by KERRY BARNES
Gripping his shoulder in complete shock and in abject pain – for Mike had never actually been struck by a bullet before – he nevertheless tried to recover his balance to help Zara, but the moment he was stable on two feet, Torvic had a firm hold of her by her hair and the gun barrel now pressed against her temple.
‘No! Okay, don’t shoot!’ cried Mike.
Ricky tried to back away to call for help, but Torvic eyed him very quickly. ‘You move, and she dies. Your choice.’
The pain shooting down Mike’s arm made him want to cry out. He could feel all the blood gushing out from the wound, but he couldn’t move. ‘Stay behind me, Ricky,’ he whispered, under his breath.
Ricky, relieved that his father was not critically injured, remained motionless, his eyes fixed on Zara. Her face was battered, one eye was half-closed, and she looked drained. Crying inside, Ricky knew that Zara had put up one hell of a fight. If he could smash the life out of the old man with his bare hands, he would, but there was nothing he could do. He’d never felt so helpless in his entire life. All he could hope for was that Torvic wouldn’t pull the trigger just yet.
Mike and Ricky could only watch as Torvic leaned into Zara’s ear and whispered, ‘If you even think about making the wrong move, I’ll kill them in a way that’ll make you turn inside out with repulsion.’
As Zara’s senses began to return, she tried to put a mental plan into place; yet she was powerless. He still had his cold weapon pressed against her temple. Even if she decided to fight him, he would shoot her and then her family. She needed another strategy, one that might catch Torvic off guard.
‘Get inside. Any funny business, and I’ll blow her fucking head off!’ he bellowed, almost deafening her.
With great difficulty, Mike held up his hand. ‘All right, all right, just don’t hurt her. You can shoot me, just not her.’
For the first time in almost a month, Torvic smiled from ear-to-ear. This was what he had dreamed of, planned for. His revenge would be sweet as he savoured their fear and soaked up their pleas before he would carry out the ultimate in revenge.
For the vision of what she had made him do to his own son would haunt him for the rest of his life unless he could replace that hideous image with something so much more palatable – their gruesome demise.
Still gripping Zara’s hair, Torvic cautiously stepped forward, in case he slipped again on the ice. ‘Back up, Mike. Turn around and walk slowly to the lounge. And remember, one false move, and she dies.’
Mike turned around and pushed Ricky into the kitchen. With his back to Torvic, he nudged Ricky, whispering, ‘No heroics, boy. Just do as he says.’
Ricky was shaking but not through fear. He was angry, and it took all his willpower to stay calm and show no expression of rage.
Once they were inside the lounge, Mike and Ricky turned to face Torvic.
Mike felt sick when he saw how one of Zara’s eyes was now completely closed, the swelling having mushroomed in size within minutes. Yet she was not like any other woman; she still held that fearless expression and unyielding darkness that emitted from the one eye she had open. He assumed she’d got all her faculties back – she was one hell of a strong woman.
There was silence except for the sound of Mike’s blood dripping onto the parquet flooring. The pain had gone; now there was just a throbbing weak feeling emanating from his arm.
Although he looked tired and dishevelled, Torvic hadn’t lost that fierce look in his eyes or the evil smirk that made his bottom lip curl at the edges. Both were prominent outside the old wino guise.
‘Now the tables have turned, you are gonna feel what it’s like to have been in my shoes.’
His sick, demonic tone made Mike shudder. He knew this was going to be his worst nightmare.
‘Take a seat, you two. It’s gonna be a long day. Ya see, Zara, here, is gonna decide who I kill first, and I’ll make her watch, even if I have to staple both her fucking eyes open.’
Mike stepped back, grabbing Ricky’s arm.
‘I said fucking sit down! Now!’ bellowed Torvic.
Mike’s heart was beating so fast, it was like nothing he’d ever experienced before. He wasn’t afraid of anyone – until now. He looked at the gun – a Kimber 1911 Raptor 11 – and he stared at the magazine. If there was one thing he knew about, it was guns. Mentally, he tried to count the number of gunshots he’d heard before confronting Torvic and of course receiving one in the shoulder. The magazine had the capacity to hold just seven rounds in the magazine, plus one in the chamber ready to fire. If his calculations were right and the magazine was fully loaded then there was just one bullet left. But if he was wrong, then there were two. Either way, there was a serious risk of at least one of them being killed and he prayed it would be him.
