Page 127 of Sixth Sin

Shit!

Nicholas’s head swivels around. “Mariana! Take Artem, go! Go find your mother! Go now!” It’s a mistake. He should’ve pulled the trigger first. Instead, he takes his eyes off Joey long enough to allow him to stand back up and survey the scene.

When he hears the panic in Nicholas’s voice, two more shots clip the air, ending the lives of two more Romanov children.

“No!” Nicholas and I shout at the same time.

A father’s grief is palpable. I’m not one and I’ve never had one, but I can feel it. It’s dense and dark, like a heavy wool blanket wrapped tightly around you until there’s no air. No light. Nothing.

And that’s what I see on that man’s face.

Nothing.

So much nothing he doesn’t lift his gun again. Even as Joey aims his at his temple, he doesn’t flinch. He just keeps his eyes on his slain children, waiting to join them.

But he won’t go alone.

So, as Joey pulls his trigger, so do I.

And as Nicholas takes his last breath, so does Joey.

This Irish boy is one hell of a distance shot. Something Joey neglected to remember.

I stand there, my lungs trying to remember how to breathe, when Joey’s last words to me flash through my head. “Go find the mother and the other three brats.”

Shit! There’s another kid. I take the stairs two at a time, weaving from hallway to hallway and room to room. This house is the size of my whole neighborhood. I could search the rest of the night and come up empty.

Jesus, why didn’t they just stay in their rooms?

Frustrated, I’m about to give up when I hear it.

“One. Two. Three. Four. Five.”

It’s faint, but there. Soft. Whispered. Shadows fall around me as I spin toward the door where the voice is coming from. I turn the doorknob, expecting to find it locked, but it welcomes me without any resistance. Unlike downstairs, it’s dark in here. Only the full moon and the flicker from the candle on the window light my way.

But it’s enough to see her. And once I do, I can’t move. All I can do is watch her count to five over and over as she cries. This small girl with the long dark hair.

“Why do you count the same numbers over and over, little girl?”

“Because I’m scared of six,” she whispers, closing her eyes. Somehow, I know it’s because she thinks I’m going to laugh at her. But I don’t. I listen.

“One. Two. Three. Four. Five.”

I close the door, each whispered number matching my steps as I make my way across the room and kneel before her. Something in me needs to touch her. To comfort her and let her know she’s not alone. I cover her shaking hands with mine. “Look at me.”

When she looks up, I know I’ll never forget the pain in those earthy green eyes. It’s deep, and if I wasn’t such a selfish man, I’d spend my life making sure she never hurt again. But all I can do is end this pain.

These children weren’t supposed to die today. I know that. And I can’t help but think maybe I was meant to save this girl.

“Fate always finds a way,” she says, as I brush my thumb against the bruises on her wrist. Bruises. Suddenly, I don’t feel so guilty about Nicholas Romanov lying in a pool of his own blood anymore.

“You’ll never have to count again,” I promise.

She nods, a soft breath escaping my lips as she presses hers against the back of my hand. She’s a child. It’s an innocent kiss, but we both still because that feeling from earlier is back. That gut feeling that something bad is about to happen. It’s thick and heavy in the air.

“Are you God?” she asks quietly.

I could tell her yes. Maybe it would give her some peace when I do what I’m about to do. But even I can’t lie to her like that. So, I tell her the only truth I can. Words that became her truth the moment her last name crossed my lips.

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