Total pages in book: 16
Estimated words: 14503 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 73(@200wpm)___ 58(@250wpm)___ 48(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 14503 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 73(@200wpm)___ 58(@250wpm)___ 48(@300wpm)
Vaguely I hear the thumping of feet and my name being called but my hands are shaking, tears have flooded my face, and I feel like the oxygen is being taken from my lungs. Wictor barely makes it to me before I collapse into his arms on the way to the floor. I am sobbing and rocking, crying not for the traitor I killed but for my father that I lost. “Oh baby. I’m so sorry.” he says, holding me tight which is the only reason I am not on the ground like a baby.
“I ki-killed my fa-father. I killed him.” I barely get the words out my mouth before the sobs come back. All of the memories, the snapshots of time I have of him, us, our family. How happy we all were, the fun times, the love. It rains down on me and leaves me with so much drudge and sorrow because now I don't know if any of it was real. Did he really love us? Was his love genuine or was it merely an act he put on?
“I know, baby. I got you. I got you Luna.” he says. I have no idea how long we sit on the floor, but when we finally get up, I fortify myself. Looking up into the face of the man I love, I find my strength to do what still needs to be done.
“Do you have a knife on you babe?” I ask him, trying to remain impassive about my next step.
“I do,” he says, bending down to hand me one from his boot. “What are you going to do with this?” he asks. I look down at my father’s body on last time with love before I let it all drain out of me and look at him like the enemy he is. Looking back at Wictor, I simply shrug.
“Take a souvenir.” May God forgive me.
EPILOGUE
LUNA
SIX WEEKS LATER
The last six weeks have been busy and not without more violence, but I have managed to carve out a little joy and happiness from the pain and heaviness of the day I shed my own blood.
On that day, the one I will carry like a black hole in my heart. I cut my father’s head off, shoved it into a bag and with my people around me, I drove from the place I slain him and vowed to start over. I called in and had a torch team burn everything to the ground and never looked back.
When I made it home that night, Giulia was there waiting for me. In the backyard she demanded I roll his head out across the floors he built, spread his blood and show her. Once she saw with her own eyes he had been caught and killed, she congratulated me for avenging our family and went back to New York. After a conversation with my brother and my sister over the phone, I forgave myself, but I will never forget.
“Two weeks after that day, the day before Wictor and I planned to run off to Vegas and get married, I found out I was eight weeks pregnant. Of course we were overjoyed and jubilant. Now here we are married, four months pregnant and settling into a new house.
When we got back from Vegas I looked at my childhood home and it felt fake, haunted and no longer something I wanted to be in yet alone bring my baby into. So, my husband and I moved to a new area and started over with my little brother Ari in tow.
Last week Wictor finally finished cleaning up the mess left behind by his uncle. The Pruszkow no longer exists in Chicago. Now he has decided he is out. He no longer wants that life. He says like me, he couldn’t love everyday putting our family in danger and not knowing if we would make it back to one another. Of course I am still in charge right now, for the time being until Giulia deems Cinzia ready to take over. My husband is not happy about it of course and as such he comes with me on any job that needs to be done and does my heavy lifting.
“Hey, you.” he says, wrapping his arms around my waist. “What are you thinking about over here?” Smiling, I turn in his arms wrapping mine around his neck.
“Nothing. Just taking a second to soak up not having nothing to do.” It has been quiet for the most part and I am relishing it.
“I know. I was thinking since your brother is gone we could take some time to talk just without our mouths…well not using words.” I start giggling but that is interrupted by the phone. We both groan because we hate ringing phones now. He leans down, kisses me and hands me my phone. I see it is from New York but not from Giulia.