‘Sit!’ demanded Torvic, as he pressed the gun deeper against Zara’s head.
Mike immediately sat on the sofa. Ricky followed suit.
Torvic laughed. ‘Now we’re all nice and cosy, Zara will make her choice.’
Mike froze. Was he hearing right? Was Torvic saying that he had no more than one round left? Because if he had three – unlikely – then he could kill all of them … slowly … one at a time … and then get away. But if he only had two rounds – or maybe just the one – his options were severely limited. Someone would survive and kill him.
Torvic put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed her as if they were old buddies. ‘So, what’s it to be, Zara? Who will you stomach watching getting executed, eh?’
‘Let them go and just kill me, Torvic,’ she pleaded.
He coughed and then laughed, pretending to be choking with shock. ‘Oh, dear me, Zara, that’s not what I want … Well, yes, of course, I want you dead, but I want you to witness what I had to do. Ya know what I’m talking about. You remember, you were there.’ He raised his voice. ‘You dished out the fucking order.’
Zara felt the vomit rise to the back of her throat. She looked at Mike, who was bleeding profusely, and who must be in excruciating pain, but there he was, trying to put on a brave face. The man who owned her heart, how could she choose him to die? A tear ran down her cheek. Then she looked at Ricky, the boy who was supposed to be her own, the kid she loved so dearly. His sweet boyish face was so full of kindness and tenderness. She couldn’t do it; she just couldn’t bear to choose between either of them. It would have to be her. Then she saw the terror in Mike’s eyes, as he pleaded with her, knowing what was in her mind. He knew her so well … too well.
She flinched when Torvic hissed in her ear, ‘Yeah, that’s right, Zara, you made me watch my son scream in agony, and there was nothing, and I mean nothing, I could do about it.’
She felt the tension in his body tighten like an elastic band being stretched.
‘Come on, Zara. Who’s gonna die? Ricky or Mike? It makes no difference to me. It’s all down to you. And I know, my darling, how that choice feels. It eats at you; it rips into your innermost dreaded thoughts and brings them to the surface. It’s a feeling as if nothing on earth could ever be worse. And, trust me, when I say you would rather die yourself than have to choose between the two people you love so dearly.’
He was so right. She did want to die herself rather than make that choice. Desperate to do something, she tried to remember everything she’d seen in Torvic’s mother’s house. She closed her eyes and tried mentally to recap everything, every last detail. The photo of her mother, the letter. That was it, she could take him down memory lane. It would at least bide her a little time, and hopefully, it would be long enough for someone to turn up.
‘What does it matter, Torvic? You will kill us all anyway.’
With that evil grin, Torvic looked at Mike. ‘You know, Mike, I saw you eyeing up my gun – well, actually, Izzy’s gun. I found it taped under a cabinet. I knew the old bastard would have plenty lying around. And, yeah, I’m fully aware that you’re an expert, so we both know that I have just the one bullet left, don’t we?’
What?
Mike couldn’t believe it. Torvic had actually done him a massive favour – he’d done the maths for him. So only one bullet left then. That certainly made things easier, although he knew they weren’t out of the woods yet. Not by a long stretch.
Avoiding Torvic’s gaze, Mike looked at Zara who nodded. She knew he was clued-up about the gun. This one was one of five: the others had been shipped out to the Lanigans a long time ago. Izzy, the ol’ git, had obviously decided he would hold back one for himself.
‘So, the truth is, Zara, one of your loved ones will live, and one will fucking die, and you will be the decider.’
Zara knew she had to think quickly. She could feel Torvic’s body becoming tense and his breathing increase.
‘It’s a shame, Torvic, you weren’t truthful with me. I mean, we could’ve built an empire. Together, we could’ve had it all.’
She sensed him hold his breath. ‘What the fuck are you on about?’
‘Aah, I think you know. And I have known for a very long time. I just didn’t know you by your full name. You only told me your name was Victor.’
