Page 1 of Beautifully Forgiven

PROLOGUE

Their cries fill my ears.I can’t get to them, I can’t save them, my hands are bound in front of me. I was forced on my knees by gunpoint to watch as he tortures my wife and daughter. The gun’s metal rests against my head, and the blood caused by the swing he took at me drips down my face landing in a pool by my side.

“Please, I beg you.” My breath escapes me as I watch the fear in my wife's eyes.

“The time for forgiveness is over, Jacob.” His sneer brings vomit to my throat. I hold it back as I swallow and plead with him.

“Just let them walk away, please. Take me instead,” I beg again as tears cascade down my cheeks. My little girl screams out to me as one of Pasquale’s men holds her down.

“Daddy.” Her cries render me motionless. I’m frozen because I can’t save my little girl and I know what comes next.

I swallow down the lump building as my little Emmy looks over to me. Tears fall down her cheeks and her eyes shut tight. I watch how scared she is. I try to break free of the men holding me, but four against one isn’t good odds. The gun is shoved harder against my head, and one yells.

“Stay the fuck down or you won’t like what we do to her.” I close my eyes and let the tears fall. I’m gasping for air as my eyes find his.

“Pasquale, please.” My wife closes her eyes as Pasquale puts a gun to her head. She whimpers as he forces it down hard.

She’s shaking as he runs it down the back of her head and stops at her neck. Her eyes hold mine as I beg her for forgiveness with mine. I did this, I killed them.

“I warned you not to cross me, Jacob,” he spits. His voice is cold and hardening as he sinks the end of the gun farther into her neck.

“But you had to go and play happy family. We were your family. You belong to me, like the good dog you are.” I keep my eyes on my wife.

“I’m so sorry.” I mouth. She cries harder as she looks over to where Emmy lies. I know she wants to get to her. I do too.

“Please.” This time Grace begs him as he moves the gun down over her. I can feel her shiver from here. We both know what's going to happen now.

“You're going to sit there like a good dog and watch while your wife enjoys my men.” The smirk he hits me with makes me dry retch.

“This is your punishment for running. Do it,” he says as his men move in on Grace and Pasquale shoves her to the ground. She tries to move to get away, but he pulls her by her hair and shoves her face down on the ground.

“You son of a bitch,” I scream and launch at him. His men hold me back as I struggle and fight against them to get to him, to tear him to pieces.

One leans over the top of her as she screams and cries for them to stop.

“Get your fucking hands off her,” I yell as he yanks her up by her hair and licks the side of her neck, watching me the entire time with a sadistic smirk on his face. He uses his free hand to pull down her underwear. Grace struggles against him as he forces himself on top of her to hold her down.

“Baby,” I call, and she looks up at me, her face red and wet with tears.

“Just watch me.” She nods, and I have to watch as he rapes her. She cries out, begging him to stop. When he finally finishes, I watch in horror as they all take turns each enjoying every second of it, shooting me a wink or a smirk as they finish. I count five men I have to kill. Five men that will pay with their lives.

I throw up beside myself as the last guy pulls out, not being able to hold it back any longer. I can hear my little girl crying for her mummy as Grace lays lifeless and helpless on the ground.

“Next time you’ll do well to remember you never get out Jacob, you’ll always be my dog.” Pasquale lifts Grace to her knees, points the gun at her head and pulls the trigger. The sound echoes around me, making me gasp for air as I watch her lifeless body fall to the ground.

“NO,” I cry, trying to crawl to her. I’m held back and someone hits me on the side of the head.

Her body falls to a heap as blood pools around her. Emmy screams and cries as the man holding her carries her next to Grace.

My head is fuzzy and my eyes are blurry. I pull myself up onto my elbows as I do. Pasquale points the gun at Emmy.

“Please no.” I gasp, already broken as he shoots my little girl. My knees tremble and I shake as I watch her small body fall beside her mother.

Tears fall uncontrollably as my entire body shakes, I’m frozen, unable to comprehend what’s just happened. Pasquale moves toward me and grips my hair, pulling my eyes away from them.

“Be a good dog.” I cry out in pain as someone smashes my legs leaving me defenseless.

I know without moving them, both my legs are broken. I feel the metal against my scalp, and I don’t care what they do to me.

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