Page 32 of Death Of A Sinner

By the time I walk through the front door, everyone is gathered in my living room. My brothers, Mary, and fifty of our top soldiers.

“What do we know? Where is he?” I ask Marcel as I make my way over to the wall. I move the large painting aside, open the safe, and start loading up on weapons and ammo. Pocketing a couple of grenades while I’m at it.

“I’ve tracked his cell to a house in Dandenong,” he says.

“What the fuck is he doing all the way out there?” I hiss.

“Hiding would be my best guess,” Marcel replies.

I look to Mary next. “What does he want? Why’d he take her?”

“I don’t know. Tommy wouldn’t tell me,” she says.

“Okay. We go in hard. Not a hair on that girl’s head is to be harmed,” I instruct my men. “Let’s go.”

“I want to come,” Mary calls after us.

“No,” I tell her.

“Please… She’s my daughter. I’ll stay in the car. I just… I need to be there when you get her back.”

I consider my options. I could have a couple of the guys keep her here. But if I do that, I’m no better thanhim. My father. “Fine, but you don’t get out of the car.”

“Gio.” Ellie stops me as I’m walking out the front door. I turn around and she hugs me. “Be safe. I love you.”

“I love you. See you in a few.” I kiss her forehead. I know this is hard on her. It’s always hard on her when I leave the house to do something dangerous.

* * *

When we reach the location, I remind Mary to wait in the car. She nods her head.

My men surround the place. Twenty of them at the back, thirty at the front. There is no sign of Tommy or his fucking friends. As I raise my foot to kick in the door, I hear the rumble of the bikes. I don’t bother to look behind me as I walk into the house, guns raised.

It takes less than five minutes to clear the property. It’s fucking empty. No signs of anyone. So I turn and walk out, passing Tommy as I head back to the car. That’s when I notice something’s missing.

“Where the fuck did she go?” I ask Santo.

He looks across the road, over to where Mary is heading into a nearby house. Not too far from where we parked.

“What the fuck is she doing?” I run towards her, Santo and Marcel right behind me. Not stopping until I’m standing in the living room where Mary is huddled over an unconscious Esther.

A shot rings out. My gun raises, and I fire without even thinking. A bullet tears through Logan’s chest. I fire off another four rounds and watch as the gun in his hand drops.

“Fuck!” Santo shouts, lowering his voice when he adds, “Mary, it’s gonna be okay.”

I squat down and look at my little sister. It doesn’t happen often, but I was wrong. She’s not unconscious. She’s dead. Her throat has been slit. I look to Mary, down to where a hand is clutching her stomach, blood seeping from between her fingers.

Her body falls forward, and Santo catches her. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Mary says to me.

“What the fuck? No!” The scream comes from Tommy as he scoops up Esther’s lifeless body. “No!”

I glance over at Santo. We both know it. Mary is dying. “I forgive you,” I whisper and watch as a tear runs down her face.

“We forgive you,” Santo says. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“I love…” Her eyes shut and her body goes limp.

I turn to Tommy. The end of my gun aimed at his head. “What the fuck did you do?” I ask him.

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