Chapter 20: You have to keep feeling strong

Bits of rock and dirt bit into the soles of my feet as I ran. I was sprinting like my life depended on it, but as I passed the gate, a set of headlights flared in front of me, blinding me. The engine roared and the car sped toward me like it was going to run me over.

I threw myself off the pavement just in time for the car to slide past me, narrowly missing me. My foot caught on something and I fell forward, landing hard. I heard a car door slam and spun around to see a tall, backlit silhouette of a man approaching me.

And he had a gun in his hand.

“Sorry,” a voice said. “But you’ve seen to much.”

Oh God, I thought as panic and acceptance swirled through me simultaneously. I’m going to die…

I closed my eyes as the deathly figure raised the gun at me.

I guess this is what you get when you get involved with criminals.

I’d seen too much, a terrible truth about the man I thought I loved, and now I was going to pay for it…

…with my life.

If only I’d stayed at the club, I thought miserably. Sure, I would have been a hostage to a terrible man, but at least I’d be alive.

For some reason, at that moment, I felt as though I’d failed my parents. I’d found the evidence needed to bring the killer to justice, and what had I done? I’d run for my life.

And I’d failed at even doing that.

I’m sorry, Mom. I’m sorry, Dad… Ludwika’s voice rang out through the night. “Abraham, no!”

The gun went off.

And then nothing. My eyes snapped open and I checked my body. I’d heard high adrenaline situations could dull pain, but I think I’d know it if I’d been shot.

The sounds of a struggle drew my eyes to the driveway. Ludwika was standing by the car, lit by its headlights, holding the gun arm of the man who’d fired at me. My ears were ringing and I was so filled with panic I could barely make out what they were saying.

“No, String!” That was Ludwika.

“She can bring us down for good!” the other man bellowed.

“No!” Ludwika roared like an animal. “She won’t! She deserves to know the truth!”

To my surprise, Ludwika released me. I fell to the ground and collapsed into a fetal position, tears streaming from my face. I’d never felt more helpless in my entire life and hated myself for what I’d let myself get into.

I took deep, panicked breaths, but still felt starved for air and was absolutely sure that my heart was about to explode.

“I know you’re afraid, Hope,” Ludwika said after a moment. “But it’s not what you think.”

“I…I saw the picture…” I cried. “My parents…”

Ludwika knelt down beside me and placed a hand on my back. I twisted away but he put it back in a comforting, completely non-threatening way.

“Your parents were killed by Tony Colombo,” he said.

Tony Colombo!? What’s he talking about!?

“That photo was taken by one of his hit men,” he continued. “It’s part of a case I’ve been helping the police build against him and his family. They brought charges against him last night. That’s why we were at the club celebrating. He’s done for, Hope. He’s going to jail for the rest of his life.”

“I—I don’t know what you’re saying,” I stammered.

Ludwika moved closer to me. I felt the warmth of his body as he reached out and lifted my face to his. When I looked at him, I felt the same sense of security I’d felt when he first rescued me from the strip club.

“The mafia, Hope,” he said. “Your parents were being shaken down by the Colombos. They went to the cops and he had them killed. I’ve spent the last year doing my best to take them down, and last night I finally did.”

“So why is he trying to kill me?!” I screamed, pointing a finger at the man standing by the idling car.

“That’s Abraham, my number two,” Ludwika explained. “It’s his job to look out for me. He thought that if you went to the police with what you saw, pointing the finger at me, it would put a dent in the case against the Colombos—raise doubt and give the jury something to think about and let them walk free.”

“I—I don’t even…”

“It’s okay, baby,” he went on. “You’re okay. No one’s going to hurt you.”

“You trust her? What the fuck is wrong with you, man!?”

Everything was a blur, and there was still a man with a gun no more than a few feet away from me, so I did the only thing I could think of; I got up and kept running.

“Hope, wait!” Ludwika called out after me.

My legs were barely working and he caught up to me almost instantly. His strong arms wrapped around my waist like a vice and pulled me to him. I cried out and kicked frantically.

“Stop, Hope. Stop!” he pleaded. “It’s okay. No one’s going to hurt you.” “You—you killed my parents!” I stammered as a flood of tears fell from

my eyes.

“No!” he replied instantly. “I did not, let me explain—” “He shot at me!”

“I know, baby,” he said, his voice softer. But my body was rebelling against his and I threw my elbows like a fighter desperately trying not to be pinned.

“Let me go!” I shouted.