Page 3 of Unholy Vows (Original Sin)

The sound of cruelly amused laughter echoed around the space.

“You thought you could wiggle in here like a snake and win points for the Castillos? Brave, but dumb, and now it’s the last thing you’ll ever do,” one of the men grunted, throwing the shadowy figure he was hauling down on the concrete floor.

He landed with a harsh slapping sound, the two men towering over him ominously. I could tell immediately that he was smaller than them. Younger.

Miguel, Lucy’s piece-of-shit boyfriend.

One of the attackers kicked Miguel hard in the side three times. My nursing instincts kicked into gear, and I mentally assessed the damage that might have just been inflicted and how to treat it. I continued to hold Lucy down in a death grip. I couldn’t let her see her boyfriend getting beaten. As for trying to help him, I didn’t even consider it. He was the reason we were here, and Lucy was my priority. I had no illusions about how our combined strength would stack up against these mobsters.

“Did the Castillos put you up to this? Did they say they’d let you into the cartel if you stole from us? You stupid boy. Those fuckers don’t let anyone in except blood relations. You had a better chance with us…instead, you disrespected the De Sanctis name, and I have to make an example out of you. It’s not personal. It’s about optics, kid. By the look of you, it’s no great loss to society.”

The men laughed cruelly between themselves.

A sense of foreboding slithered in my gut. This wasn’t just a beating. They were going to kill him, and I was in the position of trying to stop it, and risking my own life, or letting it happen. I was a nurse. Saving life was my calling. And yet, as I glanced down at the shiny strands of Lucy’s head below mine, I knew I wouldn’t. Maybe if I’d been alone, I might have tried something, but I wouldn’t risk her safety.

“Wait! I’m not here on my own,” Miguel cried out.

Fuck. I knew that kid was a rat.

“No? Who did you come with?”

“My girlfriend – well, the girl I’m fucking around with. She has some stuff on her. You can have her. Take your time. Have a party, go nuts.”

I held my tongue, fear and guilt creating a toxic mixture inside me, fear and guilt giving way to the rising fury in my veins. This kid thought he could hand Lucy over to save his own sorry ass? Lucy’s fingers bit into mine. It was a reminder that she, too, could hear every word.

I peeked again when silence fell. I had to know what they were doing. Were they considering Miguel’s offer?

One of the men laughed and pulled a gun from his jacket. “What makes you think we won’t just do both? End you, the useless, pussy boyfriend, and have all the fun we want with your girl?”

He straightened his arm and took the safety off the gun, laughing at Miguel’s attempt to roll away. “Looks like the end of the line, kid. Not a very impressive way to go out. I’m doing you a favor really.” He pointed the gun at Miguel’s balled-up body.

The other goon stepped in. “Shit, wait a minute, Tony. Just scare the kid and beat him up a little…don’t piss off the boss again. We’re on thin ice with Ren, and we both know it.”

Ren. Renato De Sanctis. I found myself glancing over my shoulder, as if just thinking his name might invoke the man. A Bloody Mary chant.

“What Ren doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” the man with the gun said. I could hear in his voice that he was eager to deliver rough justice. He wanted to kill the guy lying in a bloodied heap in front of him.

His buddy once again intervened, and they argued quietly for a second. My heart pounded so hard I could barely think over it. I should call the cops. I should dosomething.

“We have to run,” I whispered. “They know you’re here. We have to get out of here while they’re distracted.”

“The cops—”Lucy started.

I nodded. I’d call once we were out. They weren’t going to come in the next thirty seconds, so they couldn’t save Miguel. After he’d bargained for his life by offering my sister, I wasn’t sure I cared as much. I certainly wasn’t putting myself in danger to help him. He’d chosen his path.

We never reached the door.

A bang sounded, and I shoved a fist into my mouth to muffle my scream.

Smoke and the stench of metal filled the air.

“Christ man, you shouldn’t have done that. Ren’s not going to like it.”

“Whatever. Stop trying to crawl up the boss’s ass.” The deep voice of the one who had shot Miguel was full of mirth and amusement. “Shall we look for the girl?”

“What girl? That little punk was just trying to buy himself some time. What girl would agree to creep in here? Let’s get out of here.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

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