27. Vitali

TWENTY-SEVEN

Vitali

M y girl thinks she’s clever by disappearing before I woke up. She hasn’t answered me all day and if I see some little cunt next to her it’s going to become a bloody wedding. There are thoughts, ideas forming in my head, on how I can keep her. Fucking chain Stasi to me so I never have to go a day without her, my anger will have another outlet and I want her walking towards me freely when the time comes. Preferably without her cunt of a family watching on, they can look up from hell to see my girl become my wife.

There’s a dull ache behind my kneecap that intensifies with each step I take and I’ve already taken my usual dosage for this time of day as we head out of the cathedral, but I slip away so I can take extra. Stasi wasn’t even in the wedding, none of her family have asked questions about her. Even the guests have forgotten she exists. There’s no chance she’s disappeared off the face of the planet, her things were still there in our room when I woke up and Dani spoke to her before she left.

I still don’t see Stasi when we reach the ridiculously decorated venue to celebrate nuptials of two people that only have power in their minds since they’re weak as fuck. She’s not standing at the front to greet guests with the rest of her family, and I bypass the fuckers to search every table for my sweetness. I find her easily, it’s not the same reason everyone else is staring in her direction. They’re all staring due to another short-ass dress that is out of place at a wedding and forces her to stand back uncomfortable as fuck. It’s not the same one that was in the gown bag and she’s not even breathing as she keeps her hands loosely over her stomach. The seams at the side of the dress are stretched and fabric is cutting into her skin so it’s definitely not her size, it can’t be any bigger than a pillowcase.

I feel lighter at my ring being front and fucking center on her fuck-you finger as I go to her side. Each pair of eyes that meets it abruptly looks away and they all fuck off as soon as I’ve got my girl by my side. Shrugging out of my jacket, I drape it over her shoulders so she’s more comfortable and that little smile filled with gratitude is a killer. Or extra motivation for one.

When I try to kiss her cheek, she moves back and shuts down, becoming the fake bitch as she coldly says, “They’ll talk shit about you.”

Fuck that.

If I want to kiss my girl I will, I’ll fuck her right next to the cake while eating it and none of these cunts will stop me.I angle my body so there’s nothing blocking the sight of us as I hold her chin and press my lips to her cheek respectfully. If they can’t understand from her presence alone that she’s owed it then I’ll model it until the entire population acts correctly. Her cheek warms beneath my lips and I tilt her head to kiss her other cheek without touching any other part of her body.

She softens slightly and I lower my voice, so no one overhears. “Fuck them all, they said we locked Inessa in a cupboard after Vero was born.”

I’ve heard more rumors about my family than I could count, what’s another to add to the list when they’re all full of shit and too fucking weak to ever say that shit in front of me. Anyone who has ever met my sister-in-law would know she’s just as crazy as her husband; if we tried to lock her up she’d poison us, she’d probably set the house on fire to escape or just for the fun of it.

The rumors about Dani are funnier since they all assume that she’s Viktor’s biological mother and we had her sent to Brazil after he was born. I’ve heard everything from Val forcing her to leave to the lie that we got her deported when she wasn’t even born in Brazil. The ignorant fucks can’t even check that their rumors would make sense before they begin gossiping.

Stasi doesn’t argue anything further, knowing it’s useless and allows me to guide her to the right table. Weddings are a time for family and the fuckers sitting on the bride’s table aren’t hers, so I take her to ours and Inessa pushes out the chair beside her. She doesn’t sit on my thigh like I want her to and takes the seat beside Inessa.

Our good mood is pissed on when her cunt mother decides to come over. I push my chair back with more force than necessary and for no other reason than slamming into the bitch as she tries to reach Stasi and lazily sit back.

All she has to do is say one thing and I can react; it won’t be viewed as anything other than a Vartanov’s lack of control, Stasi’s name won’t be mentioned apart from people mentioning it was her mother’s death. But the woman does have restraint, just not with her daughter, and she keeps walking. Her dickhead husband doesn’t follow his wife, two more glasses and then he’s mine.

Stasi is strong as fuck when everyone she grew up with is a coward.

I turn back to the table, and Vlad’s neurotic brain is working on putting the pieces together as he stares at me. I’m not a child who needs his protection anymore and I don’t offer any information. He can find out about Borya with all the other guests. He’s already starting his last drink at the bar and anger has Borya turning red in the face. There’s skin-tone bandaging over his hands to conceal what happened last time and the little fucker has covered my words with an undershirt.

When he leaves the ballroom with his brother I finish my drink, making sure to spill a few drops on my suit. My tolerance is higher than most given Len’s parenting techniques, but if he thinks I’m drunk it will serve in my favor. As soon as I go through the doors an annoying presence is behind me, ice clinking together in his tumbler, but there are no words to draw me back. Fuck it, if Vlad wants to watch he can, it’s usually his style to turn weddings murderous so it can become a family tradition.

Fuck, my knee burns when I force myself to walk sloppily and Borya’s eyes flicker between Vlad and me. He’s scared of the wrong person when he’s going to die at his own hand and my face will be free for my beautiful woman to take a seat.

