Gabe

The sun beams through the window in my spacious New York apartment. The summer is starting early this year, seeing as it’s ninety degrees out and only the beginning of June. My ceiling fans do nothing to cool the heat, and I crave an ice-cold drink.

Luna barks for my attention, and I toss her ball across the room, her paws flying after it.

I’ve been back in the city for three days now and have only come across false leads. Inside sources revealed my aunt, uncle, and two cousins have been captured. I’m sure my brothers figured out I’d come home looking for them, so I upped the security on my apartment, calling in a few favors down at the station.

As far as where my family is, I’m waiting for more information to come through.

I’m practically shitting myself waiting in this silence.

Food doesn’t go down easy and sleep is non-existent.

I miss Alicia so fucking much. It’s killing me not to speak to her, not to be able to see her.

I left without warning. The one time I spoke to her, I was a dickhead. I was in a bad spot when she called, but I’m pretty sure she has information I need.

Things need to be dealt with here first.

I stand and grab my boxing gloves, sliding them on. Luna barks. She knows what these gloves mean.

The anger inside me needs to be released. It’s a darkness I’ve carried around for so long. If I don’t let it escape somehow, it will only poison me, turning me more bitter and revengeful.

I beat the shit out of my punching bag with everything I’ve got. It feels good to have my arms burn, my muscles on fire. Sweat flies down my face. Luna stays out of the way, lying in her dog bed and chewing her bone.

She knows we’ll go for a jog after to cool down. She’s learned my ritual pretty well.

My childhood was perfect in the beginning. My mom was so in love with all of her boys, and she doted on us constantly. Me, being the oldest, had a special bond with her.

We would bake cookies and build Lego castles.

We’d make bugs out of play-doh and chase the dog with a ball in the backyard.

My brothers and I adored her. My father worked often, long hours, and wasn’t home as much. When he was, he was tired or doing chores around the house. He was a hardworking man, albeit quiet, but he loved us and our mom strongly.

My uncle Lenny, my mother’s younger brother, was a bad man. We were never allowed to see him even at holidays. My mom and aunt didn’t speak of him and shielded us away, including my two cousins.

One day, I arrived home from school before my brothers and what I found inside that house, I’ll never forget. My parents murdered gruesomely, stabbed all over their bodies, blood scattered everywhere. My thirteen-year-old brain couldn’t process, couldn’t make sense.

I screamed and ran and ran until a neighbor stopped me, her worried eyes meeting my shocked ones.

“What’s wrong, sweetie? What happened?”

I couldn’t speak, my voice gone. I shook violently and pointed to my house. Her husband took off across the street, and I tried to run, to get away, but the woman grabbed me, wrapping her arm around my shoulder.

“I know you want to run, but you can’t. Whatever you saw, we’ll deal with it, okay? Do you know where your parents are?”

I heard police sirens in the distance, and the husband came back out of the house, a somber look on his face. He shook his head and whispered in her ear, her own eyes widening. Within seconds, her face crumbled and tears poured out.

It was true. What I saw happened.

And that’s when I lost it. I can’t remember much after that night, my memory blank until arriving home and finding out we were orphans now, sent to foster care. Aunt Maria was denied custody due to her financial burdens and having children of her own.

My brothers and I had a rough couple of years in and out of various foster homes. It’s not easy being a teenager with hormones raging and your life up in the air.

Somehow, Uncle Lenny managed to adopt all three of us. I had just turned sixteen. I prayed my uncle was a good man and my mother had been lying.

But, oh no. She didn’t lie. He was indeed the worst man. Maybe even much, much worse.

He sucked my brothers right into his dirty dealings. I resisted. I knew he was bad news, and I couldn’t—no, wouldn’t be caught up in that.

My parents’ murders weighed heavy on my soul, and I was angry and bitter. I wanted justice for their deaths. I still do.

I’ll never forget the conversation I had with Mason.

“Don’t you realize what a horrible person he is?”

“No, Gabe, I don’t. So, he likes women and drugs and money. What’s so bad about that?”

“Mason, what he does is illegal and the worst part of it all is that he’ll kill anyone who stands in his way, even his own family.”

“You’re crazy. Just like Mom was, never wanting to give him a chance. I’m staying here with Damon and if you leave, you’ll be nothing to me. Not a damn thing.”

