"What's the matter Marshawn, don't you trust me?"
He laughed. "I don't trust any of my siblings, but for you I will make an exception."
He angled the gun barrel away from my side by a couple of inches.
"How trusting of you dear brother. Where is our patriarch of this sordid tribe of sinners?"
Marshawn just grinned, "South lawn."
I pulled the car up under the massive portico and got out. I disregarded the stares of playing children and adults alike and walked through the lavishly landscaped surrounds of the massive palace on the hillside.
A tall form of a man stepped into my path and I halted. It was Rocco. I hated him perhaps most, second only to my father.
"Well if it isn't the detective come home for a family visit, or have you come for some other reason? How I wonder?"
I fought to keep my eyes from straying to the snakes head tattoo on his cheek, but it was hard not to, which was its purpose. He had approached as he was talking and I didn't see the knife in his hand, until he was dragging the point of it up my dress only to pause the point of it over my left nipple through the dress. He pressed on the knife and it hurt.
It only helped to jog my memory as to what the sheer horror of growing up in this place had been like.
"I see you haven't changed any for the better over the years Rocco. Now go play with your little toy somewhere else and get out of my way!"
He smiled and pressed a little harder on the knife, but I didn't move. He removed the knife with a show of fake gallantry and stepped to the side of the path giving me a half bow. I stepped past him half expecting to have my throat slit or the knife rammed into my back, twisted and then broken off, but the strike didn't come and I continued on down the path.
My nipple hurt! I glanced down without appearing to do so and was glad for the orange and red material of the dress I had worn. It helped to hide the little spot of blood that had seeped through my bra. If that was the only injury I came away from this place with I would be extremely lucky.
Everything was a power play on this island realm of my father's. You were either vicious wolf or hapless victim. There was no middle ground. All that was respected was strength. It was a terrible way to have to live and yet I had managed to until I had turned sixteen.