Page 40 of Volatile

“Who were you talking to?”

My voice isn’t as stilted as hers with the bottom half of my face free to move and I don’t think about my answer.

“The woman of my dreams.”

Viktor has to be a shithead and he doesn’t even move forward as he asks, “How much does she charge?”

Little pieces of clay crumble and Dani’s laugh is right behind me, joining Inessa’s. The traitor, she’s my best friend, my first girl and she doesn’t even come to my defense.

Taking the seat beside me, she shakes while applying her mask and takes too long to speak as she decides to drop me in more shit.

“Is it the one who ran out of your room before you could even give her clothes the other day?”

She didn’t run though, Stasi was hiding behind the door, and I hate my family when Viktor pushes his head forward and opens his mouth.

“Was that the night Stasi stayed over?”

He knows what he’s doing, the little shit. Both Inessa and Dani fill with questions and turn to face me, each of them grabbing one of my arms so I can’t leave.If I ever needed evidence that having kids young is a bad choice it’s in the little fucker sitting back with his hands under his head proudly crossing his ankles on the edge of the table. The first person he brings home is being woken up to a singing telegram and I’ll make Val cuddle them to death or lay at the end of their bed like an old dog warming their feet.

I stare him out and ask, “How’s Grace doing? Did she hold your hand again?”

His face falls and he slowly stares between my smug grin and his mom’s face as she softly asks, “Who’s Grace?”

His dad picks up on the tail end of the conversation and if there’s one thing Val can do it’s smother his son in protectiveness. My nephew knows he’s fucked up as his dad rounds the sofa and starts his questioning him.

“Why were you holding her hand?”

The face mask hasn’t fully set and the wet patches at Viktor’s jaw have little cracks in them.

“I wasn’t,” he tries to lie, and I sit up, eager to make his life harder.

“Yeah he wasn’tjustholding her hand. He had one arm over her shoulders too. You should have seen them both with hearts in their eyes and he?—”

I’m cut off as the little fucking shithead forces his arm over Inessa’s thighs and fucking punches me in the dick. He doesn’t do it with enough force to knock the wind out of me and Inessa hugs him with one arm while Dani elbows me before I can hit him back.

“What the fuck?!” I snap as I hold my hands over my crotch. “He just assaulted me and you’re both protecting him?”

I’m ignored as Val sits on the edge of the coffee table and folds his arms over his chest. My brother has classic middle-child syndrome; it’s why he’s always moaning about something and thinks no one likes him, but he’s more mature as he asks his son, “Who’s Grace?”

I lean back, resting my head on the edge of the sofa, and hum, “Yeah, Viktor, tell your dad all about you and little Gracey.” I crack open one eye to see him glaring at me and the face mask is setting, making me aware of how fucking smug I am as I stage-whisper, “That’s what he calls her. Gracey and Viktor, how adorable.”

“Aww,” Dani coos. “That’s sweet.”

Val whips his head to her and spits out, “It’s not fucking sweet. They’re kids.”

My nephew is two seconds away from killing me by the look in his eyes and I attempt to take the heat off him as I ask Val, “Are you jealous he was hugging someone else?”

Dani joins in and her chest shakes as she laughs. “Don’t say that’s why you’re having a tantrum?”

“I’m not having a fucking tantrum,” he seethes.

“Dad?” Viktor whispers. “You are a little bit.”

THIRTEEN

Anastasia

My mother has her wish as I stand amongst the guests, looking out of place. The dress is beautiful and short, exactly what she wanted in a sea of creepy fucking perverts. This isn’t what I picked out and the embroidery is scratching my skin as I keep my back to the wall, so I don’t show anyone my ass. I cross one ankle over the other and it takes zero effort to appear bored. It’s the same forced bullshit: kiss this person’s cheek while his wife glares at me and digs her nails into my arm while paying me a fake compliment.

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