IN THE SHADOW OF THE MAFIA

aniels

s sat like wounded soldiers in the middle of the chaos. My hands were

torm brewing in my mind. Damian's

ent of his tantrums, his cruelty, his constant r

sticky stain of stew, a thought took root

to leave.

my mind. But I'd clung to the hope of my grandfather's in

alized I

ance? What if he found a way to take it fr

oom. It wasn't perfect, but it was clean enough. Damian was nowher

as my

My room was barely more than a closet, but it held everything I owne

. The old locket my mother had

d been counting down the days to my inheritance. I almost left it

s kept some in the desk drawer. My hands trembled as I rifled through his things, finding a sm

. The only sounds were the creaking of the old floorbo

he front door. The cool night air hit my face, and for a moment

neer, his anger, the way he'd tosse

, pulling the doo

y. I pulled my coat tighter around me as I hurried

could go. There was a bus station on the edge of town, a

in a new city where no one knew my name. Maybe even find work at

ensation crept over me. It f

houlder. The street was empty, the lamplig

," I muttered to myself, cl

eling didn

against the sidewalk. The bus station wasn't

ard it. F

but distinct, e

y heart pounding

as still empty, but the shado

hispered, turning back

d, the footste

t my side. The bus station was just ahead, its

ach it, a figure step

somew

face obscured by the brim of a hat. His voice was smooth, almo

what you're

g to keep my

You really thought you and your brot

. I froze, my mind racing. He didn't look familiar-tall, broad-shouldered,

I asked, my v

udying me, like I was some kind of puzzle he intended to solve. His dark

ce low and smooth, yet carrying an edge

like iron. "Let me go!" I snapped, summ

at didn't reach his eyes. "I don't t

tilted. My knees buckled, and the last thing I remembered was the so