Page 97 of Rapunzel Is Losing It

He pointed at the swirl etched into the ring. “That Y is the family seal. She’s being excommunicated,” he slid the card across the counter, “and we’re invited.”

CHAPTER THIRTY

We hada week to prepare and it still wasn’t enough. I barely slept. Irina was hurt because of me. She was getting cut from her family, literally, because she’d stayed to look after me when her father had taken Victor. She hadn’t stopped me from taking Victor home. My actions kept putting people in danger.

The guilt was festering in my gut. I threw up the morning before we left. It didn’t help that I had to get into a car I’d never seen - apparently my old car had died and Irina had given this one to Victor. Just rubbing in that all these things were happening out of my control.

I blacked out for most of the drive. I didn’t even remember how we got from the car to the long table in Piotr Yelchin’s backyard. The cheery white flowers and streamers mocked me alongside the warm sunshine and chirping birds. Spring was infull bloom when the day would have called for dark skies and raging storms.

Victor’s hand was wrapped around mine in my lap, all ink and veins contrasting against my fluffy skirt.

I kept my eyes on that.

Last time I’d left my house, I had focused on his fight. It had been enough to keep my mind occupied.

But my memories were mixing with anxieties today, all blood and violence - and not the UFC-controlled kind.

“And to Cordelia Montgomery, our very special guest of honor.”

My head snapped up at the mention of my name. Victor’s uncle stood at the head of the table, a hand clamped over Irina’s shoulder, the other raised in a toast.

“Or maybe not so special,” he continued, “seeing her used to be such a rarity, but her face is practically everywhere these days, isn’t it?” He smirked and Victor’s hand tightened.

I took a trembling breath and forced a smile as I raised my own glass. “Can never have too much of a good thing,” I said, my voice surprisingly steady.

Piotr’s eyes flashed but he just smiled and continued: “To Irina and Cordelia.”

Everyone chimed in as they toasted to both of us. I set my glass back down without drinking and met Irina’s eyes. She grinned and winked, as if she wasn’t sitting there with a bruised hand that seemed to just begin to scar. At least she seemed otherwise unharmed. Losing one finger to break free from her father didn’t seem so bad, right?

One finger for a fresh start?

No matter how hard I tried to tell myself it was a small price to pay, my stomach remained sour. I’d failed her. She should have just stayed in my house. She would have been safe there.

I blinked, the outline of a familiar blood stain flashing behind my lids. When I opened my eyes again, lunch was somehow over. A waiter carried my untouched plate off. This wasn’t good. I hadn’t been bleeding time like this in many years. Logically, I knew it was my brain trying to protect me - but it was doing a really poor job if it put me on autopilot in front of two dozen deadly men, hiding guns in their designer suits.

“Come with me.” I glanced up and did a double-take at the man standing behind Victor’s chair. They looked so much alike. Victor was older, broader and tattooed, but their bone structure was incredibly similar. That had to be Victor’s other cousin, Luka. “We have an hour.”

“I’m not leaving her,” Victor said.

“No shit. I meant both of you. Come on.”

I let Victor pull me to my feet. He carried most of my weight with his arm around my middle and I realized that’s how I must have gotten from the car. I glanced at him as he led me through the gleaming smooth house and up the stairs.

“You’re alright,” he whispered and squeezed my waist without his eyes ever leaving his cousin.

Luka eventually scanned his key fob at a door at the end of the hallway. Irina was pacing inside. A gorgeous tall brunette was watching her. Based on those two looking like carbon copies of one another too, I’d say that was Natalia. A blond man stood by the window, vaguely familiar, sipping from a flask as he stared at the guests outside.

“Cordelia,” Victor sighed and positioned himself behind me, both hands wrapping around my middle. The way he steeled his embrace made it easy to lean into him, let his strength hold my body as I forced my brain to stay with me, to let me process this. “These are my cousins. You’ve already met Irina. Luka, Natalia, and her husband Daniel.”

“What are we all doing here?” I asked and curled my hand around my arm. I pressed my nails down hard until my skin ached, hoping to stay present. I had a bad habit of doing that to my cheeks when I sat at my desk - but this was more important than zoom meetings. I’d draw blood if I had to.

“I’ll do a lot for our family but I’m not ready to denounce Irina,” Natalia said. From the corner of my eye, I noticed her husband taking another swig. “I didn’t stay mad at her for more than a day when the little psycho burned my American Girl Doll collection. I’m not starting now.”

My jaw clenched at Natalia’s use of ‘psycho’ but this probably wasn’t the time or place to start educating her on language.

Luka sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “This is so fucked up.”

“You’re all on borrowed time,” I said. All heads swiveled towards me and I winced, only for Victor to tighten his embrace on me. “Take it from someone whose father only cared about money and legacy. You’re cogs in a machine. Not family. Not to him.”

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