Page 93 of The Diávolos: Part One
I flinch at this news. I stare at Evan in disbelief that something this terrible exists. The world is a scary and evil place. I’m aware that horrible things happen right under our noses, but this sounds completely totalitarian and archaic.
“I dug further and came across a forum, where its users were discussing young girls. Someone with the username ‘2young4you’ leaked records of all the children that were ever admitted into the establishment,” Evan continues, his jaw clenching in anger. “I’m still trying to figure out how my uncle was involved, but it’s a starting point,” he adds.
“Okay, but what does this have to do with me?”
“I have reason to believe you were sent there as a child, Angelica. There was a name on the list dating back fifteen years. Hera Kouvalakis. Eight years old. It would’ve been right after your mom passed away,” he replies, cautiously, as if afraid to spook me.
I tune everything out as my heart starts to beat hard, the pounding going straight to my head, the ringing in my ears deafening. It’s too much. I jump off the couch, grip my hair, and scream. An earth-shattering scream. I have the vague awareness of Danny and the girls bursting out of their rooms, but I pay them no mind. I can’t. My body feels like it’s being electrocuted. Immediately, visions from the years of my childhood I’d blacked out flash through my mind, and I’m overwhelmed. Everyone is shouting at me in the room, but the sounds are faint, as if my head is submerged under water. I wish I were actually drowning right now.
“Angelica,” someone calls, but the voice is muffled. “Angelica,” Evan says again, and he grabs me by the arms and shakes me to get my attention. But I can’t focus on anything other than the images appearing before my eyes.
My most recent nightmare now makes more sense as memories of my father dropping me off at a secluded place start to surface. The sound of my cries echo in my ears, begging him not to leave me. The voices of those little girls screaming as they were punished by women wearing head coverings.
“He took me to that place,” I murmur, my whole body shaking in shock and disbelief. “I remember it now.”
I allow Evan to take my hands in his and he pulls me against him. He puts his nose in my hair, inhaling deeply. It somehow calms me, triggering me to take a deep breath.
“I recall going, but I don’t remember anything else,” I say, my voice cracking. “What did they do to me? Why would my father take me there?”
“I don’t know,angeloúdi mou, but rest assured, I’m going to do everything in my power to find out. And I’m going to kill anyone who ever hurt you with my bare hands,” he seethes.
Tears start falling and I sob in Evan’s chest. Daniel, Nicole, and Amanda stay at a distance. For a moment, I forgot they were even here. Right now, all I can focus on is the warmth and safety of Evan’s arms. I burrow deeper into his chest and he squeezes me. “I’ve got this. I’ve got you,” he whispers against my hair.
Even though I love him so much it hurts, I hate him an equal amount. It might not make sense, but it feels like ever since he barged into my life, my entire world started to crumble. Everything I’ve ever known and understood doesn’t make sense anymore. All my relationships are questionable. Do Aria and Gianis know I was sent there? Does Eldora? If she did, she’s been lying to me my whole life. I can’t stomach any of that right now. And my father. Why would he send me somewhere so terrible, when our relationship was doing so well at the time? I can’t make sense of any of this.
“Your father is up to something, Angelica, and I will stop him. Xander is following a lead and came to me with more information yesterday. He showed me the records of the sisters who worked there…” Evan hesitates, visibly distraught by what he’s about to say next.
I inhale a deep breath and hold it in, hoping the lack of oxygen can somewhat appease the agonizing pain I feel in my entire body, and I brace myself for the impact of his words.
“Your mother’s name was on the list, Angelica. She was a nun at ‘The Sisterhood.’”
Two months later
Evander
“Look to your right,afentiko,” the voice crackles through my earpiece. I swipe my palms over my black cargo pants and readjust the black balaclava over my face. I fucking hate wearing these things, and even though I’m away from anyone’s eye shot, Dion insisted I be extra careful. Given who we’re targeting, he’s not wrong. But I’d never tell him that.Cocky motherfucker.
I glance to my right.X marks the spot.I look through the scope of my Remington rifle. I see my target clearly. This moment is life-altering. Not only because I’m about to kill a man, but also because I know I will feel an inch of peace once I do. I wipe away the beads of sweat that have gathered above my brows. I don’t know if it’s hot in here, or if it’s just me, but I’m nearing the point of suffocation.
The past six weeks have been stressful, to say the least. I’ve been on autopilot, buried in my work, trying not to think about Angelica and how much I miss her. We haven’t spoken since I last saw her and it’s eating at me, as if parasites live freely in my body. It’s a disgusting feeling, but I’m dealing with the consequences of my actions. Again, if Dion heard me, he’d say, “I told you so.”
I’m set up on a rooftop, looking down at the entrance of the adjacent building. A group of men just exited the front doors.
“Range?” I ask.
“Six-hundred yards,” Dion responds. “He’s moving. You got him?”
I rearrange my bipod legs and stabilize the rifle at the top of it. It’s windy as fuck. I’m hoping I’ll be able to defeat the shifting winds. I reach for the handheld wind anemometer in the pocket of my vest. Dion is acting as my spotter, but he’s not close enough to track the wind accurately. I calculate the windage and adjust my shot accordingly. I need to make sure the bullet is accurately calibrated to avoid it going adrift. I have one shot, one opportunity.
I take a deep breath, wrap my hand around the sling, nice and tight, and drop to my knees. A calmness pours over me.
“Yeah, I got him.” I pull the trigger. The bullet whooshes straight into the enemy’s head.
“Man down,” Dion states.
Bullets start to ricochet as the group of men try to figure out where the shot came from. I let my body sink to the ground. Jurian is dead.
Peter is next.
