Page 42 of Voracious

I step back to block the exit before dumb and dumber go on a killing spree and the name Yulia becomes extinct. Ana looks at everyone confused until her lips form a small O and they twist to the side as she avoids her brothers’ eyes.

They must have heard the rumors with the guards’ shit talk. Even Stasya has and she keeps herself away from the Bratva publicly. But hearing dumb fucks say someone’s a prostitute isn’t the same as finding out she was a child one. They both look at each other and Vlad remains seated, almost forgotten, as Val turns to leave.

Tali pulls Ana into his arms and kisses the top of her head. “No one touches my sister and gets away with it.”

She scowls at him, uncomfortable with the care, and punches him in the ribs. He rubs the sting away and joins Val’s side. The door hits my back as they advance, and Inessa not so gently does it again until I move out of the way. Stepping into the tension, she brushes it aside and fixates on Tali.

“Time to put your money where your big mouth is, outside. Now.”

This family is strange as fuck, so Ana fits right in. If they were normal she’d struggle.

He hooks his arm around Ana’s neck and drags her with him as he says, “You can be my emotional support person, let’s go.”

I’m following after them like a lost lamb because she laughs. It’s small and light – that sound might not fully encapsulate her, but it fucking owns me. If she ever laughs freely, full of joy, I’m fucked.

Dani cackles and lifts Tali’s t-shirt to attach sticky, square pads to his abdomen as Val barks behind me. “Why the fuck are you undressing him?”

She ignores her husband and all of Tali’s cockiness leaves as he grabs Ana’s hand when she does the sane thing and tries to leave. I’m watching her face for any sign of discomfort as Inessa starts pressing buttons and Val comes to my side to watch the circus act. He grabs his wife and wraps his arm over her collar bones as she sets his jealousy at ease.

“He said that labor pains would be easy to handle because he’s such a big, strong man.”

Dumb fuck. He should have kept his mouth shut.He never learns his lesson, he used to do the same thing to Katya when she started her period in a house full of boys, so she kicked him in the balls.

They’ve even got Viktor in on it, and he looks to his dad, upping the ante. “You’re doing it after Tali.”

Val is clever enough not to have said he could handle childbirth, so he stands taller, being smug.

“I know my weaknesses, little man. I didn’t say the shit he did.”

“What the fuck, I can feel it in my legs.” Tali’s outburst is met with zero sympathy.

He should be able to handle this shit. He’s been tortured for fuck’s sake.When he squeezes Ana’s hand so hard her fingerslose all color my feet move. It’s not a conscious decision as I pry his hand off hers and he latches onto me. He does it hard enough that my fingers tingle and I flick his forehead to get him to ease up.

“You’re going to break my fingers, stop being a bitch.”

The cute little laugh/snort comes from behind me. Fuck it, he can hold my hand if it makes Ana happy.

“I’m not being a bitch, it’s in my thighs and ass.”

Ana laughs harder and falls on the sofa from the force of it as she wheezes, “He said it’s in his ass.”

Inessa turns the control and scoffs, “You’re only on level three. Another seven to go.”

Viktor snatches it out of her hand as Tali screams, “Fuck! Stop the little shit. Vlad! Get your wife under control!”

He’s fucked himself in one comment because Inessa grabs the control, turning it to ten as Tali digs his fingers into my forearm and his legs shake. He folds in on himself and screams out while everyone else laughs, ignoring my fucking pain.

Vlad storms out of his office and pauses, staring at everyone like this is more insane than the shit he does. Tali just looks at him, pleading, “Get her to stop.”

Inessa turns the dial as she grits, “He doesn’t control me.”

The most fucked up person in this family takes a deep breath, shakes his head, and mutters, “This is why I kill people.”

Viktor jumps up on the sofa and asks, “Can I do it now?”

He takes the square control from his aunt, then drops down to sit beside Ana. She whispers something in his ear and his eyes light up even though his smile is twisted as fuck. Fixing on his uncle, he asks, “Are you going to stop stealing my food?”

Tali visibly relaxes, allowing some of the blood back into my fingers, and he nods. “Yeah, just for today.”

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