Chapter 9
Richard’s heart shattered as the brutes manhandled him down the street. Out of his peripheral vision, he observed the house where he’d lived, and registered with relief that nobody else followed him outside. The door was closed.
Katrina was safe. As were Barbara and Edmund.
For now.
He’d feared this day, and while he was resigned to his own fate, the look of profound sorrow on Katrina’s face stabbed deep into his soul.
“Move it,” a harsh voice said. Something hard shoved him in the back, causing him to fall to his knees as he lost his balance. Before he could get up, a booted foot landed in his side, forcing the air from his lungs. “Get up, pig.”
Richard struggled to regain his footing under the incessant onslaught of kicks and strikes. He clenched his teeth to keep from sc
