Chapter 3 POV ALLEGRA

My injured father is on one side, my sister on the other, and me in the middle in despair. My heart is pouring out of my mouth and it only gets worse with every step I hear, and with no other way out, I grab my sister and do the only thing that can save me.

I run with my sister into the hiding place that Dad keeps at home, just in case the worst happens - but a sign of his involvement with dirty things. It is a sort of basement that is under the living room, which thanks to the wooden floor is just lift the trapdoor and go down.

I need to cover my sister's mouth with my hand and at the same time control my nervousness, fear, and the pain of knowing that I have abandoned my father with those people who cannot be good. Everything is bad, but it gets worse when the footsteps that I heard from afar are now just above us, it is possible to hear absolutely everything and to make it better, there is a small gap in the wood that allows me to watch.

My heart beats in every pore of my body.

"Where is it? " A voice that is no stranger to me orders my father. - Surrender and you survive.

"We both know I don't stand a chance, Simon." My father seems resigned that he won't get out of this alive.

The tears slowly stream down my face and I can't stop covering my sister's mouth, hugging her trembling body. Simon is the name of the man who commands the invasion of my house, and the voice, the name... it can't be the same...

God, I don't know what it can be anymore.

At the same time, knowing that this monster is in my house, so close to me after all he has done to me... On the spot makes my stomach complain. I raise my head and through the crack I can get a good look at one of the men who give me nightmares, one of the men who have most destroyed me internally. Yes, that's him.

Simon is a dangerous, powerful drug dealer, and holds a high place in the gang known as Spider - that's because he is the boss's brother-in-law. When I met my ex-boyfriend, he hung out a lot with Simon and his men - just like my father, Ivan was in on his dirty business. To try to get a better position, to clear the way, Ivan thought it was a good idea to share me with Simon and his gang of drug dealers.

Simon and his men, my ex-boyfriend, all abused me, repeatedly. Now this inhuman monster is right above me and my sister, torturing my father right before our eyes and ears. Looking up, I can see my father being tied up and then his screams.

I close my eyes. I have no way to cover my sister's ears and mouth at the same time, because the sound of breaking bones, of blows, the screams, the sound of a blowtorch, and especially the sounds of desperation that Dad lets out will never leave my head. Amorinha is just a child, she shouldn't be going through this.

My life has never been easy, but I just wish my sister didn't have to go through anything as bad as what I went through - but at such a young age she is witnessing the worst terror a daughter can go through. We both witness all the torture they do to our father, not being able to cry out loud, not being able to ask them to stop, not being able to do anything at all for him, or the worst would happen to us.

There is nothing they would do to me that they haven't done before, but my little girl is only thirteen, and knowing them as I do, she would be a full plate for them.

"Tell us where the map is, damn it! We know you have it, it's your duty as a member to show your loyalty to Spider."

"I..." My father gasps, you can hear the pain in his voice. "I don't have the map."

"The map you gave him is a fake, Richelli wouldn't come here to ask questions if he didn't have information about the map, and if you don't have it with anyone else..." He pauses, but the silence is soon interrupted by more shouts from my father that cause me to look up. The tears flow even more when the gap in the wood allows me to see him position a pair of pliers on my father's tooth and pull it out with brute force. "That means the real one is with you."

"Richelli is wrong. " Spits my father out, trying to convince him of his innocence.

Simon wants a map. At the same time I can only think of the box that was handed to me, Dad said I shouldn't ask about it, he was worried. Now he's willing to die knowing where the damn map is? Why? Maybe he knows that no matter if he delivers the map or not, there will be no mercy for him.

"Richelli doesn't make mistakes."

Who the hell is Richelli?

Is he the man who two days ago tried to kill me? Does he want this map too? I don't know what is so special about a map, and why these mature men want to play treasure hunt. Everything is still very confusing, and although I try to think, I can't conclude anything in this situation. My head hurts, and after they torture my father to exhaustion, I can see the moment when a gun is pointed at his head, just before he is murdered before my eyes.

My heart doesn't seem to pump blood the same way, I can feel the difference. The air around me, my heartbeat, everything is different now. My father and I don't always agree, but we always take care of each other.