Page 4 of One Twisted Christmas

Did I come to the wrong door?

There was no mention of the man being disabled. Maybe the wheelchair is a temporary thing? I shake my head. Since when did I care about anyone’s physical health? We have disabled people who gamble at the casino and drink most people under the table.

“You can’t be here,” the man whispers, snapping my focus back to his.

“Mr. Jerkins, I am…”

"I know who you are but, you can't be here!" His voice is shaky, and his eyes panicked as he pleads for me to leave but I am not going anywhere unless he gives me the $100,000 he owes us in cash or a deed to this house.

“You know why we’re here!”

“Please, leave!” he whispers, trying to push the door closed but I grasp the edge and keep it open. “I’ll pay you back, but can you please go before…”

“Dad?” comes a soft feminine voice from somewhere in the house and I watch as fear clouds the man’s expression. “Who is it at the door?”

“No one!” Jerkins yells, his voice shaky. “No one, sweetheart. Go back to the kitchen, I’ll handle this.”

The girl in the background clearly doesn’t believe the man as the sound of footsteps approaching the door sounds before someone steps behind the old man and… my breath catches in my throat.

Everything stills in the moment and I find myself rooted to the ground. Lord above! Who the fuck is this angel!

Standing behind the man is the most beautiful little thing I have ever seen. Long golden-brown hair falling down her shoulders in soft waves and catching the light in a way that makes it shine. Her striking blue eyes are like small sapphires, bright with confusion and innocence. The sprinkle of freckles littered across her nose gives her a sweet, endearing charm. There is flour all over her apron and in her hair, but it does nothing to take away from her captivating beauty.

The painted picket fence and flowers lining it all speak of this girl's handiwork. One look at her little floral dress and flour-dusted apron tells me how hands-on she is with everything around here and Christ, that only makes me want her more. Warmth radiates off her.

Numbers… I need to think only about the numbers and yet, I can’t. Not around her.

“Dad, who are these people?”

Chapter Two

Helena

The tension is tangible between my father and the tall, handsome man in a suit standing on our front porch. I can't help but notice the intimidating men standing behind him, but my attention keeps returning to the man whose gaze is fixed on mine.

He is handsome. Perhaps the most handsome man I have ever seen outside of a film. His dark hair is neatly styled, giving him a polished and sophisticated look. That, and the dark suit which accentuates his massive build and carries an air of elegance about him. Everything about him seems put together but what draws me in are those deep brown eyes fixed on mine.

They are cold and almost… empty. I think I see a sliver of something in them before it quickly disappears.

“Go back inside, Helena!” my father’s panicked voice snaps my focus away from the man and to him. “I’ll talk to these nice men and then…”

I shake my head at him. "If they are so nice, why does he have a gun strapped to his side and, why do you look so scared of him?" I whisper, my eyes shooting to the gun the man is not even making an effort to hide.

“Oh, this?” he drawls, his eyes following mine to the piece on his side. “Don’t worry about this. I rarely ever get to use it.”

His voice, it’s deep and empty too. There isn’t a hint of warmth in it and maybe I am projecting seeing how cold it is today. It always gets this cold around Christmas and with the door open, I start to feel the full effect of it. Despite this, I don’t retreat into the house as my father clearly wants me to. It’s also evident that he won’t tell me who these men are, so I decide to get what I need directly from the source.

“Who are you?”

The man lets go of the hold he has on the door and takes a step back, taking an easier stance. “Fabian Lorenzo,” he says and my bones chill at the mention of his name.

“F–Fabian?”

“I see you’ve heard of me.”

Everyone has heard of this man! The infamous Fabian Lorenzo is the heir to his Italian family crime organization which masquerades as a business organization. Oh, they do business alright but not the legal kind. And even their legal businesses tether a little too close to being illegal. The Lorenzo family is the most feared in Moth Hill and has been for the last fifty years.

Fabian Lorenzo has been the face, or in this case, the new name behind the family. Mere residents like us have never had the displeasure of meeting the man in person. Most people say he is more dangerous than his murderous father. This man doesn’t just beat you up and leave you begging for your life, he’s much worse.

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