She felt his hands trembling as he fought the tiredness to take in the meaning of what she was saying.
‘Stop talking in fucking riddles. You ain’t Izzy. You’re just his pathetic daughter.’
‘Am I, Vic? That’s what my mother called you, wasn’t it – “Vic”. But, am I his daughter? Really, if you believe that then Izzy and my mother lied to you too.’
Mike stared, watching Torvic’s face falling, as if he was suddenly experiencing a revelation, but Mike had no idea what she was talking about. However, Zara was an intelligent woman. Whatever she was saying, it was certainly having an effect on the man.
Just as she was about to say more, the sharp, shrill sound of her phone rang.
Torvic froze and waited for it to ring off. ‘None of you move,’ he said.
Then, Mike’s phone began to ring. They waited, but as soon as it stopped ringing, Ricky’s phone started.
The continuous ringtones made Torvic sweat, and he began to lose his concentration. Too much was going on: the phones, the strange thoughts, and now Mike’s smirk. He could just pull the trigger, but not now; there were too many unanswered questions.
Suddenly, there was silence, and Torvic took a deep breath.
Zara could sense the apprehension and decided to carry on, dragging him away from the idea of firing that gun. ‘You know what I’m talking about, don’t you? My mother.’ She stopped and waited for a response.
‘Shut up!’
‘Why, Vic? I want answers before you kill me … or could you ever do that? I mean, you had so many chances before, but you never did. I think we both know why, though, don’t we?’
‘You think you’re clever, but you ain’t as clever as me. I know your game, and it won’t work.’
‘I ain’t playing a game. I want to know as much as you do. Was my mother telling me the truth about you and her?’
Instantly, she felt his body go rigid. She almost tasted the astonishment in the air.
‘So, it’s true then, ain’t it?’
‘I don’t know what she told you, but, whatever it was, it makes no difference now. You made me kill my boy!’
Mike and Ricky were now totally perplexed. Mike even wondered for a split second if he really knew her. What was she talking about?
‘And how the hell did you think I felt when you killed my mother? I grew up believing that it was some mad Russian guy, when, all along, it was you, the one man who would’ve only stooped to such a shit level for revenge on Izzy. Is there not a tiny piece of you that can forgive me for what I did?’
Torvic was stunned into silence. It was true he’d killed her mother, all because she didn’t want him and she married Izzy. As much as he was trying to focus on the task at hand, he had visions of the day she died. That sad questioning look as she realized he’d poisoned her. He swallowed hard and tried desperately to get the vision out of his mind. ‘Shut up!’
Zara knew she was getting to him. ‘But you loved her, so before you kill either Ricky or Mike, or even me, I want to know the answers to these very important questions. Why did you have to kill her? And was it truly down to jealousy?’
‘No. Shut up, Zara. You don’t know what you’re talking about!’
‘Oh, but I think I do. Tell me, Vic. Did my mother ever tell you the truth or did she just send you packing, claiming she’d made a mistake?’
Suddenly, Isabel’s words swirled around in his head as if she were in the room and talking to him. Yet it wasn’t her: it was Zara’s voice. She sounded so much like her mother. ‘I said shut up. She never left me. I left her.’
‘No, Vic, she said she’d made a mistake and told you that she never wanted to meet you again.’ Of course, Zara was guessing her mother’s exact words. She was speculating and using the information she’d read in the letter, which she’d found in Torvic’s bedroom.
Mike was feeling hot under the collar. Beads of sweat peppered his brow as he prayed she would shut up. He could see that Torvic was getting more and more wound up. Any minute, he would pull that bloody trigger. She was deliberately antagonizing him so he would kill her. He had to stop her.
‘Your sons deserved to fucking die!’ shouted Mike, trying to distract Torvic’s attention away from Zara.
‘At least I had sons who were my own flesh and blood.’
Mike was stunned when he noticed how Torvic’s face took on a self-satisfied look.
‘You, though, Mike Regan, never had a son, did ya?’
