Prologue
Twenty-one years ago
Valencia, Venezuela
The man tiptoed down the hallway. Holding his daughter tightly with one arm, he used his other arm to keep his wife by his side. At three in the morning, the only sound in the monstrous old house was the tick-tock of the giant clock in the formal parlor. The old children’s rhyme, Nothing was stirring, not even a mouse, came to him. But this was no children’s story. If anyone put a name to it, horror would be the most appropriate genre. Because if he failed, there was no doubt what would happen to him and his family.
How he had allowed things to advance this far was something he would regret until the end of time. He had promised to protect his loved ones. Instead, he had been on the verge of following in his father’s footsteps and in the process had almost lost his wife and daughter. To his everlasting shame, he had already lost his son to that soulless monster. He refused to lose any more. If it was the last thing he did, his wife and little girl would be safe. This he swore.
“Papa?”
The childish whisper, barely a sound, tickled at his ear. He squeezed her tighter and spoke softly against her ear, “Shh, baby girl. You have to be quiet till we get to the car.”
Held in her father’s arms, the child felt safe and snug. Even though it was the middle of the night when everyone else was asleep, she was wide awake, excited for the adventure to come. They were going on a magical, secret trip. Just she, Mama, and Papa. Her brother wasn’t going. She knew Mama was sad about that, because when she had asked if he was going, her mama had started crying.
She should probably feel guilty that they were going on a trip without her big brother, but she couldn’t help but be glad he wasn’t coming along. He’d been mean to her lately. Just a few days ago, he’d taken one of her favorite dolls and torn it apart, right in front of her. Then he’d laughed and called her a bad-word crybaby. She knew it was a bad word, because he’d said it in front of Mama one time, and she had smacked his bottom and made him go to his room.
Maybe when they returned from their trip, he would be nicer to her. For now, she couldn’t wait until they started on their new, big adventure.
“Someone’s coming,” Mama whispered.
“Come on.” Papa took her mama’s hand, and they ran into the library.
“Going somewhere?” The familiar voice behind them had both her parents whirling around with a gasp.
Papa’s arms tightened around her. Though recognizing the owner of that voice, she twisted in her father’s arms so she could see him. He wasn’t big like Papa, but when he smiled, like he was now, he was as scary as any giant closet monster she’d ever imagined. He was her grandpapa…her papa’s papa. And he wasn’t a very nice man.
“Get out of our way, old man. We’re leaving.”
“Is that right? And where will you go?”
“That’s not your problem. We’re taking nothing with us that belongs to you.”
“Oh, but you are.”
Grandpapa looked right at her when he said that. Shivers started at her toes and raced up her body. Why was he looking at her like that?
“You’ve already taken one of my children,” Papa said. “You cannot have the other one.”
Grandpapa smiled, one of his scarier ones. “I blame your mother for your melodrama. She coddled you too much.”
“My mother would have been disgusted by what you’ve done.”
“Your mother understood more than you think. Besides, what is there to worry about? Your son will be my heir. He’ll inherit an empire. Want for nothing.”
“Yes,” Mama hissed. “And you’ll turn him into a heartless fiend, just like you. You cannot have my daughter, too.”
“Your daughter is my granddaughter,” Grandpapa snapped. “She will lack for nothing. Will have the best of everything. If you take her away, she’ll be penniless. A nobody like yourself.”
“She’ll have love.”
Tears streamed down her mama’s face. She hated it when her mama cried.
“Leave her alone, Grandpapa.”
Grandpapa’s eyes zeroed in on her, and the shivering she’d felt before grew stronger. She’d heard her mama say once that Grandpapa had the eyes of the devil, black and lifeless. She thought maybe that was true, because right now they gleamed like one of the monsters in her fairy-tale books.
“I’m pleased you have spirit, little one. It will see you through much.” Without moving his eyes from her, he said, “Take her back to her room, Stephan.”
Her entire body stiffened with fear as she looked over her papa’s shoulders at the man who had just entered. If there was anyone who scared her more than Grandpapa, it was Stephan.
“No!” Papa shouted. “We are leaving!”
She clung to her papa’s neck, but Stephan’s big hands pulled her away. Mama was hanging on to her, too, pleading with Grandpapa to leave them alone.
Kicking and screaming, she scratched and bit, trying to get away from Stephan. With one arm holding her legs and his other securing her arms, Stephan carried her out of the room like she was a sack of laundry.
She squirmed and screamed. Just before he got to the stairway, she managed to free one leg and kicked as hard as she could. Stephan grunted, and his arms went limp as he dropped to his knees. The instant he set her free, she ran back to the library. She pushed open the door and then froze.
Papa stood in front of her mama, tears rolling down his face. She heard a little pop, and then Papa fell on the floor.
“Papa!” she screamed.
Her mama cried out, “Don’t look, Gabby!”
Another small popping noise sounded, and then Mama fell on top of Papa.
The shrill, anguished sound of a little girl screaming echoed through the house.