Page 129 of Gamble with Me
I burst into tears, desperate sobs almost tearing me apart. The image of my beautiful daughter danced before my eyes when Chester snatched me by my hair, lifted me, and tossed me on the couch.
“Why are you crying?” Chester shouted, slapping my face again. “Don’t you like it, you whore? When Zyon tied you to the bed, you loved it! Why don’t you enjoy this?”
My heart clenched at the mention of the man I loved. No matter what craziness he did, he would never hurt me. He was my lifeline, my protector from this mad monster.
Another punch almost knocked me out. Chester hit my temple with his fist, and it was the last drop of my resilience. My limbs stopped working. My body fell limp on the sofa. The world disappeared.
Through my one functioning eye, I saw his silhouette towering over me, throwing strikes at my broken body.
But nothing hurt anymore. I felt like my soul was slowly leaving my body, and I watched Chester from far away. I was at peace with what was about to come. I only prayed Zyon would take care of Zara. She had no one to rely on except for him.
A sudden bang made me flinch. I was violently hauled back to reality, unsure of what I had heard. It sounded like a gunshot, and it was so loud I momentarily thought my eardrums ruptured.
An agonizing groan slipped past my dry lips, and I turned to the side but fell from the couch. I hit my head on the floor, weeping like a child. The pain returned with full force, paralyzing me.
There wasn’t a part of my body that didn’t hurt. I tried to move but couldn’t. All strength left me. The world spun, and I felt like I would throw up at any second. But then I detected a sound of heavy breathing. My heart clenched, expecting Chester to appear, yet no one came.
Grunting reached me from the entry hall, and I pushed myself to peek from behind the sofa.
“Zyon,” I whispered, recognizing the contours of his face. Blood dripped from my forehead into my one healthy eye, and I spit it on the carpet as I crawled toward him.
“Valeria,” he breathed, stretching his arm in my direction. “Chester ran away.”
Relief washed over me, but then I caught sight of more blood around him.
“You’re hurt,” I sobbed, unable to control myself anymore.
“It’s just a scratch,” he reassured me, leaning forward and trying to take my hand. “I already called an ambulance.”
I collapsed at his feet. He moved closer, hugging me tightly as I slowly lost track of time and reality.
“Hold on, Valeria,” he whispered weakly, trying to keep me awake, but it was impossible. It was too much. The last thing I heard was the siren outside before everything submerged into the darkness.
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Zyon
“What do you have for me, Ethan?” I asked, sitting behind my desk in the Starlight.
Officer Ethan Williams had been on my payroll before he had even graduated from the academy, and his information was often crucial for my escape from the police’s claws. He was one of the few people I trusted with my life.
“Detective Lombardi is pushing the judge to sign the search warrant on the underground parking lot in this building,” he said, opening his notebook. “He has some leads that confirm there are bodies buried there.”
“Supposedly, seven people were buried there without my knowledge,” I admitted, ignoring my buzzing phone. This meeting was too important. Malin could wait. “I already have people working on it, but they need time. The place is huge.”
“I’m gaining time with the mysterious fire in Trojan Construction,” Ethan said, writing something down. “But Lombardi believes you’re involved in that, too. And five murders in three weeks don’t make my job easier. What are you doing, Zyon?”
“Cleaning the mess,” l replied nonchalantly, smirking when he sighed. I knew this situation was a nightmare for him and a few others who kept me off the hook, but the money they got was a tremendous compensation.
“By creating a new mess?” Ethan countered, closing his notebook. “The FBI is asking about you. Whatever you’re doing has to stop, or you’ll get in trouble.”
“This Detective Lombardi,” I changed the subject, refusing to listen to his preaching. I knew the risks. He didn’t need to remind me of the sword hanging above my head. “Is there something we can use? Isn’t he a gambler, or maybe he likes younger girls or boys?”
“He’s a former military officer with a flawless record, is married, has two kids and a mortgage. He doesn’t have a mistress, dirty secrets, or take bribes,” Ethan recited, grimacing. “I found nothing on him.”
“Okay, keep looking.” I leaned into my seat, deciding I had to meet this detective. He’d been breathing down my neck for quite some time, but he hadn’t shown up for an interrogation. “From my experience, everyone has a price. You just need to figure out whether it’s money or something else.”
“As you wish.” Ethan nodded, watching me as I opened the top drawer on my desk and took out a thick envelope of cash.
