Page 7 of Vow of Silence

I sliced it off.

His eyes widened as blood squirted. Before he could say anything, I picked it up and shoved it in his mouth. Pulling up my mask, I smiled at him. “You raped me and now you’re going to die.”

He was trying to speak but I aimed the gun at his head. “Don't worry, you can be reunited with the bastard son you left in my belly.

Wham.

The blow from the gun sent him falling to the floor. I stepped on his kneecap enjoying his muffled screams. “You won’t be lonely. Your father’s already dead.”

I shot him in the gut. He toppled to the floor, bleeding out more now that the bullet had pierced his organs. When his eyes glazed over, I grabbed his hair. Jerking his head back, I slit his throat. The gurgling sounds made as he gasped for air had me smiling. His suffering was like a sweet symphony. I watched life drain from him.

Behind me, I heard our men come inside. They took one look at him on the floor and moved back out, closing the door behind them. I walked over to the man I shot in the head. Our intelligence said that Qemal was here with his girlfriend, but he was here with the naked man. Tossing back the comforter, I saw the evidence of their love making and a few empty condom wrappers.

Bending, I scooted the mattress over and saw a folded piece of paper. I picked it up and opened it. There were two names written on it, Samir Pasalic, and Nedim Cejvan. There was also a camcorder.

Turning the volume down, I pressed play. The recording was of Arkan murdering the President of Bosnia. There was another recording of Arkan planning to double cross Felix.

It said: “Once Adan is out of the way, I will take over his territory. Felix isn’t someone I want to do business with. He’s a heartless bastard with no integrity. He cares more about money than his own flesh and blood. Any man like that isn’t trustworthy and only cares about himself.”

It was hard for me to stomach, but I agreed with him. I slipped the items found in my bag.

What is going on? Qemal didn’t give off bisexual vibes. Did dad lie to me?

A sense of uneasiness flowed over me, as I walked out of the room. Just as I thought, the men were in the office tearing things apart searching for something.

This wasn’t over. There was something else going on, and I was going to find out what it was. If Arkan was responsible for the rape and assault on me, he would die too.

After forty minutes of looking and finding nothing the men became upset and began acting weird. I was certain their lives would be at risk when they returned home empty handed.

Father, what are you up to?

3

CIAN O’BRIEN

DUBLIN, IRELAND

I went inside O’Murphy’s Pub. The place wasn’t crowded and the wooden tables still smelled like wood polish. The lemon scent would soon be dwarfed by the smell of cigarettes, beer, and alcohol. Gearoid, the owner, always kept the last booth empty in the back facing the door. It was my table. Tipping my hat, I slid in my booth. Now my mood was bipolar, one minute I was angry and another I was oblivious. The thought of losing my freedom because I finally stood up for myself against Broderick Cooper was daunting.

All my life I’ve tried to avoid conflict. In the end, it only gave people the wrong impression. I’m not a coward, nor am I weak or meek.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lilly Maguire saunter over to me carrying a glass of Guinness. I was grateful for her thoughtfulness and my tip would reflect it. However, I hated it was her bringing it. We had messed around on and off for two years. Lately she had been acting as if she wanted more. Our arrangement had always been drinking, sex, and gardening. I liked plants and she couldn’t keep anything alive for more than a month.

She sat the liquid in front of me. “Cian, I heard about what the authorities want to do to you. I hope your dad can take care of that. You don’t deserve to be locked up like an animal.”

“Thanks Lilly. Keep the change.” I slid her a hundred-dollar bill. A part of me hoped she would read my energy and walk away, yet she was still standing in front of me bouncing from one foot to the other.

“I get off at eleven thirty tonight. Do you want to hang out?” She tucked the money in her money pouch at her waist.

“I can’t. I’m heading back to the States for my court date.”

After nodding, she scurried off.

When I finished my glass of beer, my mood hadn’t improved. I had to drain the dragon, so I slid out of the booth and headed toward the men’s room. The bar filled quickly and everyone looked happy and drunk. There were a few unfamiliar faces here which meant they weren’t locals but tourists. The last thing I needed was to deal with some idiots when I was filled with rage and sadness. Kicking the door open, I walked to the last urinal.

Shortly after I finished, the door opened and three men entered. These three men had been sitting at the bar hitting on any woman with a short skirt who walked past them. The tallest one with the baldhead was the unofficial leader and the most obnoxious. His two friends were shorter, one was muscular with several face tattoos and the other looked barely legal and skittish.

“Calvin, you guard the door. Brent and I are going to have a bit of fun with this pretty boy here,” he said.

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