9

 “Is there a problem, you bastard?” came a voice.

I slowly turned my body anti-clockwise, slowly, agonizingly slowly, as I came face-to-face with none other than...

Lazarus fucking Landucci.

This bastard.

This motherfucking bastard...

The man who ruined my life from the moment he'd stepped in it...

This couldn't be what was written in the cards for me.

My life couldn't have took such a turn for the worst in just a matter of hours...

Why had I been so trusting?

Why had I trusted a stranger so easily?

I had been so desperate for work...

So desperate to pursue the dreams of giving my family a good life...

That I'd forgotten to think with my head instead of my heart.

And it was killing me.

It was fucking killing me.

21

papa

“I want to go back to my family!” I demanded, screaming. “You never fucking told me this work was unpaid!”

I let out a blood-curdling scream, one after the other, feeling the little sanity I had left inside of me...

Leave my damn body.

“Now you listen here, you bastard!” Lazarus roared, shoving me so hard that I toppled backwards and lost my footing.

He reached for his pocket and took a pistol, cocking it and aiming it at my forehead.

I could feel my blood run cold, as I watched my life flash before my eyes.

Just praying that he wouldn't pull the trigger.

Feeling like a fool for running my mouth...

I was no good to my family if I wound up dead.

“I'm armed, and I won't hesitate to fucking shoot if you don't cooperate,” Lazarus snarled.

I drew out a deep breath that I didn't know I was holding, my heart pounding against my chest into a frenzy.

“No, don't shoot...” I pleaded sorrowfully. “Please...”

Lazarus let out a low, exasperated growl, before putting the gun back into his pocket, and I could feel myself blow a small sigh of relief.

Knowing that I'd escaped death from the skin of my teeth.

I could never get myself into a situation like this again.

22

papa

“Now I don't give a fuck if every bone in your body breaks,” Lazarus snarled. “You are to work for me until I see fit.”

He trailed off his sentence, a threatening, venomous look etched in his eyes that caused my blood to run cold.

“Otherwise I'll see to it that your beautiful wife and daughter get sold to slavery too,” he spewed viciously.

“No, don't you dare go near them!” I roared, convulsing, balling my hands into fists, feeling my head sear with agony and my eyes fog with tears at just the sheer thought of this happening to my wife and my child.

“You're going to have to listen to me then, aren't you?” Lazarus chuckled, cocking his head to the side, the corners of his mouth curling upwards into a smirk.

I was still trembling, my whole body shaking into a frenzy.

Knowing that I'd gotten into bed with some shady, disgusting bastards, and this whole organization was bigger than just Lazarus and his friend Rhys.

I didn't know how many other people could possibly be involved...

And I couldn't risk crossing them.

“I'll do whatever you say,” I whispered mournfully, admitting defeat.

“Good,” Lazarus remarked.

And without another word, he turned on his heel, and made his way out of the back of the truck, back to the front.

All I could do was pray.

Silent prayers to God inside of my head, even though inside...

I was dying.

Because out of everything...

I just didn't know if or how I would ever be reunited with Lily and my wife ever again.

23

lily

I stood outside of the tents, playing with my friend Valerie, another girl on the camp, who had beautiful ginger hair, pale skin, and bright blue eyes.

“I like your new jumper,” she said to me, smiling. “How did your mommy and daddy have enough money to buy it for you? None of us have have money to even buy some nice food.” 

 “It's not a new jumper,” I replied, shrugging my shoulders. “It's my daddy's jumper. He's gone away for work.”

I could feel my heart warm, as I remembered Papa's words.