Right away, Zara knew what Torvic was saying. She needed to shut him up. Mike could never know the truth. ‘You loved my mother, Vic, I know you did, and look at me. I am just like her. We can—’
‘Shut it, Zara. I’m talking to Mike.’ He smirked at Mike again. ‘Ya know what, Mike? You walk around with ya shoulders back as if you’re the dog’s bollocks. Ya think you have it all: money, respect, and ya son … your treasured boy.’ Torvic’s high-pitched laugh made them all jump.
Desperate to shut Torvic up, Zara returned to her conversation. ‘You have me, Vic. Come on. Izzy may have raised me, but we both know—’
Cutting her off once again, he turned to her with a vicious hiss. ‘I’ll do a DNA with your blood when you’re fucking dead. Now, unless you want me to take a pot-luck shot at either Mike or Ricky, you’ll shut your mouth. I’m having my fun.’
‘Fun, fun? You sick motherfucker, I hate you. I fucking hate your guts.’
Mike was wide-eyed. His girl was definitely losing it big time. He’d never seen her talk like that. She was always so controlled, but now she was like a kid in a school playground, hurling insignificant swear words. With his mind in turmoil, he tried to fathom out why she was behaving in this way. Maybe the blows to her head had sent her loopy. Then the penny dropped: she was acting in desperation, trying to shut Torvic up.
‘What are you saying, Torvic?’
‘Aahh, you want to know what I have to say, do you?’
Mike nodded.
‘No!’ yelled Zara.
But Torvic was grinning. He intended to savour this moment for ever.
‘As I was saying, Mike, you thought you had it all, but you didn’t. Your brother …’ He laughed. ‘Eric took you for a right fool. He worked for me. I bet you didn’t know that.’
Mike nodded again. ‘Is that the best you can do, Torvic? Because that doesn’t surprise me. I had an inkling.’
With his face deflated, Torvic shot his jaw forward in anger and the words flew out like bullets. ‘Well, I bet you didn’t know he was fucking your wife, did ya? And as for your precious boy, well, he ain’t yours. He was Eric’s son!’
The room fell deathly silent. Zara’s shoulders slumped, feeling overwhelmingly gutted. She simply couldn’t look at Mike or even bear to see the pain on his face.
Mike gripped Ricky’s arm, squeezing it tight to let him know he loved him.
The silence was broken when Mike rep
lied in a slow voice, ‘Blood or not, Ricky is my boy. He always was and always will be.’
Torvic realized just then that Mike wouldn’t be hopping mad; he was far too self-controlled. ‘So, Zara, now you know the truth, who is it to be? Is it the bastard or Mike?’
Zara slowly turned to face Torvic. His gun was now pointed at her face.
‘Don’t move, Zara, or I’ll kill you. All I need is one excuse, and that’ll cost you your life, because, right now, I don’t care. My Tiffany is dead, my boys are dead, and—’
‘But you have me though, Vic, don’t you? I’m your daughter. It’s an undeniable fact.’
At last, Torvic was distracted, and Ricky knew he was fast. He’d been trained well by the gypsies. Not that he was proud of that, but he knew what he was capable of. He also had something on him that Torvic was unaware of.
The shock of what Zara had just said was written across Torvic’s face. It caused him to stumble back. As soon as he did, Ricky leaped up from his chair and into the air. He could jump high. He’d had enough practice.
Partially stunned, Torvic’s reaction was delayed, but his thumb was heavily on the trigger, and, in an instant, he fired.
The leap in the air saved the bullet from passing straight into Ricky’s head. Instead, it blasted him in the chest, knocking him back onto the sofa. In utter shock and disbelief, Mike threw himself on top of Ricky, screaming in grief.
Zara assumed Torvic hadn’t been bullshitting them about how many rounds were in the magazine so the gun was only as good as a dead weight. She pulled her head back, and with one almighty crack, she headbutted Torvic in the temple and then kicked him hard in the groin. He tried to fight, but it was no use. He was an old man now, and she was a martial arts expert. Each deliberate blow was proving to have an effect, and the savagery of her assault meant he was unable to take care of himself, let alone take control of her. As he fell to the floor, Zara kicked and kicked until she was almost out of breath. ‘You stinking fucking vermin. Die, you bastard, die.’
Mike was suddenly dumbfounded when Ricky pushed him off. ‘Dad … I’m … okay.’
