Page 69 of The Devil's Den

He doesn’t answer, not even when we make it outside and into a white van.

“No blindfold today?” I try with another question.

But his mirthless chuckle is all he offers in return.

All the muscles in my body turn rigid on alert. Something bad is about to happen.

The cruelty of his stare only amplifies that knowledge.

He slides open the door and shoves me beside a man I met once. Carlito I think his name was. It’s been so long since he brought out the bunny I was made to slaughter as a child.

“Nice to see you again, kid.” Carlito’s mouth curls in a vile way. Everything about him smells like shit. I really want to gut him.

Another man’s behind the wheel, Agnelo in the passenger side, as we drive for a while until the warehouse comes into view. It’s the perfect place for murder. Nothing around it but trees.

They all hop out first, then I’m ordered out, Carlito clutching my arm, yanking me out. We trudge inside, the place dark, muffled sounds falling closer from the distance. At first, I think it’s a child, and shit, my body recoils. I can’t go through that again. I can’t murder kids. That’s not right. But when someone turns on the light, the air from my lungs completely evaporates.

There are no kids here. Not at all. Instead, in front of me, I find Aida and Ms. Greco, each with a gun pointed to their temples, their mouths covered with black tape, tears caked down their cheeks.

“What the hell is this?” I roar, darting back at Agnelo, his arms crossed over his chest as he smugly stares me down.

He finally comes over, standing in front, obscuring my view of Aida sobbing. “I swore to you that I’d take everything from you until there’s nothing left. Remember that?” He clasps both his palms over my shoulders as I widen a stare, my heart pounding, my teeth gritted and bared. “Well, that time has come.” He roughly pats my cheek. “You have some big decisions to make.”

My heart slams into my rib cage, my body cold inside, but my skin, it burns. “No.” I rapidly shake my head. “I won’t do it.”

He jerks his head back with a snicker. “I haven’t even told you what you have to do.”

But I know. I knew the moment I saw them.

“You’ll choose who lives and who dies. That will be on you.” He turns to the two women he never gave a damn about, and with a slice of his hand through the air, as though presenting me with a gift, he says, “So who will it be? The girl you love or the woman she loves?”

“Fuck!” I roar, my hands balled into shuddering fists. “I can’t! Goddamn you!”

“Sorry, but in this game, that’s not an option.” He tilts his chin to his men, who whack both women on the side of their heads with the pistols in their grips.

“You asshole!” I pounce as he jumps back like the coward he’s always been. I don’t even get a chance to hit him. Carlito and another guy hold me down even as I fight them.

“You’re wasting time, kid. You have two minutes to decide or they both die. And if you try that shit again, it’s game over for them both.”

They finally release me, and this time, I don’t move.

The men pull their gags down. “Matteo,” Aida cries. “Please kill me. Not her. I beg you!”

“Aida, no!” Ms. Greco screams, turning to her. “Don’t you dare! You can’t give up! I won’t let you.” Her sobs grow heavy. “You have to live for your mother! You have to let me go!”

“Don’t listen to her!” Aida retorts, not meeting her gaze. “You promised, Matteo. You pinky swore you wouldn’t save me.”

“Stop!” I shout, gripping my face in both hands. “Both of you just stop. I can’t… Fuuuuuk!” My roar rips through like an echo, setting off avalanches I can’t yet see.

“Time isn’t your friend,” Agnelo whispers near my ear.

I can’t choose. Of course my gut says to save Aida, she’s the damn love of my life, but hell, I can’t kill Ms. Greco. She’s been like family to me. And if I hurt her, there’s no way Aida will ever forgive me. I know that to be true. How do I save her only to let her go?

“One minute.” He removes the gun from the holster and holds it out for me. I take it because there’s nothing else I can do. I could shoot him, then try to take out his men, but none of that will guarantee that either Aida or Ms. Greco will survive.

“Thirty seconds.”

“Matteo,” Ms. Greco calls, choking on her tears. “Listen to me. You two need each other. You have to kill me. It’s the only way. I’m ready to go. I swear, I won’t hate you for it.”

---