Page 105 of His Hell Girl

"Who sent you?" Vlad asks, coming to stand right in front of the man. He carelessly swings the gun in his hand a couple of times before pointing it straight at his head.

"Who sent you?" he asks again, the barrel of the gun moving slowly across the man's face. "I don't know if they told you, but I'm not a fan of quick deaths. Your friends there," he motions tothe fallen men, "had it easy. But you…" He makes a tsk sound. "You either tell me or I'll get the answer out of you." He shrugs, plopping himself on his ass in front of the scared man, as if he couldn't give a fuck if he tried to attack him or not.

More than anything Vlad looks… bored.

"I…" the man stammers, "please don't hurt me," he cries like a little girl and Vlad's smile widens.

"Do tell," he prompts him.

"P… P… Petro Meester," he finally utters the words, and I narrow my eyes, almost sure I'd heard the name before.

"Is that so," Vlad whistles a short tune—in surprise or disappointment, I don't know. "And who told you where I was?" he continues, and my ears perk up.

I watch attentively, curious about the person who sold Vlad out because I know for a fact that very few people had been aware of this location.

"I…" the man keeps on stammering, his eyes wildly looking for an exit where there's none.

More impatient than usual, Vlad grabs his nape, bringing him closer to his face. I push the volume of the sound to the max, wanting to listen to everything that passes between them.

"You tell me that, and I'll give you a quick death. You have my word. If not…" He purses his lips, telling him exactly what he'll do to him, a gruesome experiment meant to keep him alive while his body writhes in pain. The descriptions are so vivid that the man wets himself.

"I don't know… a bald man," he says, his entire body trembling with fear.

Vlad gives a jerky nod, the barrel of the gun at the man's temple before I can even blink, the sound of the bullet going through his brain and immediately killing him almost deafening.

Vlad's expression is grave as he stands up, pensively striding to my location and opening the elevator doors.

"We need to leave," he tells me, "but first, I need to do one last thing."

He takes my hand, leading me to the front of the house before thrusting me behind him.

"Come out, you fucking coward," he yells at the top of his lungs. "Maxiiiiiiim!" His roar would make anyone think twice before showing themselves in front of him.

But Maxim ends up coming out of the house, a resigned look on his face.

I try to peek at Vlad's face and I have to wonder what he's feeling. I know Maxim's been with him for years. To have him betray Vlad like this must be awful. Especially since for so long Maxim's been his only contact to the outside world.

Vlad takes a step forward, only one word crossing his lips.

"Why?"

Maxim has the shame to look down, his legs wobbly as he falls to his knees.

"Moya semya, vo Vladivostoke," he starts, his voice uneven as he talks about his family back in Russia and how Meester had offered him a deal in exchange for their lives.

"Maxim," Vlad says his name, and I can recognize a tinge of anguish underneath.

He's not unaffected. And that breaks my heart.

"You could have asked for help. Ya nekagda ne tebe skazal net. Ti znaesh shto ya vsegda hotel pomogat." He shakes his head, clearly disappointed.

Head hung low, Maxim doesn't even dare look at Vlad. Instead, he takes out a shashka from his coat, handing it to him with both hands.

"Pazhalusta," he whispers.

Vlad's expression falls for a split of a second, before his iciness returns in full force. Grabbing the blade, he doesn't evenhesitate as he waves it in the air, the sharp edge cutting Maxim's throat from ear to ear.

He falls to the ground, blood gushing from his body, his eyes wide open as he stares into nothingness.

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