Page 19 of Hansel
“I've always wanted to be with him, Gio. We have a lot of shit to work out but…”
“But you can't help who you are in love with.” He sighed tiredly. “Hansel is a lucky man to have you, Gretal. But I can't allow you to back out on me now. We need to act like a couple. Is Hansel going to be able to handle seeing us together? Are you?”
I paused. “I'll do my job and try to help those women. But listen to me, Gio. When this is all over, when we have found out who is doing these things, if I ever find out you are trafficking people then I will end you.”
I expected him to laugh at me so it was a surprise when he didn’t. “The Family is a changed organisation. Totally on the up and up.”
I didn’t believe that for a second.
“I'm not made for prison anyway.” He chuckled mirthlessly.
“I'm not talking about jail, Gio. I’m promising a far more permanent solution.”
The laughter died on his lips. “You aren’t capable of murder, Gretal. For all your bravado…”
“You would be surprised by what I am capable of, Gio.” He didn’t know that I had killed my adoptive mother. A woman who had forced me into slavery. I might not have plunged a knife into her heart or put a bullet in her brain, but as The Candy House burnt, I had made a choice that had changed me forever and locked her inside. Ignoring her screams.
I had spent years trying to make up for the black mark on my soul but it was still there. Hidden in the shadows of my eyes.
“Consider me warned. Now get some sleep.”
It might have been my imagination but I was sure there was a new note of respect in the crime boss's voice.
“Good night, Gio…” I closed my eyes, forcing myself to relax. I needed to sleep, Gio was right about that.
A minute passed in silence and then two. And still I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t relax enough to even think about sleep. The tiny knock on the door was almost welcome.
I bolted upright. Gio by my side reached for his gun in the darkness.
“Gretal?” The voice on the other side of the door was female. Female and full of teary urgency. Swinging my legs out from the warmth of the blanket, I padded towards the door.
A curvy blonde stood on the other side, there was another figure behind her. Gypsy, Fang's old lady. I couldn’t remember the name of the blonde, but I knew she belonged to Havoc. Her accent was quintessentially British.
“What's happened?” It was clear that something had. I could see it in both of their faces. Even in the gloom, they wore matching horrified expressions.
“You have to come, Gretal.” Gypsy’s voice was urgent.
“Keeley…” Havoc’s old lady snapped her lips shut, her eyes darting over my shoulder to Gio who was sitting upright in bed.
I threw a glance behind me. “Stay here, it's just some women's problems. I'll be back.” Quickly, I stepped through the door and shut it behind me. I didn’t care that I was in pjs, or if my feet were bare, it was clear that something terrible had happened.
“What's happened?” I followed after them as quickly as I could. “Will one of you just slow down enough to tell me why the hell I've been dragged out of bed?”
“Just tell her, Darcie, I don't think I can.” Gypsy muffled the sound of her sob against her fist.
The English girl, Darcie, shuddered visibly. “It's Keeley, she was shutting up the diner and was attacked.”
I swallowed hard. “Assaulted or…” One look at their faces and I already knew.
“Someone raped her.”
Chapter Twelve
Gretal
It was worse than anything I could have imagined. Maybe because I had known Keeley since she was eighteen years old - the sweetest, most pure soul I had ever met - it hit me harder.
She was huddled on the floor behind the counter and one look around told me she had put up a hell of a fight. There were shattered plates and glasses all over the floor. A smear of blood on the floor. A tiny amount of blood but it seemed to stand out in stark contrast. And then my eyes found her.
