I let his soothing voice calm me. Uncle Ken was more like a dad to me than my own father was. Sophie, his daughter, was my best friend, and he always found time to go to the movies with us, parks, or other everyday stuff my dad had no time for. Usually, when there was a problem, I counted more on him than my own family.
I leaned back as he was holding me by my shoulders, and showed him the paper in my hand, which was a bit wet from the tears that had fallen on it. With a frown, he snatched it and started to read.
The minute he was done, I knew coming here was a mistake.
His face transformed from gentle and caring to angry and disgusting. Panic built up inside me. I tried to bolt, but his hand painfully grabbed my arm and pushed me to the floor, ignoring my cry of pain. I sat up, and fear paralyzed me when I noticed the gun in his hand. I couldn't breathe or move. The world around me shattered into tiny little pieces. Sobs sounded loudly in the silent room, and after a moment, it dawned on me they were coming from my mouth.
“Shut up,” he snapped, and hit me across my face with the gun. My cheek burned. My fingers touched my lips and there was blood. I closed my eyes from the unbearable pain, afraid to make a move for fear of how unpredictable he was. “Did you tell anyone about this?” I shook my head. He ran a hand through his hair and opened his cell phone to make a call, when a familiar ding of the elevator rang and the doors opened again. None other than my father stepped out of it and took in the scene.
Uncle Ken pointed the gun at me and snarled at him. “Mind explaining to me how your daughter found the contract? You have them lying around your fucking house?”
Dad’s face was a mask of anger as his hands clenched into fists.“No. It was secure in the safe. Someone put it out there for her to see.” His eyes landed on me and they darkened. Was there agony in them for a second? “You hit my child?”
“She was ready to expose us. Came rushing to me for help.”
Dad crouched in front of me and took my face in his hands, moving it from side to side, examining the damage. They both repulsed me. The dizziness in my head made me want to throw up. With the little strength still left in me, I pushed back with my hands and rested my back against the couch. Two men, who were supposed to always protect me and love me, stood in front of me and wished for me to die.
“She’s a liability,” Ken said; no fucking way was he an uncle anymore. Dad’s jaw ticked. “She always liked all those fucking charity cases and homeless pets. You think she’ll keep her mouth shut about this?” Dad still said nothing. He picked up the contract from the floor and ripped it in two. Ken laughed, and that laugh chilled me to my bones. “Won’t help, friend. We need to kill her.” My eyes closed; the end was near, and if Ken betrayed my trust, how could I rely on my own father, who never showed me any affection? “We’ll play it off as suicide, some bullshit story about unrequited love or an overdose of drugs,” Ken finished.
Then it was my dad’s turn to speak. “Sapphire is my daughter.”
Ken snapped, “And? I wouldn’t hesitate to kill Sophie if she found this shit.” Oh, my God, the man I considered an ideal father didn't even care about his own child. How could he have been so lovable and caring all those years, if we were nothing but pawns for him and our lives meant nothing in the grand scheme of things? Hopefully, my friend would never know how little she meant to her dad. If the piercing pain in my gut was anything to go by, the feeling would suck.
“I don’t care, Ken. She’s my flesh and blood. I was the one there when she was born. I raised her. She’s my kid. No one touches or kills her; you got it? I’ll deal with her, and she’ll keep her mouth shut.” My eyes opened wide with shock. Dad was trying to save me? He took a step closer to Ken, both facing each other as he poked him with his index finger.
“You tell people about it, fine. If anyone touches my daughter, I will destroy you and the rest of the team. You know I have enough evidence. No one touches her. Do you understand?” Ken snarled and made a move to gut punch Dad, but he saw it coming and blocked the blow, sending Ken to the floor. “Stop acting like an idiot and keep your mouth shut. The same immunity for her as your own kid. If she loses so much as a hair on her head, you’ll pay.” Then he picked me up in his arms and carried me out of the apartment. My cheek and lip hurt, and my head ached from the stress, so I closed my eyes and let the darkness take me.
Sapphire
My soft footsteps padded on the wooden floor as I entered the kitchen wearing a purple robe and feeling painfully shy. My skin was flushed red, and since I was makeup free, I resembled a teenager.