Page 20 of Smoke the Enemy

I flinch when he raises his palm again, but this time, he only lightly pats my cheek. “It’s okay, son. You’re forgiven. And to prove I still have faith in you, you’re going to slit her throat if she doesn’t tell us where her husband is.”

No. That’s murder. I can’t kill this woman. I can’t. What will Mom say? Does she know Dad does this?

“Go on. Don’t be shy,” he says in a taunting voice.

I walk over to stand before the woman. She’s tied to a wooden chair with zip ties. We’re in a hot, abandoned warehouse. Most of the glass is broken and flies are buzzing everywhere. Sweat drips down my face, neck, and back. My heart is pounding in my chest, and all I want is for my mom to walk in and hold me. She would stop this entire thing and then free this woman before she carries me back home to safety. Why did I think it would be fun to go with Dad? He wears a suite and rides in a fancy car. I wanted to sit in the cushioned leather seat and eat candy while watching a movie in the car.

“Hold out your hand.” I do as he demands. He places a knife with a gleaming long blade in my palm.

My eyes widen in horror. He honestly expects me to use this. My chest rises and falls as I struggle to breathe. It’s becoming difficult to swallow. The surrounding heat coupled with the pressure from my father are both suffocating.

“Ask her to tell you where her husband is.”

The woman with the tear-stained face and reddened eyes watches me as she whimpers, “Please.”

“Where is your husband, ma’am?”

Smack! I flinch at the pain from my father’s hand on the back of my neck. Smack! “This isn’t a dinner party, you dumb little shit! And if you flinch again…” He doesn’t finish his thought. The threat is left unspoken, but the promise is there.

“Where’s your husband?” I speak through gritted teeth. Mostly to hide my pain rather than scare her. I don’t want her to be afraid of me, for what my father wants me to do.

“I don’t know! Please! I don’t know,” she breaks down into sobs.

I look to my father but he only nods. What in the hell does that mean? I nod back because I’m ten and I don’t know what else to do. I point the knife at her and try to keep my hand from shaking, but that’s a complete fail. “Tell me!” I turn my body where my father cannot see my face and mouth the word ‘please’ to her.

She shakes her head with defeat written all over her face. “He left me. He didn’t even leave a message.”

Dad sighs loudly. “Looks like we’ll have to leave him a message.”

The woman cries harder. She turns her face up to the sky and screams, “Help me! Somebody!”

Two of my father’s men step forward, but he stops them. Hope rises in my chest. That is until he stares me in the eyes and nods his head toward the woman. “Do it,” he whispers so only I can hear. “Do it now.”

I gulp and lick my lips. Maybe I can run away. I’m really fast. He won’t catch me. I’ll make it home and tell Mom everything. Then I’ll never go anywhere with Dad again. Steffan won’t either.

As if he knows what I’m thinking, he chuckles. Placing his hands in his slacks, he casually walks up to me. He towers above me, so he has to look down in order to say the words, “Your mother knows, son. And she approves. You know why? Money. She likes her life. She loves the power. And she gets to give her baby boys anything their little hearts desire. Speaking of…” He squats down to be level with me. “Steffan didn’t come. I knew he wasn’t ready. He may never be ready…I have my doubts. I’m really disappointed to say I’m starting to have doubts about you. I thought this was going to be a proud dad moment for me. For us.”

“I’m sorry, sir.”

“You don’t have to be sorry, yet. There’s still time. Go on and do it for your old man, your family…for yourself. Show us you’re ready to be part of the Brotherhood. The next head of the Carmichael family.”

I grip the handle of the knife in my hand. I notice the woman has a gold necklace with a pendant on it. On it a cursive ‘D.’ She’s dressed like how my mother dresses, very elegant and pretty. “What’s your name?”

“Allison.”

“Then why does your necklace have a D?”

“My last name is Dupree.”

“Mrs. Allison Dupree, will you please tell my dad where your husband is? I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I know you don’t. But you must.” She raises her eyebrows up and lightly lifts her chin. I lean forward and she whispers, “My husband is taking my son someplace safe. He’s about your age. I’m so happy to know…that he got away from this life.”

My father jerks me back. “What did she say?”

“She’s happy to get away from this life.”

Allison nods in agreement as tears stream down her face. She mouths the words, ‘do it’, to me and lifts her head, exposing her neck. I’ve hunted before. I know the most humane way to do this so she doesn’t suffer is to go for the heart. With as fast as my hands can go, I stab her in the heart and then slit her throat.

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