Page 164 of Jagged Souls

Screaming, I dig my nails into my stomach. They jerk my hands away. Antonio’s presence burns like the devil’s touch, a hot metal rod shoved straight into my heart.

“Youkilled her.”I sag forward, held up only by their hands, my body shaking, my heart aching. I suck in giant gulps of air as my lungs struggle to process its arrival. I start to hyperventilate. I can’t breathe. My fractured mind shoves sharp shards of memories down my throat. Makes me choke on them. Makes mebleed.

“You killed her!” I yell, lifting my head, feeling my rage. Grabbing hold of that instead of my grief.

His voice appears right in front of me. “Who?” he says so casually, it’s like a slap across my face.

I lunge for him, trying to bite whatever I can reach. The men hold me tighter – until Antonio slams his head into mine, then they release me, and I stumble back a few steps. Pain explodes through my skull. Large, callous hands lock around my wrists as I start to fall. My legs are numb, my entire body feeling foreign, but he holds me steady.

Pulls me close.

“Did you even have a name for her?” he murmurs with too much cruelty to bear.

I kick out, hitting one of his shins. Twisting me around, he shoves me forward. I stumble across the floor, then into a wall. My head aches from the sudden contact, a migraine of pain spreading down my face. He presses in close behind me, one hand pushing on the back of my head, the other twisting my right arm in pain.

My knees buckle as I sob in grief.

I call her Rafiki because it was the first name Varius offered, but we never agreed.

We never properly talked about it.

Just jokes and laughter.

We madejokes, and she died nameless.

Without ever knowing shebelonged.That she was loved.

Because ofhim.

I struggle against him, my fury renewed, but he just waits for me to tire myself out. It doesn’t take long. I’ve been so used to being broken, feeling any other emotion is exhausting.

Collapsing against the wall, I cry myself dry.

His lips press against my left ear. Whispers so quietly, I almost miss it over my heaving sobs. “Well, I had names for mine.”

Forty-Nine

Antonio

June 23 1907, Jacksonville, Florida

“Evening, mister. Wanna warm me up tonight?”

I ignore the whore on the docks as I make my way to my Boss’ office. If it was up to me, I’d take her some place quiet and kill her, but Oscar likes them hanging around. No better way to finish a meeting than by sticking his dick in a couple of whores. He also thinks they’ll act as a look-out if the cops arrive – and failing that, they will be a distraction, giving us time to get away while they get carted off – sometimes to be arrested, other times to be fucked in a train or gangbang in exchange for being let go with just a warning.

This particular whore has been picked up half a dozen times from here, but she keeps coming back because sailors are an easy score. Most aren’t married, and those that are – well, their missuses don’t travel with them.

“Oh, come on, big daddy, I’ll make it worth your while.” She lifts her red skirt up slowly, revealing her ankle, then her knee. She trails her own hand along her skin. “You can help me just like this...”

My jaw tightens. Filth like her should be cleaned from the city. If only they’d all been burned in the fire of 1901, but they weren’t the focus of that attack. We were.

After we took a few key streets of Jacksonville, Florida, from the Blood Fangs, they decided to try to burn us out by sacrificing the whole damn city. Their Boss is a genuine psychopath. This gang war isn’t business or retaliation for him like it is for us or the Shadow Domain. It’s pure, simple pleasure.

“Like what you see?” the whore purrs as she swishes the red fabric back and forth across her leg.

“No.” I stride past her, leaving her spitting curses. But a whore like her can never give me what I need.

Slipping a hand into my pocket, I pull out my gold watch and flip it open. I don’t look at the time though; I know I’m ten minutes early. Instead, my eyes fasten onto the painting on the other side. The one of a wide-eyed girl with the biggest, goofiest smile.