The First Councel

At the sound of his voice, I feel every muscle in Nora’s back tense. First, I think it’s anger. It’s not. It’s fear.

Like a child caught stealing from her mother’s purse, she pulls away from me and wipes her face. Lightning speed. Like nothing ever happened.

I turn toward Lamb, wondering what she’s so afraid of.

“I tried to stop him,” Nora blurts, “but he-”

“Shut up,” Lamb snaps.

“You don’t understand, Uncle Larry, I-”

“You’re a liar,” he says in a low monotone. Moving toward her, his shoulders are pitched, barely restrained in his flawlessly tailored Zegna suit. He glides like a panther. Slow, calculating, as his ice blue eyes drill into Nora. The closer he gets, the more she shrinks backwards.

“Don’t touch her!” I warn.

He doesn’t stop. Straight at Nora. That’s all he sees.

She races to the files, pointing down at the open box. She’s shaking uncontrollably. “S-See… here it is-j-j-just like I… ”

He points at her, extending a single, manicured finger. His voice is a whispered roar. “Nora-”

She shuts up. Dead silent.

Thrusting his hand at her throat, he grabs her by the neck, holds her at arm’s length, and scans the pile of files at her feet. Her arms go ragdoll; her legs are quivering. She can barely stand up.

I’m paralyzed just watching it. “Get off her!”

Once again, he doesn’t even look my way. All he does is glare at Nora. She tries to squirm free, but he grips her tighter. “What did I tell you about fighting?” She goes back to ragdoll, her head lowered, refusing to face me. Lamb looks to the floor and smiles that thin, haunting grin. I can read it in the smug look on his face. He’s seen the files. He knows what I found. Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out a silver Zippo lighter with the presidential seal on it. “Take this,” he says to Nora. She stands frozen. “Take it!” he shouts, forcing it into her hands. “Listen to me when I talk to you! Do you want to be unhappy? Is that what you want?”

That’s it. Enough melodrama. I race toward them at full speed. “I said, get the hell off h-”

He spins around and pulls out a gun. A small pistol. Pointed right at me. “What’d you say?” he asks.

I stop in my tracks and raise my hands.

“Exactly,” Lamb growls.

Next to him, Nora’s trembling. But for the first since Lamb arrived, she’s looking at me.

Lamb yanks her chin, jerking her head back toward him. “Who’s talking to you!? Me or him? Me or him!?” Grabbing her by the throat, he pulls her close and whispers in her ear. “Remember what you told me? Well, it’s time to keep the promise.” He slides his hand to her shoulder and pushes down, trying to force her to her knees. Her legs are buckling, but at least she’s resisting.

“Fight him, Nora!” I call out, only a few feet away.

“Last warning,” he says as he points the gun at me. Turning back to Nora, he makes sure I get a good look. With a tight grip on her throat, he slides his gun toward her mouth. “Do you want me to get mad at you? Is that what you want?” As he presses the barrel against her lips, she shakes her head no. He pushes harder. The tip of the gun scratches against her gritted teeth. Her knees start to give way. “Please, Nora… it’s me. It’s just me. We can… we can fix it-like it was.” She looks up and all she sees is him. Slowly, she lets the gun slip between her lips. A tear runs down her cheek. Lamb smiles. And Nora gives in. One final push sends her crumbling to her knees.

Slumped down, she’s sitting next to the loose files. Lamb steps back and leaves her alone on the floor.

“You know what to do,” he says.

Nora looks down at the lighter, then over at the files.

“Here’s your chance,” he adds. “Make it right.”

“Don’t listen to him!” I shout.

Without warning, Lamb turns to me and fires. The gun goes off with a silent hiss. Next thing I know, something bites through my shoulder. I slap myself like I’m going after a ten-ton mosquito. But when I pick my hand up, it’s covered in blood. Warm. It’s so warm. And sticky. There are dark red speckles all over my arm. Without thinking, I go to touch it. My finger goes straight in the bullet hole. Up to my knuckle. That’s when I notice the pain. Sharp. Like a thick needle jammed in my shoulder. It pulses down my arm with an electric shock. I’ve been shot.

“See what he made me do?” Lamb says to Nora. “It’s just like I told you-once it gets out, it all falls apart.”

I want to scream, but the words don’t come.

“Don’t let him confuse you,” Lamb adds. “Ask yourself what’s right. Would I ever put you at risk? Would I ever do anything to hurt our family?”

From the blank look on her face, I can tell Nora’s lost. As shock sets in, the throbbing in my shoulder is excruciating.

Continuing to hammer away, Lamb motions to the lighter in her hand. “I can’t do it without you, Nora. Only you can fix it. For us. It’s all for us.”

She looks at the lighter, her eyes filled with tears.

Lamb’s voice stays cold and steady. “It’s in your hands, honey. Only yours. If you don’t finish it now, they take it all away. Everything, Nora. Is that what you want? Is that what we worked for?”

Her answer is a trained whisper. “No.” Refusing to look up, Nora opens the lighter and flicks on the flame. She holds it for a moment, staring at the fire as it shakes in her hand.

“Keep-your-promise,” Lamb says with his teeth clenched.

“Don’t!” I call out.

It’s too late. She picks up the folder and brings it slowly toward the flame.

“That’s it,” Lamb says. “Keep your promise.”

“Nora, you don’t have to-” Before I can finish, she dips the corner of the folder into the orange flame. The thin file catches fire easily, and within seconds, the entire edge is lit up like a torch… Wait a second. The Request Memos file was an inch thick. This one’s-

Nora shoots me a look, and with a flick of her wrist, hurls the burning file straight at Lamb. A blazing rocket, it hits him square in the chest as fiery pages fly everywhere. His tie, his jacket-both start to catch fire. Screaming at the small flame, he pats down his chest and fights his way out of his jacket. The flames go out quickly. The file folder, smacked through the air, lands near the guardrail surrounding the stained glass. Right at my feet. I’m still lying on the floor, but if I scooch forward… I can just about… There. Ignoring the pain in my shoulder, I stamp out the flame, pick up the charred remains of the folder, and read the label. Radio Addresses.

I look up at Nora, who, with tears streaming down her face, is already racing at Lamb. “You fucking asshole!” she screams as her fingernails slash a deep cut into his cheek. “I’ll kill you! You understand me, you vampire? I’ll kill you!” Clawing and punching in every direction, she’s like an animal unleashed. But the louder she screams, the more the tears flow-launched through the air as her head whips back and forth. Every few seconds, she sniffles it all in, but moments later, a burst of shrieks and saliva sends it right back out. She grabs him by the hair and pounds him in the ear. Then she lifts his head and jabs him in the throat. Blow after blow, she goes straight for the soft spots.

As always, though, Nora takes it too far. Looking down, she realizes Lamb is still somehow holding on to his gun.

I clutch the guardrail around the stained glass, struggling to get to my feet. “Nora, don’t!” I call out.

She doesn’t even hesitate. Letting go of Lamb’s hair, she reaches down for it. That’s all the time Lamb needs. He lashes out with a backhanded fist and the barrel of the gun catches her in the side of the head. “How dare you touch me!” he screams in a mad rage. “I raised you! Not your father! Me!” Grabbing her by the front of her shirt, he pulls her in and pounds the butt of the gun against her face.

“Nora!” I shout. She falls to the floor and I hobble to her side.

“Don’t move!” Lamb threatens before I can take a step. Once again pointing his gun, he waves it back and