Page 7 of Devil's Embrace
The tall man straightened, and I saw he wore a long dark coat that seemed to absorb the surrounding light.His movements were deliberate, precise.Clinical.With sickening clarity, I realized what I was witnessing.The thing on the ground was a person.A dying person.
A wet, gurgling sound carried through the still air.The figure on the ground twitched, limbs jerking in grotesque, uncoordinated movements.I watched, paralyzed with horror, as the standing man leaned down once more.Something glinted in his hand—metal catching the distant glow of a streetlight.A knife.Or a gun.I couldn't tell.
The dying person made one last sound—not quite a scream, more like the desperate gasp of someone drowning—and then went still.Blood pooled on the pavement, black in the dim light, spreading like spilled ink.
My body went cold with recognition.This wasn't a Halloween prank or some elaborate decoration.It was real, and it was death.
I took a silent step backward, pulling Mina with me.My mind screamed at me to run, but instinct warned me that sudden movements would only draw attention.I needed to back away quietly, to get Mina out of this nightmare and to safety.
But Mina, with a child's inability to comprehend the danger, whimpered.The sound was soft, barely audible to my own ears, but in the deadly silence of the alley, it might as well have been a scream.
The man's head snapped up, his entire body going still in a way that reminded me of a predator catching the scent of prey.He turned, smooth and controlled, and the distant light caught his face.Sharp cheekbones.Strong jaw.And eyes—cold, blue-gray eyes that fixed on us with terrifying intensity.
I stumbled back another step, one arm reaching behind me to keep Mina securely against my legs.My breath came in short, shallow gasps that clouded in the cold air.The flashlight beam now pointed uselessly at the ground, but I couldn't steady my hand enough to raise it.
"Mama?"Mina's voice was high with confusion and fear.She clutched at the fabric of my jeans, her small fingers digging in.
"Shh," I breathed, not daring to look away from the man.He stood completely motionless, assessing us with a gaze so calculating I could almost feel it like a physical touch.Then, with deliberate slowness, he straightened to his full height.He was tall—at least six-foot-four—and the way he carried himself spoke of lethal confidence.
My mind raced through options, each more desperate than the last.Run.Scream.Beg.In that moment, nothing mattered but getting Mina away from this man, this killer, whose gaze never left mine as he took a single step toward us.
I could hear my pulse in my ears, drowning out everything but the scrape of his expensive shoe against the wet pavement.In the periphery of my vision, I saw the body on the ground, motionless in a growing pool of blood.That could be us next.That would be us next if I didn't get Mina out of here.
The alley suddenly seemed miles long, the street behind us impossibly distant.I calculated our chances of outrunning him—me in my worn sneakers, Mina in her unicorn costume.Zero.We had zero chance.
"We didn't see anything," I said, the words tumbling out before I could stop them, my voice a rasp of terror."We're just going home."
The man didn't respond.His face remained impassive, but his eyes—those cold, assessing eyes—narrowed slightly.I saw his hand move toward his coat, where I was certain he kept his weapon.
"Please.”My voice came out little more than a whisper as I backed away another step, pulling Mina with me."Please."
I felt Mina trembling against my legs, her small body vibrating with fear she didn't fully understand.I had to protect Mina.Nothing else mattered.Not the dead body, not the killer advancing toward us, not even my own life.
I reached behind me, fumbling for Mina's shoulder, ready to push her toward the alley entrance and tell her to run.Even if he caught me, maybe she could escape.Maybe someone would hear her screams and come to help.
But the man moved again, a fluid step that brought him several feet closer, and my courage faltered.What if he went after her first?What if I sent my baby running straight into danger?
"Mama, I'm scared.”Mina’s hold on me tightened.
"I know, sweet pea.Just stay behind me."
The man took another step forward, his movements predatory, unhurried.He knew we couldn’t escape.He knew we had no way out.A sob rose in my throat, but I choked it back.I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of my fear, even as it threatened to drown me.
My back bumped against something solid—a dumpster, cutting off our retreat to one side.The killer's lips curved into what might have been a smile on anyone else.On him, it was merely the acknowledgment of prey being cornered.
In that moment, with the taste of terror metallic on my tongue, I made a silent vow: whatever happened next, I would keep Mina safe.Even if it cost me everything.
Luca
I stared at the unexpected witnesses, irritation prickling beneath my skin.
The hit went exactly as planned—silent, clean, efficient—until two figures stepped into my path.A child, small and fragile, dressed in a ridiculous purple unicorn costume, glittery horn catching the streetlight.Beside her stood a woman in cheap cat ears, fear widening her eyes even as she planted herself between me and the kid.Her posture screamed defiance, a shield I hadn’t anticipated.My stomach tightened.Complications.They always ruined everything.And I hated complications.
The job itself had been simple enough.Vince Caparelli had been skimming from our distribution profits for months.My uncle Mateo had finally lost patience and given the order.A quiet elimination, minimal mess.The kind of message that would travel through our circles without making newspaper headlines.
I timed it perfectly—Halloween night, when strange sounds passed for pranks and adults focused on costumed children.I'd chosen this alley specifically for its poor lighting and lack of surveillance cameras.Everything had gone according to plan until the woman's flashlight beam had caught my peripheral vision.
I assessed them quickly, categorizing the threat level.The woman—young, maybe mid-twenties, slender build but not athletic.Her costume was barely a costume at all—just those ridiculous cat ears on a headband.No real disguise.Easy enough to identify later.The child couldn't be more than five or six, drowning in purple satin with a rainbow mane attached to the hood.Both of them had seen me standing over Caparelli's body.Both had seen enough to identify me.