I plug false joviality into my voice as I close the distance and we’re far enough away from any civilian eyes for it to be an issue as I say, “Such a happy occasion. Marta is glowing — just like she was on her engagement.”

My reminder has his jaw clenching.If I knew the cunt touched my girl I would have done a lot worse, he’s lucky Stasi told me not to do anything and that deep down I’m a little frightened of her. Even if I wasn’t, I respect her too much to ever betray what she asks of me.

Anika’s parlor trick of playing roulette and always being able to calculate who it would land on comes in use as I take the revolver from my waistband and allow his pride to be his downfall.

“Only the brave?” I ask, as per tradition.

His ego is on the line as the other fuckers watch on, taking notice. To them I’m a dumb fuck, too volatile and unpredictable to become a Vor and a waste. The same description Len lovingly used every time he spoke to me or about me. The truth is that I have no interest in anyone kissing my ass, unless Stasi is into that then I’ll bend over for her, and I’ve been raised with the same conditioning as my brothers. Apart from the exception that I know both of those crazy fuckers will support whatever decision I make.

Removing all but one of the bullets, I wait for the click and Vlad hardens as he steps to my side. He never witnessed Anika in her element, she reserved that for Val and me. Her fucked-up mental games always became our torture when she was too drunk to even tie her robe and whoever had lowered themselves to fuck her that day decided not to show up.

Four empty rounds, one chambered, a final empty – and one dead little pedo cunt, well, he will be soon. Semantics.

I smile widely and don’t look away from the cunt as I bring the muzzle up to press it under my chin.

“Let’s play?”

The click of it being cocked has excitement flashing on their faces at the probability of my death. Sweat beads on his hairline and I keep my tone light as I ask, “Oh, do you want to go first?”

Vlad moves closer to me, it’s minute, a small tilt of his shoulders, the overprotective shithead. I’m surrounded by Vory, but they hold more fear in the outcome than I do as I pull the trigger. The dull click has everyone relaxing while my brother gets bigger. Another overprotective presence comes to my other side, and I ignore Val as I goad Borya. “Oop, four chances left.”

Lies, there’s only three until I reach an occupied chamber.

Borya doesn’t even blink as I press it to my temple. He’s afraid of missing the outcome, while my brothers fill the air with rage so potent it threatens to ruin my good mood. They both move closer to me, and I don’t need to look at them to know murderous intent will be written all over their features. It gets worse as I slowly cock the revolver, the chamber clinks, silencing everything as each of them bracket me and stand half a step behind me. They brush my shoulders and I want to tell them to fuck off, but we’re in front of people so I can’t.

The sweat on Borya’s nasty fucking head begins to slowly trickle down closer to his brows and I let out one further taunt.

“It’s fun to watch, isn’t it?”

There’s another dull click as I pull the trigger without anything being released. His face falls for a split second when my brain doesn’t leave the other side of my head and I hold the revolver out to him with a challenge.

“Three chances, your turn.”

It’s not a fucking question. I need him to feel that same fear Stasi felt, not knowing what the fucker would do next and blaming herself when she didn’t do anything wrong. He made her vulnerable and now he’ll know a fraction of what that feels like. To want to scream but being so fucking afraid of how other people will react that it chokes him.

He takes the gun from me with false bravado as he tries to stop his hand shaking and the crowd gets bigger. Gossiping cunts, they want to see the outcome to make sure they recount it as dramatically as possible.His eyes slowly close as he cocks the revolver and positions it under his disgusting chin. The tremor in his hand is hilarious and a dark laugh leaves me seeing the relief on his face as he clicks through the empty chamber. Vlad’s hand twitches in my periphery as I take back the weapon and I ignore everyone else to let the pervert see I win. I will always fucking win when Stasi is involved. She’s mine, to argue with and argue for.

I slur my words and clumsily slap the metal into his hand, making sure to press my fingers into the holes I left there.

“You do the honors, Vor.”

Controlling his hands, I pull them up until the muzzle is pressing into my forehead and cock it before he can be a chicken shit. The metal knocks against my skin at the threat from beside me as Vlad takes a step closer. “Do it, Borya.”

Three words with a promise of destruction and the evilest fucking smile I’ve ever witnessed.

He loves me and I’m holding this over his head.

Val doesn’t like being left out and puffs his chest out as he takes out his lighter; if he starts burning people alive again, I’m going to throw up. The smell is repugnant, and it always sticks in my hair.

All the Vory are closer and they split their fear between my brothers as the pyromaniac runs his thumb over the zippo roller while staring at Borya. I’m sure Vlad isn’t even breathing and his knuckles bleach white around the crystal tumbler as he tucks his other hand into his pocket where he keeps his knife.

Yeah, they both definitely love me, fucking soft asses.

Borya’s finger shakes more at the thought of pulling the trigger on me than it did when he was aiming at himself, and I don’t let my smile drop. I hold my arms out to stop my brothers being controlling dickheads and ruin my game. The muzzle loses pressure against my skin, and I push my head forward into it so he can’t be a chicken shit.

