Violent Truth: A Dark Mafia Romance (The Endo-kai Mafia Series Book 2) by Audrey Rush

Author:Audrey Rush [Rush, Audrey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-11-24T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 8

DICE

seven years old

I can only choose one: to hear or to see. I can’t do both. The hole is too small, and the box is narrow. So I choose to see. To see if they hurt Mother again.

If they see you, they won’t pay me, she had said. Trust me, sweet boy. It’s safer inside the box.

The hole is about the size of a ping-pong ball, and I let my eye adjust to the light. I don’t like watching her when she’s working; I just need to watch. If Mother has to go through something like this, then I need to see it. I need to know what she goes through so that I can be a good son when it’s over. I can give her a hug. I can take care of her. Maybe then, I’ll be her favorite again.

The client rubs Mother’s neck. He pulls her bra strap off of her shoulder.

I flinch away. My head accidentally knocks into the wood. A dull pain throbs in my temple.

I’m supposed to be quiet.

I’m in trouble again.

“What was that?” the client asks.

“Oh, must be a rat,” Mother says. My stomach churns. “Know any good exterminators?” Mother purrs. My shoulders tense. I hate when she jokes like that. “I need to kill this little rodent. It’s been pestering me for a while now.”

“I know a few people,” the client murmurs.

I want to see if she’s joking, so I peer through the hole. They’re kissing, and it seems normal, so I close my eyes and carefully rest against the side of the box. Crouched like this, it’s hard to get comfortable, but once enough time passes, I always fall asleep.

In an hour, the front door slams shut, and I startle in the box. Mother’s heels clack over the linoleum. She bangs on the top of the box, the wood rattling with hollowness.

“Are you stupid?” she hisses. “Can’t you see I’m working right now? Or do you want to go without food for another week? You want to starve us again, little boy?”

I close my eyes, trying to push out the emotions. This is my fault. She’s doing this for us. If I had been quiet, she would let me out right now.

“Fuck it,” she says. “I’ll get water this time. No one will be able to hear you through that, will they? You little—”

A fist pounds on the front door. Mother freezes.

Then she straightens, pulling her dress back into place.

“Be quiet this time,” she warns.

Her heels tap the linoleum. The door creaks open, and I squeeze my eyes shut, forcing myself to be quiet. I have to be out of sight.

It’s better this way.

“Oh, hello,” Mother says. “You want to party tonight?”

“I’m looking for an associate of mine,” a man says, his voice raspy. “Rumor has it he was a client of yours. Can you tell me where this man is?”

He must be showing Mother a picture.

He’s not a client, then; he’s someone else. He won’t hurt Mother. I try hard to block it all out.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.