Page 62 of Viparious

Inessa

Every night, I battle sleep, waiting for Vlad to come back. He’s been more careful, so I haven’t caught him since his drunken night and the office door might as well be hermetically sealed when I’m in their house. There are no orders given through the wood, the immature prick will message anyone he needs, but my phone never flashes after he decided to kiss me just to evade being honest. I keep replaying it because my traitorous body has built an image of my ideal in his exact image.

Does he think about me? Does he lay awake at night thinking about us two and how we should be with him instead of miles away in a place that doesn’t feel like home anymore? It’s everything in the city that feels wrong, not just the house. I don’t belong here, I’m no longer a part of Grandfather’s group in the Bratva, and no one under the Vartanovs are allowed entry to the city without approval, so I shouldn’t be either.

My mind doesn’t just fixate on how he kissed me, it’s the way he spoke. A man who prides himself on not being weak or showing any vulnerability was begging me. That has to mean something. Or I’m back to deluding myself into believing what I want is true rather than accepting reality.

My limbs are heavier, and I can’t muster the energy to blink as steps move closer. I hate the way my heart settles knowing he’s here, it feels safer, and I allow sleep to take me. But he must be drunker than last time because the heavy footsteps don’t match what I’ve always heard. Vlad normally moves silently, and he does everything in his power not to disturb me. The safety falls away instantly and dread sinks into my bones. I was supposed to stay with Grandfather due to my parents visiting, a stupid show of one happy family as they pretend to give a fuck about their unborn grandchild. Fuck, I sent the guards away, but I was tired and canceled.

It keeps happening now that I’m further into my pregnancy, the dizzy spells have stopped, and I just have this exhaustion I carry everywhere. A door opens down the hall and I turn alert as my heart rate slows. I know whoever it is coming towards me isn’t the devil I’m safe with. Why couldn’t he be laying on the floor now? Another door opens, Viktor’s old room and I can’t move. Maybe they won’t come in here or it’s Vitali, yeah he said he would stay with me if I wanted him to. But he knows the layout of the house and the steps move closer again. They pause at Vlad’s office door, the room beside mine, and I uselessly hold the mattress as though it will absorb me.

The clink of metal as they attempt to open it makes me move and I keep one hand on my baby as I grab my phone and slide off the bed. I’d laugh at the irony of taking Vlad’s position if I wasn’t so terrified. There’s a muted click, and the heavy steps move into the office, giving me time to move. I blindly dial the number by heart without looking at the screen and crawl to the closest door to me with my thumb on the low volume button as the call’s dialing tone rings out.

Fear has the footsteps appearing louder.

But they remain on the other side of the wall.

A loud crash has me flinching, and I nearly drop my phone, alerting them to my wakefulness as I’m halfway to the door. Whoever the fuck is in my house is searching for something in what used to be Vlad’s private office.He answers the call, but I can’t find my voice as I cover the speaker with my hand to mute his question. Three more steps, and I’ll be able to lock myself away. My heart is beating erratically, slowing then speeding up, as sweat beads down my spine. There’s another thud but it hits the wall that connects the rooms and I stupidly use too much force to close the door. My hand whips out, muting the slam as I push my fingers between the wood and door jamb.

I still can’t speak as the air of his harsh words hit my palm through the speaker. I sit up on my knees, closing the door as I wince at the low click. Hitting random buttons so he knows I’m here, I manage to sit with my back against the door and I realize my mistake once I see the clothes hung up.

I should have gone into the bathroom.

I could lock it.

A sob works through me, and I press my hand over my mouth as the crashes get louder, as though they’re tearing out a wall.

Vlad’s deadly voice comes out full of hope.

“Inessa, press a button if you’re safe.”

My head shakes like he can see me, but I don’t press anything. I don’t fucking know if I’m safe.My shoulders hunch forward as I try to tell myself I’m fine.

“Inessa. Fucking speak!”

There’s something muting me. It’s too intense to be as banal as fear. This is sheer terror, not for my life but my daughter’s. I slowly bring the phone to my lips, and my voice is barely audible I beg him.

“Save her, please.”

I can feel the violence coming through the speaker, turning everything to ice it’s so hot, but he manages to speak calmly despite the rushed steps in the background.

“Can you hear me?”

He doesn’t relax when I press the keypad and keeps his voice low.

“Are you at your grandfather’s?”

He didn’t say Maximoff, he never calls him my grandfather. I press two buttons, attempting to say no. The beeps echoing in front of my face are muted by the thuds still hitting the wall. But Vlad’s moving, he’ll be here, and I keep communicating with the keypad.

“You stayed home?”

I press one button as the sound of a car starting comes through the phone, while he continues with his questions, trying to gauge how many there are.

“Have they seen you, meelaya?”

Two buttons and I hold the top of the phone with my palm to dull the sound as the demolition stops.

“Okay, one beep for yes, two for no. The guards are coming, stay with me, okay?”

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