Page 29 of Brando

My mind races, a carousel of memories. Brando was right about Frank. The man was not to be trusted. Yet, amidst the chaos, clarity emerges—I’m walking voluntarily into the lion's den, in a bid to stare down the beast and save my sisters. For my sisters, I’d face the devil himself.

The thought of trading my own freedom for their safety clenches like a fist around my heart.I know that if I have a few precious moments with Frank, I’ll be able to talk sense into him. Even if it means trading myself for my sisters’ freedom. Though the one thing I’m certain of is that Brando would never willingly let me go to meet Frank. He would never. He went ballistic when Frank called me; if he knows Frank is behind this whole ordeal, there’s going to be a bloodbath. There’s no telling how many people will get hurt. I can’t risk that. I can’t risk my sisters’ lives. And I won’t forsake Brando, either.

The city'sheartbeat fades into a distant murmur. The warehouse emerges from the gloom, a monolith of rusted metal and broken promises. Its gaping doors yawn open, an invitation for me to enter the lion’s den.

For some reason, Frank changed the address of the meet at the last minute. Small mercies, I think. We’re meeting at a rusted up old warehouse that’s seen better days; in its dilapidated state, it should be slated for demolition, and briefly I wonder if he asked to meet here so he could blow it up with me in it. I wouldn’t put it past him.

The fact that he has my sisters tells me the lengths of evil he would go to. I just don’t know why. I don’t know what he hopes to achieve by taking my sisters and depriving me of them.

My hands tremble as I move through the door, steadying herself against the surge of fear that sweeps over me. Inside, there’s only a single bulb that sways as though a breeze blows through it. But I know better. It’s the devil’s energy moving swiftly against the filthy walls of the condemned building.

“Welcome, Mia,” Frank's voice cuts through the silence, smooth as the blade he is using to twist my world into a chaotic frenzy. He emerges from the dark, his pathetic smirk a slash of evil on his face. “So glad you could finally make it.”

“Where are they?” My voice is a whip, cracking the air between us.

“Patience,” he chides, circling me like a predator sizing up its prey. His breath surrounds me, and I can’t help but shrink back. So different from Brando’s breath – one is comforting, and the other burns me from the inside out. “All in due time.”

My heart thrashes against my ribs, but I continue to hold his gaze, unflinching. This is a battle I’m determined to win, and I will not back down or show him any weakness.

“I did as you asked, and here I am,” I snap, my hands balling into fists at my sides.

“Always in such a rush, my Mia,” Frank taunts, his eyes malicious. “But don't worry, they’re fine. After all, a deal is a deal. And I am a man of my word.”

His words slither around me, wrapping around my neck like a constricted noose. I steel myself, knowing the true test is yet to come.

“Let them go, Frank. Now. That’s the only reason I agreed to come.” Each word that leaves my mouth is a controlled burst of defiance.

“Ah, but Mia,” Frank's voice oozes mock sympathy, “you assume you're in a position to make demands.” With a leisurely stride, he circles me, a predator toying with his prey. I can’t believe I ever let this man into my life, let him touch me. I may have been young and naïve before, but right here and right now, all I feel is how despicable he is.

“Your sisters... they are quite safe,” he continues, the lie wrapping around his tongue like silk. “But their safety comes at a price.”

My pulse thunders in my ears, my jaw clenching tight. I’d known there would be a price to pay. Frank Falcone never did anything without payment. I just had no idea how far he would go in extracting his payment. I haven’t seen him in more than ten years; it seems like levels of madness have manifested over time and he’s lost his connection to reality. “What do you want, Frank?”

My own voice sounds like it comes from far away, as though it is carried in on the wind. It echoes in the open expanse of the empty warehouse, adding to my disbelief at the situation I’ve found myself in.

“Simple. I need you to work for me.” His declaration lands like a blow, staggering in its audacity. It’s a surprising request, but one that could encompass many things.

“Doing what?” I’m incensed that he would think I have any desire to be in his company on a longer than required basis.

“Let's call it... debt collection.” He smiles, a shark scenting blood in the water. “You have your father's persuasive touch, after all.”

Bile rises in my throat. My father's legacy—what got us here in the first place—is now Frank's weapon against me. It sickens me that my sisters and I are still paying the price for our father’s mistakes.

The warehouse seems to spin, cold concrete and shadow melding into a vortex of deceit as I think about all the things he’ll likely use me for. If I thought he was evil before, there’s no telling what the devil inside him is capable of now.

“Never.” The word is a bullet shooting from my lips.

“Never is a long time, princess.” Frank leans in close, his breath a caress against my cheek, reeking of treachery and danger. “Think about it. Refuse, and your sisters suffer. Help me, and I'll keep them comfortable.”

“I hate you.” I spit the words at him, venom laced with defeat. He’s chained me to him by the hand that hurts. My weakness. My Achilles heel. I lock eyes with him, my gaze icy and flat. “If you hurt my sisters, I will kill you.”

“Don’t give me a reason to hurt them, Mia.”

“Fuck you, Frank.”

“Excellent choice.” Frank's satisfaction rings hollow in the cavernous room.

He turns away, a cruel smile carved across his face. I shift restlessly from one foot to the other as I watch him walk slowly around the warehouse. He wipes a finger across a dusty old table, raises it to the flickering light, then blows until the dust is spiraling in the air before him. He was always so damn theatrical.

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