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Our dad told him, “Yeah, he may have your sexy witch beat when it comes to tricks.”
There were mumbles of disbelief, but I shut them out to sniff the air. I wanted to smell the men who had been here before me and follow their trace to the man I wanted dead. Within seconds, I was lifting a piece of earth—a hatch—and walking down a narrow stairway to go underground.
My skin hummed as I walked, each step taking me deeper. Someone behind me clicked on a light, making me squint as my eyes were so sensitive at the moment.
At the bottom, I found myself in a square room full of shelving that was loaded to the hilt with canned goods, jarred food, lots of toilet paper, and other provisions.
Being prepared for lockdowns or Armageddon was a great cover to what was really happening down there. I went to a wall and felt around until finding a hidden button.
I pushed it.
The shelved wall swung open.
What I heard was … a whistle.
Oh my god.
SIXTEEN
DADDY’S LITTLE GIRLS
Thunder
The haunting melody drifting throughout his prison had me thinking of Rya’s torture, but I couldn’t figure out how this was possible. In the light from the room behind me, I studied Onus, sitting on a cot behind bars. Encased in cement, all he had was a bed, one blanket, a toilet, a sink, and chains around his wrists. There was also a tray in the corner, the food on it untouched.
With a knee bent, he stared at me. “Look who’s coming into his own,” he acknowledged in Spanish.
There was no denying the red glow bouncing off him and my refusal to answer him.
“Finally following the tune?” he asked, still refusing to speak English.
“It’s you,” I finally spoke, “who’s fucking with her.”
The underground cell stunk. Two weeks of confinement had been rough on him but taught him no manners. “Does it matter? Aren’t we all one in the same?”
Knowing he had been in Rya’s head, I proclaimed, “I’m nothing like you.” I would never violate her privacy.
“You’re wrong.” Him speaking English had me wondering why he was conceding to me.
What are you up to?
Studying him, it became clear that something was different. No. I was different, now able to see that Onus had a power lurking under his skin. It moved like glowing snakes in his veins.
The overhead light blinked on.
“No,” I barked. “Off.”
The room went dark again.
Snakes slithered freely throughout his body.
Well … fuck.
As a child growing up, I never had a chance against Onus. Especially this version of him. I could only hope that I could out power him now.
Concerned, I said, “You can turn the light on now.”
The fluorescent light flickered back on. I wasn’t surprised to see my friends, father, and brother by me, all staring at Onus who was now the one squinting.
