Page 23 of We All Have A Heaven
I blinked and looked at them. “What?”
“Who are you talking to?” the older of the two lawyers asked with a sneer.
“What do you mean?” I peered at the man before me, who watched as the two lawyers questioned me like I was stupid.
They snickered and rolled their eyes. I winced and my cheeks warmed.
“What’s so funny?” I asked with a tremor in my voice.
“You talking to a ghost?” the young lawyer with slicked-back brown hair asked with a smirk.
I looked between the lawyers and the man they weren’t acknowledging. “You don’t see him?” I pointed to him. “He’s right here.”
Their laughter grew louder, and I gave them a shaky smile. Despite that, I didn’t feel happy about any of this. My hands shook as the two lawyers made fun of me.
“There’s no one there, stupid girl,” the older said through his fit of laughter.
“Hey! Tell me if you see my grandma. She still owes me fifty bucks,” the other added.
I swallowed around the lump forming in my throat and looked at the man they couldn’t see.
“I’m hallucinating,” I whispered, hoping they would understand.
“I’m real,” the man in the white T-shirt said, folding his arms over his chest. He scowled at me, all pleasantry gone.
“So you’re on drugs?” The older lawyer got up from his seat and stepped toward me. His friend joined him, and they furiously ate up the space between us.
My heart jumped to my throat, and I circled them, my back now facing the door. I shook my head, unable to find my voice.
“Or are you drunk?” the brown-haired lawyer snarled.
I frantically shook my head. “No. Neither.” I swallowed hard. “What are, what are your names?” I wanted to know so I could avoid them in the future.
All humor disappeared from their faces, and they scowled at me.
“You going to tattle?” the brown-haired lawyer snarled.
“What? No!” I said.
The two lawyers came closer, and I backed away until my bottom met the wall beside the doorway. They crowded my space and glared down at me. Panic had my stomach churning until I felt like I would get sick. I tried to stop myself from shaking like a leaf because I didn’t want them to know how scared they made me.
“You goin’ to run to the boss and cry about us? We should be the ones who go to him and let him know that you’re high. You’re even slurring your words, too.” The older of the two was so close that I could see flecks of gold in his cruel hazel eyes. Violence radiated off him and made me dizzy with how frightened I was that he would hurt me. He fisted his hands by his sides and punched the wall beside my head.
I flinched and whimpered. “I’m not, I’m not high. I, I have—”
“What are you doing?” I tensed at Mr. Volkov’s deep voice and turned my head, finding him standing by the doorway. His hands were in his pockets to make him look relaxed, but his tense shoulders and clenched jaw said otherwise.
The two bullies backed away, hands up and nervously chuckling. Mr. Volkov’s gaze slid to them. He stepped further into the room until he stood between them and me. I breathed harder, trying to calm my erratic heart before it broke through my chest and landed by Mr. Volkov’s feet.
“Nothing, sir. We were just joking around with her. Isn’t that right?” The older lawyer looked at me with a warning flash in his eyes.
“She’s high, maybe even a little drunk,” the other said. “She was talking to no one, and her words are slurred.”
Mr. Volkov cocked his head and glared at them. He looked at me for a moment, then back at them. “Is that so?”
I swallowed hard, my hands and legs shaking with nerves. The hallucination was gone by now, and I thanked every lucky star for that.
“Gather your things and leave,” Mr. Volkov said to the pair, keeping his voice neutral and soft. I didn’t miss the lethality dripping from every word, and I was sure they didn’t either.
