THE GIRL HE SPARED

PROLOGUE

Fallon

Age Eight

“Can you move faster baby girl? We don't want to be late for Daddy's party now,” my mom yelled from downstairs. I tugged the ugly pink dress over my head, the tiara balanced perfectly and grabbed my wand. “Coming mother.”

Downstairs, my mum waited for me. “Oh don't you look beautiful,” she said, her mesmerizing blue eyes that were the only trait I inherited from her were hidden behind a pair of thick Gucci sunglasses. I blushed as she leaned over, placing a small kiss on my cheek.

“Now you know how very important this party is to daddy right?” I bobbed my head. “Good. So only be on your best behavior okay?”

“Okay,” I answered, just excited to leave the house. The butler held the door open for us. “Bye Antonio,” I yelled, waving at him.

“Bye my little princessa,” he replied. Antonio was my only friend in the house apart from my mummy and my nanny. I never got to see my mum all the time though because she was busy doing what ‘wives do’ and my father was practically a ghost to me.

The door to the Bugatti was held open by one of daddy’s men. I stepped into it first, then my mum followed behind and the door shut.

“Where are we going, mum?” I asked, looking out of the window.

“Your uncle Eduardo’s place. That is where it is happening,” she sighed, taking off her sunglasses and bringing out a make up palette from her bag. I watched her apply it methodically, pushing the sponge deep into her face like she wanted to be one with it. All my life, I had never seen my mum without makeup, and giving the compliments we always got when we went out, praising her for her flawless beauty, I could understand why.

She turned her head and smiled at me. “My little princess,” she purred. “You're going to see your cousins, are you excited?”

I wasn't really. My cousins loved to pull on my hair and tease me, always saying mean things about how my daddy couldn't have a male child. “Yes,” I lied.

The car slowly came to a stop. My mum slid her glasses back on her face, her neck straightened and she stepped out of the car.

Uncle Eduardo’s house was just as huge as ours, but colder. His wife, Maria was standing at the door, wearing a pencil thin red skirt that matched the shade of her lips. “Alexandra,” she kissed my mum's cheek. “And look at the little princess.”

“I'm daddy's princess”, I beamed from joy.

“And sure you are,” my dad's voice boomed from behind me. “Daddy,” I shrieked, forgetting my mother's instructions to be calm. My father was a tall imposing man, yet he stopped low, picking me up in his arms and twirling me around.

“Well aren't you the finest belle here?” He asked, his eyes gleaming. I laughed into his neck, even as he brought me down. My uncle, Eduardo stood next to him, a small smile on his face.

“Hi, Uncle Eduardo,” I greeted.

“Run along now, go find your cousins,” my mum said. I turned and sped fast, heading for the back house my cousins lived to stay in whenever a party for the grownups was happening.

Sure enough, Michael and Samuel were in the small house. They had tight black suits on, their brown hair slicked backwards. “Oh, look who it is,” Michael the eldest sneered. He was just four years older than I was, but he bullied me a lot. “What have you come here for?”

“My mummy said I should stay here,” I replied, sitting in-between them. They rolled their eyes. “You are a girl, you shouldn't be playing with us.”

“My mummy said I should come here,” I said again, wondering if he was deaf.

“My mummy said I should come here,” Samuel whined back, mocking me. He was just a year younger than his brother, and although he used to be kind, he became more like him. “Don't do that,” I said, struggling to keep the tears in.

“Or what? You're going to run to your big shot Daddy? He doesn't even deserve what he is getting.”

What was my daddy getting? “Our father deserves to be the leader not him.”

I didn't understand what they said, so I just sat back, ignoring them. The sound of the movie from the television was enough to drown their voices, and I became so lost in the cartoon that a hand gripping my shoulder made me scream.

My mum stood there. “It's time to go,” she said. “Your father is waiting for us.”

I followed her quietly. At some point, my cousins had let me be, and their father had called them to do something in the big house. My dad stood in front of the Bugatti, the same wide smile on his face.

“Let's go home princess.”

I nodded, my eyes half closed from tiredness. My uncle and his family, along with all the guests, were standing at the entrance. My father took the driver's seat, and mum entered while I sat at the back.

“Are you sure it's safe?” she asked immediately he pulled off.

“Trust me, Alexandra. It is safe. My brother has my back, which was the most important part of the deal.”

“Okay but—”

A loud sound interrupted her, and my mum's eyes went wide. Her hands clutched her throat, and red blood started to form quickly there.

“Mum,” I screamed.

“Sit back,” my father instructed, shifting the gears. I watched my mother's body slump backwards, her blue eyes open, but unseeing. Someone was shooting at us.

“Stay down Fallon,” my dad screamed again, trying to get us home. He drove into the compound, and I heard the sound of our gates being blown apart as our attackers went right through them.

“Daddy I am scared,” I cried.

“When I stop the car, come down and run fast. Go straight for the safe room and do not open it until anyone you know comes get you. You remember the code right?”

I nodded, my heart racing. “Okay now princess, I need you to be a very brave girl for me okay?”

“Okay Daddy.”

“There is one more thing to tell you, this is something very important and I need you to remember this okay, Fallon? You are the heir to the Macini Dynasty if I die. Everything goes to you. I never wanted you to be exposed to this so young, but I have no choice. Trust no one, except Antonio. Okay baby?”

“Daddy please,” I sobbed. The car skidded to a stop, and my father opened my door. “Run.”

I took off fast, running towards the bushes. Everytime we played hide and seek my father had shown me many ways to hide and get to the safe room. He always said it would never be needed and only for emergencies.

I opened the small side door in the corner of the room and crawled inside. When I got to the safe room, I quickly imputed the code, and let it slam shut behind me.

In here, I could hear nothing. I don't know how long I was here, but as I was about to fall asleep, the door slid open. Only four people knew the code. I held my breath, waiting to see.

Antonio smiled at me. “Hey princess.”

I sobbed, rushing into his arms. “Don't worry,” he said, half of his body covered in blood. “We are going to make them all pay.”