All Chapters of The Life Sacrifice: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

GABRIEL "Mr. Russo, nice to finally meet you." If Jimmy had a hat, he'd be turning it round and round between his fingers. He looked totally out of place, but the thief in him couldn't keep his eyes from roaming around the room with excitement. They finally landed on his long-lost daughter, who was lying on the floor, having a toddler tantrum. Now here's the thing about Jimmy. Had he had any redeeming qualities, I would never have sought him out; why? Because I'm a vengeful fuck who thinks people should pay for the shit they do, especially shit done to women and children. I make no apologies for this stance, and anyone who doesn't agree can pretty much get fucked. So, when I was doing my little background investigation on Becky and found this specimen, it was like striking oil. I want Victoria gone, but I don't want her going into something cushy, if you know what I mean. Had Jimmy been a well-off upstanding citizen, I would've kept him out of my plans, but seeing as he's a piece

GABRIEL "What kind of big brother are you?" "Well, hello to you t…wait a minute, big brother. What happened to the twins? Did something happen to them?" "It's not what happened to them but what they did." "What did they do this time?" He came further into the room and plopped down on the divan in my sitting room. "They took Gianna to confront Becky, no scratch that, they took her to fight her." "Come again." "Yep!" "Was Gia hurt?" "No, thankfully, she wasn't." "Good, I hope she broke her fucking neck." "Lance!" I looked away from my laptop long enough to glare at him. "Not the response I was expecting. She could've been hurt." "But she wasn't right." "That's not the point." "Let me ask you a question. Were the twins with her?" "Yes, of course." "Do you think they'd let anything happen to her?" "Of course not." "Then what's the problem? The way I see it, you and I would've done the same thing. She tormented the girl her whole life. You and I bo

VICTORIA "What's this place?" I squinted my eyes against the brightness of the room that seemed to reflect the sunlight no matter where I looked. There was a weird taste in my mouth, and my head felt like it was stuffed with cotton balls. I looked over at the two people in the room who didn't seem to have heard me and realized that I'd said the words internally and not out loud. When I did try to speak, my lips seemed weirdly stuck together. I was in that strange place between sleep and wake, just before the fog lifts completely, and it took a few tries to clear my head before reality dawned. The last thing I remember was getting off the plane, but I have no idea how long ago that was or what the hell happened between then and now. The events leading up to the plane ride came back in bits and spurts, and I cleared my throat to speak again. "Where's Jimmy?" The two people in the room didn't answer, just kept staring at me without saying or doing anything. I started to think they w

GABRIEL "Hey, your guy just moved a shit ton of cash in the last few days. I traced the transfer to an account that has been open in his daughter's name since she was about three months old." "Oh really!" "Yeah. Not only that, but from his movements, it looks like he's tying up loose ends almost like he's preparing to go away or something." "Ok, thank you." I sat back and smiled after hanging up the phone with one of dad's people who specializes in financial forensics. I've been keeping my eye on Felix this whole time, watching his movements listening in on his calls to get a feel for where his mind is at. He had no idea that Becky had been attacked and was in the hospital until I made sure that one of the women she'd tried so hard to befriend knew about her circumstances. Of course, word had already got back to him that she'd been staying in a motel, and then once she was moved to the homeless city, I made sure those same women were made aware. Just to up her embarrassment a

GABRIEL Paris! What's not to love? I already had my plans mapped out before we even left the states because I knew I would be playing it close. Even though the flights in between the two cities are relatively short, especially by private plane, the drive out to the convent where the runaway was supposed to be would bite into my time. I hadn't had time to find an airport or landing strip close to where she is because a lot of Sicily is still old school, it seems like, and the place she's at is like stepping back in time, at least that's what it looks like on paper. So, knowing my family and their personalities, I set things in motion through well-placed hints and suggestions. I knew the girls would hit the ground running, which works out perfectly for me. The whole family had decided to get involved, and Gianna's grandmother, due to her reconnection with my nana and wanting to be there for her granddaughter's first coming out ball, was no exception. Pop was nervous as hell from