Owned by the Hitman

Chapter 17: Katy

I can already feel tears in my eyes as the old VHS player starts to load the tape, like a sense of dread building up in the pit of my stomach. Everything in me wants to tear my eyes away from this, to just bolt out of the cottage and run away.

But I keep my eyes steadily forward, my knuckles white as I ball my hands into fists from the pent-up storm of emotion brewing inside me. I want to believe him. More than anything, I want to be wrong about Ivan.

The screen lights up as the tape begins to play.

I see Dad sitting in his office, now my office, shuffling through paperwork. I feel a tug at my heartstrings as I watch him, looking just like I remember him before leaving for college. This feels like watching a ghost. It feels wrong. At my side, I can sense Ivan wanting to put a hand on my shoulder, but he restrains himself. Instead, he narrates through the silent footage.

"As you know, your father owed protection money every month," he starts. "Like you, he was always punctual. It was a close call, sometimes, but from what I've heard of him, he was as diligent a bookkeeper as he was a manager."

The next thing I see makes my heart plummet. The door of the office gets kicked open, and my dad nearly jumps out of his skin at who walks in.

Konrad. Oskar and Nic are close behind him, though they hang back as Konrad moves straight for Dad's desk.

"But sadly, he was assigned to collect from you," Ivan continues, "Konrad collected from your father. He used to be in charge of collections instead of Oskar, a fact he's still bitter about to this day. And just like with you, he got rough the one time your father was unable to make his monthly dues."

There's no sound on the video, but I can almost hear Konrad's horrid voice yelling at Dad.

"You went to college that year, and your father insisted on paying your tuition. That's what cut into his income just enough to bring him short of his dues. When your father couldn't make his payment, Konrad demanded a different form of compensation," Ivan says with disgust in his voice. "He demanded you, Katy."

My eyes widen, and I tear my eyes away to look up at Ivan incredulously. His stony gaze holds no deception.

"This was not the first time he'd made such an advance, the animal," Ivan says, looking back at the video ruefully. Konrad is still stomping around and shouting at Dad. "He has lusted for you for a long time. Your father hid it from you so well, but Konrad has been circling you like a vulture for years."

I want to vomit, and I put my hands to my mouth as I watch Konrad order Nic to turn the table over, sending papers flying everywhere as my dad stumbles backward away from them. Konrad takes him by the scruff of his collar and tosses him into the center of the room.

"Now, Konrad thought he had his chance at you. It would be you, or dire consequences."

A gasp escapes my lips as I see Konrad throw the first punch into my dad's stomach, and as he stumbles back, Nic catches him and holds his arms back while Konrad squares up for more pummeling. I want to turn away, but I owe it to my father to see the truth.

"Konrad demanded to know where you were. He was going to collect on you himself. Your father would not budge. They had already searched his house, but your father had been shrewd enough to hide which college you were away at. He endured terrible things, Katy."

Ivan's voice is a little thick as he watches my innocent father get tortured by the thugs that are now inflicting awful things on my dad. I can barely watch, cringing and feeling my gut wrench at every blow.