Page 98 of Ruinous Need
That’s an exaggeration. It’s only a half-mile.
“It’ll be worth it. We’re almost there.” I keep leading her along the path with my arm around her shoulders.
Since our separation, Lisette hasn’t been the same.There’s an edge to her now, an anger. She’s realized that an entire period of her life was stolen from her, simply because Semyon decided she would be the prize in some twisted game he wanted to play.
I feel it when Lisette’s asleep. She’s restless, fearful of people who aren’t there. She talks in her sleep about worries that her family will be killed, though that danger is long passed.
I’ve been there, after Lev. She needs to let this fear out while she’s conscious, while she’s in control, before it eats away at her.
I feel guilty that I can’t do more to help.
Especially because I’m the most content I’ve been in mylife. Work is a chore, with new alliances desperately needed to solidify my leadership, but as long as Lisette’s by my side, I’m satisfied.
And it never would have happened without the sequence of events that is the source of her trauma.
If she hadn’t been engaged to the Pakhan, she would have become a professional ballerina. I would still be chasing vengeance through Latin America and Russia in an attempt to erase my father’s legacy from existence.
If not for Lisette, I wouldn’t have realized how futile it all was. How Semyon was using my rage to keep me sidelined.
I want to thank her. I want to show her that her rage is normal, and controllable, and that I can help her with it.
If there’s one thing I understand, it’s anger at the way the Bratva uses people and discards them like they’re nothing.
“Okay. This is it.”
I untie the black silk from around Lisette’s eyes and gesture at the warehouse before us. She looks up at me with confusion.
“A present?”
I grin. “Of a sort.”
The warehouse is overflowing with things — a rainbow of expensive sports cars, designer furniture, priceless works of art. My cousin always loved his shiny objects.
“I felt bad about not keeping Semyon for you to destroy. He was your tormentor for years. This is the next best thing. All of it belonged to him. And you can do whatever you want with it. Break it. Burn it. Smash it. Whatever you want, Lisette.”
I bring her over to the table of tools, and her eyes widen in excitement. “What do you want to start with?”
I’ve given her the whole gamut to choose from. Molotov cocktails, a flamethrower, a sledgehammer. Parked beside the table are a giant bulldozer and steamroller.
“Hmm.” She looks at the tools I’ve assembled. “I’m going to start with the steamroller.” She casts a sideways glance at me, surprise etched on her face. “You’re really going to let me drive it?”
“I will supervise. Closely.” She pouts at that.
Once she’s driving through that warehouse, I feel like I’ve done the right thing.
I’ve never seen her unleash this kind of unhinged energy before. She drives the steamroller over a row of sports cars, again and again, whooping loud enough that I can hear it over the noise of the machinery and the crushing screech of metal on metal.
When she’s done, the sports cars are just a mangled mess of brightly colored metal.Lisette tips her head back and laughs, the first proper laugh I’ve heard from her lately, when she surveys the wreckage.
“That was fun.” Her eyes shine up at me, her blonde hair wild around her face. “Now let’s try the sledgehammer.”
Watching Lisette slam the heavy sledgehammer, again and again, into Semyon’s expensive furniture, fills me with pride. She’s stronger than her tiny frame would lead people to believe. And her movements are so filled with anger that I hope she really is getting genuine catharsis out of this.
She catches me watching her at one point and swings the sledgehammer over her shoulder like she’s striking a pose.
“Do you like what you see? Why don’t I come over there and bring my new best friend with me?” She waves the hammer over her head in wide circles.
“Fucking terrifying.” I laugh. “I should have known you’d be trouble as soon as I put a weapon in your hand.”
