Page 129 of Voracious

Vlad’s shout adds to the noise of the filing cabinets all being opened.

“Vanya, no! Put the knife down. She’s not going to fucking hurt you,” he promises.

My eyes close, trying to get it to stop but Dima is my lock, and she has my lock.

“STOP! Don’t hurt her, if you hurt her, I’ll die,” I beg.

“Don’t you fucking dare, I lost you once because of this cunt, it’s not happening again.”

Pain slices through me as my heavy limb struggles to apply the pressure that’s needed to stop her. He can’t die.

There’s a beep, and my eyes snap open to see Yulia dial a number. She’s only input the first digit and I beg the asshole to fuck off as he takes a step closer.

“STOP! Please stop!” I turn to Yulia. “He won’t come closer, he’ll leave, I promise, we’ll do everything, just stop!” Then look at Vlad as everything turns blurry. “You’ll leave, won’t you, Vlad?”

I keep nodding and my neck grazes the edge of the knife, but he doesn’t say anything.

A laugh pierces the air, full of cruelty, but she stops dialing. “I thought you had a dad, and you’re calling him by his name?”

Vlad’s voice is rougher and more emotional than I’ve ever heard it, but he doesn’t move. “Shut the fuck up, don’t talk to my daughter or even fucking look at her.”

They forget I’m here as he tries to make a deal with her.

“What do you want?”

She shrugs and answers easily, still not dialing. “You ruined and unable to be a problem any longer.”

“Done,” he says easily, bringing his gun to his temple.

“NO! STOP!” I scream.

He can’t die. If he dies, Inessa will be sad, Dima will be too, they’re friends, and Verena is a baby, Inessa is having another baby. Real babies need their parents.

It’s too loud and I need it to stop. Everything is mixing together as they keep talking and I can’t move my arm enough to save Dima.

“He’ll only try to save you,” Yulia says.

“Vanya, don’t you fucking dare, you will not fucking die.”

“Grief is beautiful thing.”

“Don’t leave me twice,” Vlad begs.

“The first time he rose.”

“Look at me, solnyshkuh.”

“The second time he’ll crumble,” Yulia ends with glee in her voice.

There’s another sound, a click. She’s calling the surgeon to kill Dima. I can’t lose my lock.I can’t lose Dima. He’s more than the bouncy ball and the sticker. He makes me a person and he knows me.

I find the energy I need to dig the sharp point of the knife in the exact place I told Vlad to stab me when I first met him. Blood fills my throat, choking me, as a gunshot goes off. I don’t have enough energy to slice, and my knees weaken.

Bone cracks off the concrete before I hit the floor and a deafening scream full of pain echoes off each concrete slab.

“VANYA!”

I crumble and the knife is jammed to the hilt as the edge of the handle cracks off the concrete floor. The concrete splinters from the impact and more blood travels through my throat, it pours over my hand and my vision blurs further.

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