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his mother's cry of delight when she'd opened the box containing the matching set on her last birthdayher thirty-second. She tugged on her wedding ring, eyes filling with tears when the gold and diamond band wouldn't come off. She glanced at Brian. "I haven't taken this off since we were married. It's stuck." Her voice wavered on the last word. |
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The leader reached in his pocket again, this time removing a knife. At the press of a button, a long blade appeared. "We can cut off the finger. Will that make it easier?" |
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Brian took a step forward. "Are you insane? Just give her a minute. She's had the thing on for over twelve years." |
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Marianne licked the flesh around her finger, desperately working the metal against her knuckle. The kid hovering in the background grabbed Marianne by the hair and yanked her head back. "If we can't have the ring, we'll have something else. But I get to go first." As Chris and his father watched, horrified, the youth ripped Marianne's blouse down the front and groped inside, settling his hand on her breast. |
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With a roar of protest, Brian launched himself toward his wife. A shot rang out. Time slowed as Chris's father jerked once. Then he fell forward, grasping his wife's skirt before he slid to the ground at her feet. |
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The silence that ensued in the moments following the shot echoed louder than the loudest thunder in Chris's ears. Then came a roaring to rival the winds before a tornado, and finally a stillness settled inthe quiet before the worst of the storm hit. |
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