamma growled like a lioness. “Tomaso will destroy you when he hears of this.”
The woman—Hana—smiled another scary smile. “I hope he tries,” she purred in a low voice. “He’ll never win against Angelo. You and I both know that. And his death will leave your girls up for grabs.” She stepped closer, wrinkling her nose as if she smelled something rotten. “You know they use them as young as eight.”
I didn’t know what she meant, but judging by Mamma’s face, it wasn’t good.
When the lady and her men left, Phoenix and I cried all the way back home to Papà’s villa. It wasn’t until I ran into his open arms that I felt safe again. He kissed the top of my head as I nuzzled my nose in his chest, his love and strength my anchor.
The clawing pressure around my neck tightened as I was yanked back to the present. Amon’s mother.Shewas the one who threatened my mamma. She hurt our family. How could I have forgotten?
Someone pushed me from behind and I scrambled onto my knees, my memories evaporating with the sting. But they weren’t forgotten—no. Amon’s mother was the one to attack Mamma at the store.
“Let me help you,” Liana offered, pulling me up and drawing us tighter into the group again. “Be brave,” she whispered. “Don’t show them your fear, keep it locked tight.”
“What do you mean…?” I trailed off as we climbed the narrow steps leading onto the stage.
