Page 20 of Come to Head

Emilio had never seen the man before and watched in abject horror as the man moved into the moonlight, his lips curled up into a cruel smile before he gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head.

For a moment Emilio thought that the stranger would give him away, but then the man broke their contact, gesturing for the others to follow him in the opposite direction.

He didn’t notice that he was sprinting across the field until he made it to the front door. It was unlocked.

Pushing it open, he crept into the house. His hands were clammy, his anxiety slithering along his skin, his panic tangible as he made his way inside.

He ran down a hallway straight ahead until the space opened into a living room.

He wasn’t quite sure what he was looking at, hismind wasn’t processing the chaos of the room. The knocked over furniture, the blood on the floor, the half-rolled rug.

“Help her.” The voice came from his right and he spun on his heel.

A teenaged boy was tied to an armchair with rope, blood running from his nose. “Oliver?” Emilio had seen him at church before, but they hadn’t spoken much.

“Help. Her.” His head gestured to the rug.

There was a stain bleeding through it, and Emilio unsteadily moved forward. His nerves were on the fritz, and he pushed down the voice shouting “Don’t do it!” as he bent down to unroll the rug.

“Camila?” He fell to his knees. “Camila?” The word was a desperate plea on his tongue. His soul separated from his body as he took in the sight of her.

Naked, bruised, bloodied.

Shot.

“Wake up!” He shook her. She wasn’t breathing, she wasn’t moving, she wasn’t.

She wasn’t.

She wasn’t.

He was too late. This was his fault.

He shrugged out of his shirt, lifting her and tugging it over her body.

Her body.

A sob wracked through him, and his vision blurred.

“I told her not to come here. Told her it wasn’t safe. I’m sorry,” Oliver clipped out. “There’s a new power in this town, she wanted to see the meeting. He wasn’t supposed to be here until tomorrow, but it was as if they were expecting her.”

Scratchy, grating. “Shut up!”Grima.

“Call yourdad. They are planning an attack. They want to take down your empire.” Oliver shifted a bit, struggling against his restraints.

“Why are you telling me this? Why shouldn’t I just kill you here and now?” Emilio reached for his forgotten phone in his pocket. Dozens of missed calls and texts. He read the last one. It was the promise that his dad was sending his men out on a search mission for both him and his sister. “Fuck!”

He stood, turning away from his sister. He couldn’t look at her right now, he needed to figure out what was going on first. He looked at Oliver and stared into his eyes, willing himself to see any lies in their depths.

“She was my friend. My only true friend,” Oliver stated the words coolly. “The newcomer and Christian made my dad hurt her… It was to secure his trust and allegiance.” He heaved a shuddering sigh falling back into the chair. “They made me watch as she begged, as she called for me. I’m sorry.”

Emilio screwed his eyes shut; he couldn’t process this. “I am going to kill your father.”

“I’ll help.” Oliver’s eerily calm voice vibrated into the space.

Emilio’s attention snapped to Oliver, regarding him. “You don’t have a choice.” He wasn’t sure if he believed Oliver or not. But maybe Oliver could be bait.

After all, Oliver was left here tied to a chair. Emilio stared him down. He didn’t see any lie in his eyes. Only regret, grief, unending sadness.

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