|| Elizabeth ||

“Dad, you can't die,” I charged towards my father's still body. His chest region was bloody, and his lips quivered. He slowly lifted his hands and held my collar, trying so hard to speak. But as he struggled to make a sound, blood gushed out of his mouth.

Someone then wrapped a firm hand around my waist and lifted me. My slender body struggled and wriggled free. But as I made to run to my Dad, the hand grabbed my wrist and I turned. There was still darkness, but I could only see a sharp knife being brandished.

“No, don't kill me please,” I begged loudly, the hand kept drawing the knife closer to my neck.

“Easy, easy, Lizzy,” I heard someone's voice from afar.

A sharp breath escaped my nostrils, and my eyes popped open.

“You're safe”.

My breath steadied, but my brows creased in confusion. My gaze settled on the chandelier, which hung on the ceiling. This was my room, and the incident was a nightmare. A sigh of relief escaped my mouth as I stared at the reassuring gaze of the woman in a lab coat. She was Doctor Abby, the family doctor.

“Where's everyone, and what happened. Last I remember, I was…” It then dawned on me. The ugly incident in the caravan washed over me, and my body shook. My Dad and elder brother had been killed, and I wonder how I got home. I didn't remember escaping, I knew that for sure. The last thing I remembered was a gun aimed at my chest and the cold eyes of the murderer.

The door was opened, my mom, Aunty Helena and a strange man walked in. My mom rushed to my side; her eyes were red and swollen.

“My Princess, I'm glad you are safe,” She whimpered.

“What of Dad and John?” I struggled to ask that question in faith that they may be alive.

My mom rested her face in her palm, then shook her head, “They have been buried”.

“Can she walk?” The strange man who stood by the door asked. I recognised him as the cop who shot our driver.

“Mom,” I half screamed, “He is part of the killers. He killed Kelvin.” I broke down as I pointed at him.

He just eyed me coldly and returned his gaze to the Doctor, “Can she walk?”

“She's been out for over six hours. Her vital signs are stable, but she has to rest,” The doctor replied.

The man shook his head, “Cross can't wait. Get a stretcher and wheel her to the sitting room. There is no time to waste”.

My heart skipped, so he had come to finish the job. There was not even a single form of defiance from my mom. It seemed everyone had resigned to fate. I felt lost!

“Mom, why is he in this house? Call the police”, I whispered in deep terror.

My mom shook her head and beckoned to Helena to help me stand. I wanted to struggle, but I was too weak to do so. As my legs landed on the cold tile, a dizzy spell hit me. Slowly, I was led into the sitting room.

As I stepped in, my heart stopped beating. My eyes met with Cross cold ones. He relaxed on the two-seater sofa, his legs crossed and a stick of cigar in between his right fingers. He wore a three-piece suit, which made him look like a sexy Greek god.

I shook my head. There was nothing sexy about this man. He is a cold-blooded killer and was here to finish the job. His eyes never left my body, and as I met his, there was an intense flame in them. Could it be desire? Only a bloody psychopath will desire a person he intends to murder.

“Decagon,” He said and coughed slightly, “Mrs. Hendricks, what happened was unfortunate, but your husband knew the rules of the syndicate and still went ahead to break them. You don't go opening cans of worms”.

I just sat there, shivering and wondering what was at play here.

“Decagon had ordered total annihilation. King David, the psalmist, would have killed everyone, burnt your homes and destroyed everything closest to you. He's my model citizen in the Old Testament. And you know, I am the Old Testament,” Cross said with a smug look, then his face became cold.

His eyes settled on a large file on the table, “The only way you, your daughter and your extended family can get to live is if I get married to your daughter”.

I gasp, and all eyes were on me, but Helena quickly placed her palm over my mouth and drew me closer to herself.

“My daughter is just…”

“22, I know. Young and succulent,” He sneered. “Mrs. Hendricks, I'm not here to negotiate with you. She gets married to me, and I wipe her slate clean. Decagon won't disturb you again; you get to enjoy your wealth silently until you die. You disagree, and I step out of here. You may wish to run, but in the next twenty-four hours, no matter what country or hellhole you are in, you'll be killed. You of all people should know Decagona is a world power.” Cross takes a deep drag of his cigarette.

“I can't marry him, he killed Dad. He killed John,” I mumbled in fear. How would I marry a cold-blooded killer?

“Cross, can you give me a little time to think about this?” My mom asked.

“Time?” Cross scoffed, “I have a Priest somewhere on the island waiting to bless this union. You have just five minutes to deliberate and sign the contract.” He tossed the file on the table. “The doc gives you the proof that should I get married to your daughter, you're a free woman”.

“But my daughter?” She asked.

Cross adjusted the rosary on his neck, “She has no say in this. This is bigger than all of you. Her father would have wanted her to choose life”.

“Don't talk about my father,” I squirmed.

Everyone gasped, and the sitting room stood still. Cross stared at me and chuckled, “Five minutes”.

**

“Mom, can you listen to yourself? You're sending me to live with a killer. You want me to get married to the man who made you a widow,” My voice shook as I struggled to speak.

Cross and his guard had left the sitting room, leaving just Mom, Helena and me.

“Do you think I want to do this? Your dad's action has left me no choice. I'm scared to die,” My mom whimpered.

“Mom, you know one thing? Signing that contract is sending me to my death. Sooner or later, the psycho will kill me. That is, if I don't kill him first,” I mumbled.

My mom stared at me, deep vigour in her eyes. “Lizzy, my Darling, I'm tired. My soul, my body, and my spirit are tired. I can't deal with all of these, but what I know for sure is, your dad will want us to live. This isn't over, not yet. I still have connections, people who were loyal to your dad. We will find answers, and I'll come for you. For now, we need to live”.

I couldn't say anything, I was too weak to protest. If marrying a killer means us surviving, I would. Mom picked up a pen and scribbled her signature on the contract. She signalled Helena to call them in.

As Cross stepped in, he rested his gaze on me and chuckled.

“I've signed the contract,” My mom said and got up, “Don't hurt my daughter”.

“Woe betide me to hurt her. There are tenets in my world, she abides by them, and we have a beautiful marriage. I'm taking my bride home, now.” His menacing gaze shook everyone.