Page 38 of Viparious

She’s cut off when my phone rings. If it was any other than the one solely for Grigory, I wouldn’t move. But I do. It’s autopilot as my skin turns cold, and I stretch, reaching it on the nightstand where it’s always kept.

I move quicker than I should be able to because he never fucking calls. Or sends messages. Or does anything other than give me a drink on one day a year. My heart starts pounding again, and Inessa folds in half under me as I answer before it can reach the third ring.

“Something has happened.”

There’s panic in his voice, and I don’t know why I ask when I know she’s dead.

“Is she okay?”

There’s six feet of dirt on her body, bones now, but I still wait for the answer, feeling my heart tear in two with the long pause. The audible gulp doesn’t ease my mood, and I’m helpless all over again when he says, “There’s been some damage. The earth has been disturbed.”

She’s innocent, my innocent solnyshkuh, who shouldn’t even be in a fucking grave.

Nothing else exists as I get up, and I don’t even bother showering. Pulling on a random pair of shorts and a t-shirt, I listen to Grigory skate around telling me the extent of the damage. I know it’s bad when he reluctantly tells me what to do.

“I think you should be here. I can fix things if you’re busy.”

My voice hardens at the thought I would ever not be there for her.

“It’s Vanya, I’ll be there.”

In life, I may have failed her, but I won’t make the same mistake twice. I can’t breathe or focus on anything other than destroying anyone who even looked at her resting place.

Ending the call, I don’t waste time packing and order the jet to be ready for when I reach the airfield.

It’s going to be like the night she died all over again to remind those suka cunts to stay the fuck away from her. To let her have peace when they never tried to help when she was alive. She only ever had me — she will only ever have me.

Inessa is turned on her side, facing the wall as I walk out of the closet. She’s already fallen asleep, and I move the mirror, so it won’t fall on her. She doesn’t stir as I pull the sheets up to her chin, and her tears are still staining her cheeks.

“You deserve better, meelaya.”

Kissing her temple, I turn the lights off, making sure the windows are alarmed and leave for my second night of revenge.

1 You are my best mistake.

ELEVEN

Vlad

It’s already late in the evening when I reach the churchyard. With the time difference and flight, he must have called me early morning, but Grigory looks like he hasn’t slept in fear of something else happening. My feet pound against the earth holding the dead until I’ve passed the tree and see the damage they’ve done. Her headstone is smashed. Spiderweb cracks spread over the marble and large chunks sit heavily on the grass. But the cunts have dug up random holes around where I laid her to rest.

I’ve felt pain once in my life. True, visceral, earth-shattering pain the day I came home, and Vanya wouldn’t wake up. But this is different, it’s anger at how little respect she’s been given. It doesn’t fucking mean shit who I am, she is innocent. All of the holes are centered around the sight I buried her, and the only thing stopping them from reaching her is the fact I planted the headstone on the exact spot. It goes deep into the ground, and they have only managed to break the stone rather than dislodge it fully.

Not looking away from the plot, my tone is harsh, one Vanya wouldn’t recognize.

“Who was it?”

Grigory gives me a tight-lipped smile and gestures for me to follow him. If he caught the fuckers, it won’t make me grateful. He should have made sure this never fucking happened.Following him into his little church office, my usual commentary about not bursting into flames is missing and he doesn’t try to make conversation. He just sits me down at his desk and silently lets the security footage show the masked fuckers running towards the bitch who used to be our neighbor as they run, seeing the security lights turn on.

I should have killed her that night. Or any of the ones before when she’d spew her shit in front of my brothers. But they were young and don’t remember, I forgave her shit because I was a kid. As a man, I won’t make the mistake.Every fucking thing she has done had been forgotten, she was nothing, but she was involved in the two worst moments of my life.

The chair hits the stone wall as I push back with more force than I anticipated. He keeps his fucking mouth shut. A smart man, or his connection to God, is saving his life and allowing intervention drowning him out. Or he’s dumber than I thought as he blocks my path and meets my eyes.

“Don’t do it, Vladik, you will only taint your soul.”

My hand wraps around his throat, and I lift him off his feet as I drag him closer. The tips of his shoes scrape against the old stone floor, and I feel death wash over me again.

“Do not get involved, old man. You will answer to me too.”

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