Page 17 of The Devil's Den

“Now, Matteo,” Agnelo calmly says. “You’re going to take that fucking gun and you’re gonna put a cap in that bunny and you’re gonna like it. Because if you don’t…” He removes his cell phone from his pocket, and as he comes closer, he plays a video. In it is Aida, sitting on a chair in a kitchen, a man behind her. In his hand is a gun just like this one, but she has no idea it’s pointing right at the back of her head.

“No! You can’t hurt her!” I shout, huge tears blurring my vision.

How could her dad do this to her?

My pulse hits me hard in my neck, like it’s going to explode out of me, the room spinning.

“That’s all up to you.” He winks with a cruel sneer, making himself look even uglier than he is. “So, kid? What will it be?” Carlito drops the tall box in front of me. “The bunny or my daughter?”

I stand there, wide-eyed, panting loud as I look at the bunny, hopping around in there. “I can’t hurt an animal. I just can’t.”

“Well,” Agnelo says. “I guess you made your decision.” He picks up the phone and starts to dial.

“No! I’ll do it! Don’t hurt her!” The words fly out. “J-just leave her alone.”

He puts the phone away. “Do it, then.” His gaze narrows. “Show me what you’ve got.”

With the tears dripping out slowly, my feet weighing a million pounds, I take that fluffy bunny and place it against my chest. Those little ears wag, his eyes staring back at me. “I’m sorry,” I tell him, petting his soft hair, before putting it back in the box.

With the gun in my hand, I point it to its head. “I’m so sorry.” Then I close my eyes and pull the trigger, hoping I missed.

But when I look back at the bunny, I realize I hadn’t. Something cold runs up my arms and my chest hurts because I can’t seem to breathe while staring at the animal I killed.

Agnelo claps. “Not bad for your first day.”

Blood. So much of it, I could barely see the white fur anymore. My stomach wobbles and I instantly throw up. But nothing seems to come out.

No… What did I do?

I killed something. I hurt someone.

Am I bad now too?

CHAPTERSIX

MATTEO AGE 10

My breaths blow outin a rush while I’m running like crazy, looking over my shoulder as they chase me.

Faster. Go faster.

They’re coming closer.

“Better think of something quick,” Stan mocks as I round the corner, running up the metal steps of the warehouse, not sure where I’m going since I’ve never been up here before. I enter a pitch-black area, their footsteps not far behind.

“How are you ever going to be tough when you’re so scared?” the other man taunts. I have no idea what his name is. I’ve never met him before.

They want me to fight them both, as if I could. I’m short, small, and they’re huge. They say I have to be tough if I want to work for them, but I don’t want to work for anyone.

These last two years have been nothing but hell. I’m still in that shithole basement with no way out, because no one will help me.

They take me here every day, teaching me to fight. To shoot. To kill. I hate it all.

When they bring me back to the basement, all I do is silently cry, missing my family, the way things were, like my brothers picking on me for getting in their way. I miss that. I miss them. All of them.

I blink away the tears, knowing I’ll never see them again. If in two years they haven’t found me, it probably means they don’t want to.

Aida’s the only good person in my life. She’s pretty and nice. We talk all the time. I love her more than anything.

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