I don’t even blink as Borya shakily pulls the trigger with a tremor working up his arm. The droplets that were clinging to his brows slip through the silver hairs as the dull click vibrates through the tense air, and I drop the drunk act as I extend my voice for the audience.

“My turn,” I smile widely.

His jaw goes slack as I rip the revolver from his disgusting hand, and I add one word only for his ears.

“Chuski.”

The sound of the bullet travelling through the barrel isn’t as satisfying, neither are his dead eyes or how his body slams into the floor.

I ignore the heat emanating from the muzzle as I tuck it back into my waistband and take out my knife. I have to touch the fucker and he’s still warm as I carve a word into each of his cheeks. No one utters a sound or even breathes while I finish up my writing, then I stand back proud of my work, reading it aloud.

BPAГ HAPOДA

A whistle leaves me, and it doesn’t stop as I turn to go back inside. If my brothers want to baby me they can clean up my mess. One down and one to go, my girl is never going to be around these fucks again. If Stasi can’t block them out because of some fucked-up sense of loyalty, she’ll bury them. As though the universe is aware of my plan and sides with me, her cunt of a mother is watching me. She’s pale as fuck and presses into the wall like it could hide her.

I don’t look at her when I walk past and my hand whips out when I’m beside her. My fingers are harsh as I grab her hair and drag her to the back of the building with her heels scraping against the floor. The begging on her lips is funny as fuck. She didn’t scream, it would have raised attention and she’s so obsessed with how she’s perceived that she can’t allow it even when I’m going to kill her. Instead, she blames the faultless as she cries, “She’s a liar, we didn’t do anything.”

Stasi isn’t a liar; she bends truths and projects people’s shit back to them. My girl is fucking perfection despite this twat giving birth to her.

I abruptly let her go once we’re out of sight from anyone else. She hits her knees beside the trash where she belongs, and I pull her head back to press my knife to her throat. As soon as the bloody blade touches the front of her neck my attention is pulled away.

“Vitali,” Stasi barks my name, and I look up, smiling at her full of pride. She’s opposite me, an apparition of divine beauty, but she hasn’t removed my suit jacket. The door is propped open as she keeps one foot inside the building, looking from me to her mother.

She’s frozen to the spot and I’m still beaming at her.

“Hi, sweetness, did they cut the cake yet?”

She shakes her head, and I don’t know if it’s an answer or exasperation. Her face falls when she looks at my hand and I follow her gaze to see the blood soaking my sleeve. Fucking prick, the splash back of Borya’s brain matter is on me.

But my girl slowly steps forward, and she doesn’t look away from my sleeve. Her feet move faster at the sight of blood on my cuffs rather than me obviously in the middle of killing her mother. She comes to my side and lifts my cuffs, trying to find a wound and there’s nothing but care in her voice.

“Did she do that?”

I’m so fucking gone for this woman it’s unbelievable.

But her mother ruins it by spitting out her toxic shit. “You’ve killed us all because you couldn’t keep your legs closed.”

I grab her mouth to keep it shut, my fingers pressing into her teeth, and I flick the tip of the blade between the only people who matter.

“ We are talking, you stupid whore.”

Stasi’s lips twitch in my periphery at the one word that was always used against her being directed at the cunt.

Looking back at my girl now that her mother has shut the fuck up, she sighs and exercises her control over me.

“She’s not worth it, let her go, Tali.”

I fantasized about killing my own mother all my life, she’s been dead for years and I still dream about it at times. My girl is too good, fucking pure hearted, and beautiful. I shrug and press the blade to the twat’s neck again as I say, “Kiss me and I’ll think about it.”

She rolls her eyes as she moves forward and kisses my cheek.That’s a fucking cop out, I want her lips on mine, not my fucking cheek. Her mother’s choked scream touches my hand as I push the knife deep enough for a red line to appear. Stasi grabs my nape and I smile against her lips and I’ve finally got her to react first. She doesn’t let me deepen it and I never actually agreed not to act. When she steps back the smile is still on my face and I add more rules.

“Now, admit you’re my girl and I’ll let the cunt live.”

The claim has a barrier coming up and she takes a step back mentally and physically.Stasi crosses her arms over her chest and looks at her mother coolly before flicking back up to me.

“Kill her and I never will be.”

Why the fuck does she want her to live? It won’t get better, only ever worse. The bitch falls as I let her go and I control myself only because of the infuriating woman beside me. Looking down at her mother, I say, “Go back to the only daughter you have. Anastasia belongs to me.”

The little rat scurries away, scraping her knees, and I pull Stasi into my arms. She stiffens and leans away from me, not to push me away though. She assesses me and I erase the distance to kiss her chin, the tip of her nose, then her lips. Her lips slowly part, allowing me to deepen our connection and I tighten my arms around her to cup her ass with both hands. I have divinity in my hands and the intense awe in my voice doesn’t do her justice.

“You’re mine now. I decided a while ago, but I’m not going to wait for you to understand.”

I can’t do the soft approach with her any longer, I need her.