Page 2 of Volatile Vice

Until now, of course.

If everything went according to my plan, Puzo should be dead.

He was a piece of shit, and the world won’t mourn him.

But doing my grandfather’s bidding doesn’t give me the revenge I crave.

The vengeful vice I’ve been carrying around with me since that fateful day in his office, where he violated me in the worst way while I refused to scream out in pain.

Because fuck him.

Fuck him and fuck the world that allowed him to exist. I left that life behind, buried it deep under layers of pseudonyms, fake passports, and never-ending roads. But the ghosts were always there, whispering in my ear, reminding me of all that had been taken from me.

I existed in the shadows, a phantom flitting through Europe. I eked out a living doing odd jobs, never staying in one place for too long. As long as I remained a ghost, I was safe.

But I’m back now.

And I’ll have my revenge.

I regard Raven. She’s sleeping soundly.

It kills me to leave her, but she has no place in the world I have to inhabit.

I can’t shake the anger coursing through my veins. Every time I close my eyes, I see Misha’s face, smirking, laughing as he turned on me.

He’s not laughing now.

Grandfather thinks I’m weak. Too weak to take Puzo out with a gun he provided.

That doesn’t make me weak. It makes me smart.

Grandfather doesn’t know who he’s dealing with. But he will soon enough.

Vengeance isn’t just a fleeting thought for me. It’s my driving force, my vice. It consumes me, and I welcome it.

Every step I take is fueled by the need to make Grandfather pay. I’ve lost so much because of him, and now it’s my turn to take something. It won’t bring back what I’ve lost, but it will satisfy this burning need inside me. He thinks he’s untouchable, but his arrogance will be his downfall.

I’m a storm ready to unleash hell. He won’t see it coming until it’s too late. I’ll be his reckoning. I’ll be his nightmare. And when it’s done, maybe then I’ll find some peace.

Or maybe this vengeful vice will have consumed me completely, and there will be nothing left but the ashes of my own destruction.

But until then I will be relentless. Nothing will stand in my way. They will regret the day they crossed me. This isn’t just a promise. It’s my reality, my unyielding obsession.

I didn’t mean to fall in love.

I didn’t mean to drag an innocent woman into my underworld.

I press my lips to Raven’s soft cheek.

Then I rise from the bed, dress quietly, and leave.

Never to see her again.

1

RAVEN

The sun cascades through my window as I wake up. I rise, throw my legs over to the side of the bed, stretching my arms over my head.

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