I wanted to punch him, my fists clenched at my sides. But I took the high road and walked away. Brotherless.

Uncle Lenny was a disgusting human being. He killed for drugs, he killed for money. He treated women like objects, using them for sex and more drugs. He stopped at nothing to get what he wanted when he wanted it. There was no way I was living a life that way.

My brothers’ actions appalled me. I thought they’d stay with me, not get sucked in and tempted by money, women, and drugs. But they were goners, lost in the haze of it all.

I ran away a month later and was able to be emancipated from my uncle. I had nowhere to go, so I traveled with nothing but my bag on my back. I got around, accepting odd jobs here and there and eventually buying myself a clunker. I would either camp or stay at a local shelter.

When I made it out to the West Coast, I scored a generous job in security and that’s when I knew my calling. I rented a cheap room and saved as much money as I could, working double shifts and overtime. Within a year’s time, I was ready to enroll in school to become a police officer. I’d worked my way up to the FBI eventually and when the time was right, my uncle would finally pay.

And now it’s time. After my jog with Luna, I head home to shower, dress, and eat. I lay my plans out on the table and study them. I plan on staking out a few locations I’ve gotten word my uncle may be at.

After committing my plan to memory, I finish packing and head out the door.

It’s game time.

* * *

I sneak down the alleyway, my night vision glasses giving me a clear view. My gloves trail along the wall, feeling for the bump I was told should be here. Underneath the bump is a door handle that when turned, it opens a secret door, one that was completely blended into the wall. A few agents follow me, on guard in every direction.

It’s quite high tech and easy enough to not spot the bump at all.

My earpiece chirps, “Still clear on this end.”

I have a ton of guys keeping watch in case they try to ambush me. Including several snipers staked out from a distance, ready to fire on my command. I’m not taking any chances with these pricks.

My gloves snag on something. I stop and run my fingers back over it, feeling the shape of a small ball. I move the ball out of the way, feeling for the door handle. It sits just behind the ball shape and when I grasp it, I quickly tug it down. The wall rumbles and the door opens a crack. I slide inside, my guys close behind, blinking in the dark hallway.

“Are you in, Gabe?” one of the guys asks over the earpiece.

“Yes,” I mumble as I glance around.

I keep moving, the hallway never ending. There are no lights or windows, or even doors, and it continues on and on. The men feel the walls for anything we should be aware of.

Just when I think I see a light ahead, a flash goes off in front of me, blinding me as I’m knocked backward. My hands fly out, and I connect with something, a loud crack sounding in the small area. My head hits the wall, a sharp pain piercing my skull. I’m up in a second, my eyes searching for whoever knocked me over.

Behind me, I see all men knocked out and unconscious. I tap my headpiece and whisper, “Backup now. I repeat, backup now. Men down.”

A muffled response comes through, but I don’t hear it.

I’m too focused on what I see. I squint my eyes, my head pounding from my fall. A man is hunched over and clutching his chest. He’s gasping for air, his breathing heavy and fast.

I move closer, and his body shape becomes familiar. I’m mere feet from him when it dawns on me who it is. Tom. My uncle’s right-hand man.

The one who carried out the hit on my parents.

The wrong hit. A deal gone bad.

My parents mistaken for someone else. Some other family Tom was ordered to kill.

But, no, he killed mine in cold blood.

My mind goes blank. I reach for my gun sitting against my back and pull it out, placing the barrel against his temple.

“Remember me, Tom? Your piece of shit boss’s nephew?”

Tom shakes his head as his breathing increases.

“You killed my parents. A stupid fucking deal gone bad. Did you get off on killing so violently? Or are you just a fucking monster inside?”

Without another thought, I pull the trigger, shooting him straight through the head.

He slumps to the side. Alarms go off, and I run back to my men, trying to shake them awake. They don’t budge, their pulses faint.

Fuck! Where the fuck is my backup?

I tap my earpiece again. All I hear is static, but I talk anyways, hoping someone hears me.

I hear shots and run in the opposite direction, hoping for a door, window, anything.

Finally, some light shines.

I can see the door looming ahead. My legs burn, but I don’t stop.

Almost there. So fucking close…

A hand grabs my arm, yanking me backward.

Sharp pain runs through my arm, and I feel sick to my stomach.

I fall to the ground and everything goes black.