Page 30 of Brutal Savage

I want to run. I want to get help.

This man is either robbing us or something else is going on.

“Sweetheart!” My father attempts to jump from his seat, but the man shoves him back down by his shoulders.

“You stay here,” he tells him, cunning dark eyes landing on me, a devious grin on his face.

Footfalls from the adjacent living room grow nearer, and from the side of my vision, I find Jerry walking into the room. His face is unreadable at first…until a touch of smugness crosses his eyes.

A heavy feeling sinks into the pit of my stomach.

I don’t understand what’s happening.

What the hell is Jerry doing here? It’s been maybe a year since I saw him last at my father’s restaurant, and as far as I know, he still works there.

“What’s going on? Why am I here?” I ask Jerry.

His response is nothing but a glare.

My pounding heart raps across my ribs.

“That is a good question,” the man in the suit says. “I’m Isaac. I’ve heard a lot about you from my son, Jerry.”

His son? Oh no…

Terror prances across my skin. I’m unsure if I’m going to live through whatever is happening.

My eyes connect with my father’s, and in them, I witness shame.

He did something. He had to have. It’s why they’re here, isn’t it? I’ve seen enough movies to know how this plays out.

They’re here to kill us.

But what could he have done? Does Jerry even work for him at the restaurant? Did my dad borrow money from them he couldn’t pay back?

“I know you must be afraid,” the man goes on. “But I promise you have nothing to fear, Evelyn.”

He starts to approach, and I back up a step, glancing behind me to find two more men closing in on me.

I’m surrounded.

There’s nowhere to go.

My heart pounds so loud, I’m afraid it’ll rip out of my chest.

“What do you want from us?”

He chuckles, taking another step toward me. “Well, you see, your father and I had a business going, and he’s failed his end of the deal. I do consider myself to be a fair man, but one thing I do not forgive is someone who can’t pay their debts.”

I hold back a scream as another man shoves a gun to the back of my father’s head.

“I’m sorry it took us so long to meet.” He reaches his hand for mine, forcing me to shake it in my clammy palm. “I do hate that you’re being dragged into this, pretty thing like yourself.”

He gives my dad a passing glimpse over his shoulder. “But your father? Well, he thought he could outsmart me. He promised to pay me for something I delivered, and he hasn’t.”

Nono! I can’t let them kill my father. No matter how he’s treated me, he’s still my dad.

“Maybe I can help?” I’m shaking, yet I can’t just do nothing. “Maybe I can pay you what he owes. How much is it?”

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