Page 88 of Volatile

The engine groans as he speeds up and there’s no other noise. He doesn’t slow down even though we pass the old restaurants he’s not allowed to visit since the agreement was put in place that he wouldn’t enter any of the Conglomerate’s territory. That hurts more because I’ve heard him grieve burgers, pizza, and every delicacy he loves and now he doesn’t even notice them.

He doesn’t stop until we reach Vartanov territory, and the car slows outside of an abandoned warehouse. It’s the one I’ve used with his brother, the one that Vlad keeps separate from the Bratva, so no one finds out what he likes to do in his spare time.

A naïve part of me expects there to be a job to complete. But I look up, blink to clear my vision, and his brothers stand in wait with Dima. All three of them are pissed but it’s Valentin who has an outburst as we get out of the car.

“What the fuck happened? You just disappeared then end up with those cunts?!”

I have one foot out of the car when Vitali stiffens, his anger surpasses his frame, and he turns towards his brother with rage.

“Shut your fucking mouth for once.”

Vlad’s eyes come to me, and I dip my head, so I don’t burn on the spot as he warns, “Vitali. We’ll talk at home.”

All of them are angry. I’m the only person who wants to be invisible and I hunch my shoulders forward. It’s even more intense once I’m trapped in the car with them all. Vitali doesn’t let me sit on the seat and drags me up to his thigh. I’m stuck staring at the side of Valentin’s head while he has some argument with himself in the seat beside us. When he moves to look at me, or his brother, I drop my chin to my chest.

I’ve never been good with battling the rage of people I know; I’d run and hide from my mother. Lock myself away and avoid her for as long as possible hoping it goes away. The disappointment is worse than anger, it’s belittling and I’m not strong enough to withstand it as Dima catches my eyes through the rear-view mirror. He looks down at what I’m wearing then to Vlad who dismisses him while I sink inside myself.

THIRTY-THREE

Vitali

Everything around me is slower, duller, than usual. Apart from Val, that dumb fuck keeps staring at me and he looks at my knee as though he can see through my sweats as I keep Stasi on my thigh. I’m hiding behind her, and I don’t give a fuck. My lips touch her cold nape and I hate the way she stiffens when I press my hand to her stomach. I thought she was injured. Notthat.

Other than the small flinch she doesn’t pick her head up or even acknowledge anyone. My apology is silent and my eyes close as I focus on the fact she’s breathing. She’s okay, alive, and breathing, she’s not passed out on the floor with a bunch of pricks sneering at her or recounting the fucked-up shit they’ll do – she’s safe.

Sweat beads down my spine and I grit my teeth as a tremor enters my hand. She can feel it, and she unfreezes to gently cover my hand with hers. There’s barely any pressure against me, but I relax as I whisper into her skin, “I’m sorry, malysh.”

The sight of her passed out is right in front of me, even though I know she’s not, it’s still fucking there. My mind keeps it in a continuous loop: the fucker kicking into her stomach, their dirty boot pressing against her cheek while I couldn’t get my head to stop spinning enough to stand, both of them hurting her and even when they were dead, the other two turned up full of fucking glee at what their rapist buddies had promised them.

We stop moving and she peels my arm off her to get out of the car while avoiding everyone. She usually speaks to Dima, but she doesn’t even look in his direction as she walks into the house. I’m not letting Stasi run from me, not now when she’s hurting, not fucking ever.

I get out to follow after her but Vlad stops me when I step into the house and Val is at my back. Stasi keeps walking and I settle as she goes to our floor. The dickhead behind me opens his mouth and stokes my rage as he spits, “Why the fuck were you with Zhang? Did you buy something from her?”

My fist comes up as I turn, and I push every bit of emotional and physical pain behind it. It doesn’t connect with Val’s jaw as I sway, and my knee burns as he knocks my hand away. Dima steps between us while Val stares like a dumb fuck. He doesn’t try to hit me back. He uses his favorite weapon, his tongue.

“Well done, looks like you’re a daddy’s boy after all.”

Our stepdad knows it’s a low blow and he keeps his tone even, warning, “Shut your mouth, Valentin, and walk away.”

Val takes a step closer to me, ignoring it. “Try to do it again, I’ll knock you on your ass.”

And, as always, Vlad waits until the last moment to leash him.

“Valentin. Walk. Away.”

The low threat stops him advancing, and he looks at me like I’m a piece of shit as he scoffs, “Fucking junkie.”

Dima steps closer to me, his hand pressed on my chest as I try to go through him to get to the prick, screaming, “You’re the one who had a kid with a crackhead but I’m the junkie?!”

A rough hand grabs my jaw, forcing it to close and I’m pushed back. Vlad steps to the side, blocking Val reaching me, as he spits out murder. “You think these fuckers can protect you when you talk about my kid? You’re a little fucking puppy because you’re high all the time, so shut your fucking mouth and get your coke whore out of my fucking house!”

There’s a roar in my chest, removing the heartache, it stops the pain in my knee being an issue as I throw my full weight forward, uncaring about anything other than killing the fucker.

Dima and Vlad remain between us, taking the majority of the shots, until we’re both pushed back, and Vlad officially loses his calm. His voice is deadly vibrating off the tile and Dima pins me to the door with his hands wrapped around my biceps.

“Are you children?!”

I don’t give a fuck and try to push the cunt off me as I argue my case. “He’s a mouthy prick. I didn’t do shit to him.”

---