Page 31 of Volatile

“Jax, come here. Let me sign your cast.”

Viktor’s nose is fully pressed to the glass, and I gently press against his shoulder so he’s not blocking my view as the boy sheepishly walks over. He isn’t afraid of the obvious violence; it’s directed at the man loosely holding a golf caddy.

The little Vartanov looks at me, incredulous. “I’m not getting out.”

I nod and crane my neck without removing my hand. “Yeah, but your big head was blocking me being able to see.”

His smile is in my periphery, and I shush him as Vitali writes something on the kid’s cast. We’re too far away to see what he writes, but he loves running his mouth and pride swells inside me at him defending someone he clearly doesn’t know.

“Listen, motherfucker, you touch a hair on his fucking head he’ll tell me. Won’t you, Jax?”

The kid quickly nods, filled with fear and Viktor laughs to himself. They’re all fucking psychotic.

Vitali leans into the other man, grabbing his wrist with both hands and a scream pierces the air. A woman rushes out of the house, a black eye poorly hidden under her concealer, making it grey. My words rush together over my shoulder, remembering there’s a child in the car as I unclip my belt.

“Stay here, Viktor.”

I’m not going to let that fucking scumbag beat his wife and son when they could have options. I have enough money with being the sole beneficiary of my dad’s estate and I don’t need all of it to live.

Forcing a smile on my face so she can see I’m not going hurt her, or cast judgemnt, I guide her to the side of the house and keep my tone even as I ask, “Would you like to leave him?”

Please say yes.

It’s the first step in the thousands of getting her life back and after hearing Katya’s nightmares when we lived together I can’t let someone else grow up in this shit. There’s a lump in her throat as she tries to lie.

“I’m clumsy sometimes, he loves us.”

He loves having power over them. The sick fuck.

As much as I want to force her to leave, I can’t. She’ll just end up going back to him. All cycles of abuse are the same and I’ve seen it with the older kids we manage to find. The longer someone is surrounded by a toxic environment, it alters their mind and perception on reality. So, I give her the option as I give her my number and Inessa’s details in case she needs the help Steorra can offer.

“If you need anything, you can call at any time, no judgment or questions.”

I don’t try to convince her to change her mind when the fucker is crying in earshot. She smiles at the sound of his wailing, but it quickly falls. It’s fucked up; every situation of abuse, the assholes manage to make themselves into the one who gets sympathy. It hurtsthemto cause pain, they don’twantto do it, it’s all a tactic to have the person pliable and miss the noose they tie around their neck.

I tilt my shoulders so we both have a clear view as Vitali forces the man’s hands above his head and he pulls until the sniveling mess looks like a ballerina.

“Jax,” he says with a smile as he gestures to the dickhead. “Keep your shoulders straight and push the opposite foot back when you swing.”

The little boy stares up at him like he’s just met Santa Claus and Tali pulls his arm back as he demonstrates how to punch.

“Like this, if you punch him in the di—privates he won’t be able to breathe, go on.”

TEN

Vitali

Stasi is like a dog with a fucking bone, or a woman with a phone, constantly saying the same thing, hoping I give in.

“Where is it, Vitali?”

Pulling up to my favorite burger place, I let her continue wasting her breath as I put our order in. If I see another green thing go in her mouth I’m ringing the fucking zoo and telling them they’re missing a giraffe.

I cut off her question with my own as I turn to her. “Why do you hate your family?”

There are no rumors and I know why she hates her mom after overhearing their conversation, but there has to be more.Bone-deep hate isn’t born, it’s created, handcrafted over years until the sight of the creator turns your stomach with anger.

She hesitates and audibly swallows before lying through her teeth.

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