Page 65 of Vulnerate

I paid the instalments for information, not Viktor. The bitch had already signed her rights away and if it was anyone other than Leno stood beside her she wouldn’t have left the room with a duffel bag but in one.

An urgent, panicked scream has me turning alert, forgetting everything as Tali’s voice pierces the air.

“VAL! Get the fuck out here!”

My hand automatically goes to the back of my waistband, but I don’t have a fucking gun and I’m moving towards his shout before he’s even started again.

“Hurry the fuck up!”

My heart stops beating when I reach the end of the stables, and I run with my life on the fucking floor.

Viktor lays on the ground. Not moving.

The teacher has the sense to move the fuck back as I jump over the gate and Tali’s lost all color, but I’m only focused on the little body laid out on the floor. Dropping to my knees, I test his breathing against my knuckles and my own restarts as soon as the small breeze touches the raw skin.

Dani’s voice adds to the current chaos as I go to lift my son and she places her hand on my shoulder. “Don’t move him.”

She’s kneeling beside his head, but she doesn’t take his helmet off.

His groan comes out as she strokes his cheek and calmly asks, “Viktor, can you tell me where it hurts?”

Tali is stink eyeing the animal who looks upset and keeps dipping its head trying to see if he’s okay. It’s his favorite horse, the grumpy fuck hates everyone other than Viktor and he’s never bucked once.

“Dad?” His small voice has my full attention and I look down. There’s no blood and he’s coherent as he tries to sit up. “I’m fine, I just want my dad.”

Lifting him slowly so he’s sat on his ass with his legs stretched, I help unclip his helmet when he says it doesn’t hurt.

“You good, little man?”

Fuck my voice is weak.

He tries to smile, and it turns shy as he explains what happened. “I wanted to do a trick, but I slipped when I tried to stand up.”

He gets even more embarrassed as Vlad and Inessa run towards us, after either overhearing the commotion or the guards reporting back.

Viktor plays his game of fake soldier, scowling up at his uncle as I carefully help him stand.This kid is the most important child with every fucking psycho willing to go to war for him. He doesn’t sway on his feet and his voice is the usual tone as he stares at Vlad with an order on his tongue.

“You’re not taking Thunder.”

It was the rule that he could keep the horse unless it fucked up, so he battles criminals to keep it, and Dani protectively moves closer to his side as though he’s in danger when Vlad would cut himself open just to keep any of us warm.

Nodding my head towards the house, I soften my voice to get him to move. “Come on little man, Katya was just making food. You can finish early today.”

He fists his hands, shakes his head, and clenches his jaw, refusing. “No. I have fifteen minutes left.” Viktor is a fucking hard ass, but he softens as he looks up at me and steps closer so no one else hears. “Just to walk or trot, I won’t gallop. I promise.” His eyes do that thing wherehe looks like an innocent kitten, bigger and cute as fuck, as he whispers, “Please Dad, just to trot.”

I can’t give in when my heart hasn’t recovered from the sight of him on the floor, so I cup his cheek, savoring the final moments of that innocent look before he goes in a mood, but the useless fucking instructor swallows around a lump in her throat and gives her two cents.

“It’ll be good for his confidence.” Every one of us look up with murder and she backtracks. “If you want to, I mean.”

Viktor pleads with his eyes and Dani whispers at my side, “I can sit with him, that way he’ll fall on top of me if it happens again. I’ll pretend to be scared so he goes slow.”

If they both fall I’m selling every animal and burning the stables down. Nodding my head, she squats down so they’re the same height and gives him a smile.

“I’ve never sat on a horse before,” she says, softly and filled with care, “can I go with you?”

His excitement comes back as he picks his helmet up, fitting it back in place and babbling like he didn’t just fucking fall.

The horse huffs as I stare it out and it walks over to the spot Viktor likes to use to get up on it as it throws its head back. I swear it can understand what’s happening and the fact I’ve aged at least twenty years. Everyone holds their breath as he walks to the edge of the paddock. We’re all murderers for fucks sake, my knuckles are raw from beating the shit out of someone already today and Vlad has a death match in a few weeks, yet in this moment, we all experience fear.But my kid? He doesn’t, he looks at me and then to the other side of the gate as he narrows his eyes, ordering me around.

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