chapter thirty-two

FUCK!

I should have paid more attention.

How the fuck was she going to realize just how much I paid attention to the details if I couldn’t get the right brand of cereal?

I knew she liked cornflakes with berries or banana slices in the morning. So, the question was: are they cornflakes or frosted flakes? Was she that health conscious and ate cornflakes because they were just a non-sugary version? The one social media post where she did post her breakfast was not as specific as I thought it would be. I thought it would be easy. I should have looked in her cabinets before I came. I have to stop assuming everything.

You know what… fuck it. I’ll buy both. I didn’t mind either. I would just eat whatever she didn’t eat.

A tug on my pants caused me to look down at a little kid who was staring right back up at me. She had her curly red hair pulled up into two pigtails and wore denim overalls. Interesting outfit choice on the parent’s part, but I couldn’t move past the large green eyes that stared at me. She was the perfect little Vanessa mini-me. Was this what our daughter was going to look like? Was this little mini-me the same as the one probably growing inside Vanessa’s womb right now?

“Mister, can you pass me the Wucky Chawms?” she asked with a tiny lisp that made my heart melt.

“Of course,” I said with a warm smile, reaching up to hand her the box of family-size cereal just out of reach for the little girl.

“Tanks,” she said, quickly grabbed the box, hugged it to her chest, and then practically ran away.

Chuckling, I grabbed the two boxes of cereal and placed them in my cart before heading off to check out, having now completed all my shopping. Since there wasn’t anyone in line, the burnt-out teenager quickly checked me out, allowing me to leave the store in no time, which I was grateful for because Vanessa was waiting for me. She must be hungry by now, and I couldn’t wait to hand-feed her as I watched her take every morsel of food off of my fingertips as I provided for her.

I was so focused on getting the groceries in the car and feeling completely safe in the afternoon light in any public parking lot that I let my guard down. I didn’t see the person coming up behind me with a crowbar in hand until I felt the metal hitting the back of my head.

“Wake up, maggot.” Ice-cold water spilled on top of my head as the force of a backhand propelled me out of unconsciousness with a gasping shout. My eyes were unfocused, but I wasted no time taking in the sight of the man before me. My heart was beating so fast in my chest that I thought it was going to leap out of it. I didn’t have to focus on this man’s features to know who he was. The mafia’s Butcher found me.

“There you are,” he sang maliciously. The middle of the chair dragged harshly against the concrete of the floor beneath it as he pulled it next to me. The sharp, throbbing pain radiated from my left hand, spreading to my right as I clenched it tightly, forcing me to confront the full reality of the situation. He’d nailed me to the chair. He’d nailed both of my hands to the fucking chair.

“See, you like my gift,” he said. “That’s what happens when you touch somethin’ that ain’t fuckin’ yours.” The Butcher leaned forward by resting his forearm on his knee. “Or, in your case, wantin’ to touch somethin’ that’s not yours.”

“W—” I coughed, interrupting my sentence. I forced myself to swallow any remaining saliva in my mouth to wet my throat, which was begging for any drink of water.

“W-w-what do I mean?” he mocked, then snarled. “My daughter, you lowlife piece of shit. You messin’ with my daughter. I don’t like it.”

Who the fuck was his daughter? I could’ve sworn he didn’t have any family left. Even then, I was so wrapped up in Vanessa that I hadn’t done much else other than work my day job. Was she a case I was looking into?

“I can see you’re not too bright. So I’m gonna slowly break it down for you so even your pea brain can understand it.”

He took the hammer lying on the floor that I hadn’t seen before just now, then swung back, hitting the nail in my left hand even deeper. A scream bellowed from my very depths. A loud cackle drowned out my cry, and as my vision came back to me through my pain, I saw the Butcher relax in a chair again, staring at me.

“I knew that wasn’t going to spark any hint of what I’m talkin’ about, but I had to just…” He sighed in glee. “While I was puttin’ you in this chair when you were unconscious, I realized I missed the sound of someone screamin’ while I did this. It’s my favorite sound, especially from those that fucked with me or mine.”

He crossed his leg over the other and smiled softly as if he was talking to an infant. “Now, let’s get back to the point, shall we? My daughter, Vanessa, and you? Yeah, that’s ain’t gonna happen.

“I see you’re finally understandin’ your situation. Judgin’ by that stupid fuckin’ expression on your face. Now, there are gonna be two options for you. Neither is gonna be pleasant.” His eyes darkened with excitement as his lip curled from the smile he portrayed to a more threatening one. “Either you let me do whatever I want to you as retribution for you messin’ with mine, or… you don’t make it out of here alive. Neither of those options gonna allow you to see her again. Choose wisely.”