Page 36 of Volatile

Discomfort swirls in my gut at the familiarity in his tone and I walk away in my own house. I’m still within earshot and I hate their conversation.

“Is your mom home?”

I stand behind him, hoping to pick up what the other person says but it’s too low and I just hover with one side of the conversation.

“I’ll be there in fifteen, don’t leave the door unlocked for some little prick to get in. I’ll ring you when I’m outside.”

The discomfort turn to indigestion at his protectiveness.

Vitali doesn’t protect anyone other than his family and he’d make a dumbass comment if it was Val. It settles when he tells me to put my shoes on and he doesn’t shut me out. He chooses the worst time to learn when to shut up as we leave and I’m itching to know what’s happened, who the other person on the phone is that he called sleepyhead at 7am and why he doesn’t want anyone near.

Rather than ask him like a grown up, I stare out of the window watching the world wake up as we drive. He doesn’t strike me as a cheater so it can’t be anyone he’s in a relationship with. Unless they’re in an open relationship. It all makes sense when he pulls into a coffee shop drive thru, he has the owner on speed dial, but my laptop is on the backseat, and he deposits an obscene amount of donuts beside it before driving again. I’m stuck in a car with someone hell bent on giving himself diabetes. The smell of sugar, chocolate, and caramel is making my mouth water and I’d rather be standing opposite his partner than sitting here.

We pull up outside of a rundown house with weeds cracking the path. Vitali doesn’t pause and gets out with his phone back to his ear. Curiosity killed the cat and I’m going to be next if it’s actually someone he’sinvolvedwith. Fuck it, there are worse ways to die, and I might steal a donut before they kill me. I turn into the puppy and follow after him as he holds my laptop flat with the donuts stacked on top of them. He moves his other arm around me and holds my hip as we walk down the path and there are so many questions at the sight of a teenage girl glaring at him.

Someone should have taught the Vartanovs about contraception, they all seem to have random kids dotted about, but there’s no resemblance in their features. She has dark eyes and hair, warm brown skin and a lazy attitude that could have been inherited from Vitali. Looking me up and down, she stops us entering and he says, “Don’t be a bitch, move.”

My fist connects with his arms as she does the same to his chest. It seems to soften her, and she smiles as she steps aside and gives me her approval.

“I like you already.”

The inside of the house doesn’t match the outside, there’s care put into maintaining the kitchen and living room, but there’s not a single adult in the place. She can’t be older than sixteen or seventeen. Who just leaves their kid home alone? My heart cracks when she involuntarily flinches away from Vitali as he drops the donuts and iced coffee on the table beside her.

They have an unorthodox friendship, but she’s comfortable around him and he gives her shit as he looks around the room.

“Have you been stealing again?”

She rolls her eyes and scoffs, “It wasn’t stealing, I was bored.”

“You’re lucky I like you or you’d be in a cell.”

He examines her, particularly her long sleeves, and she quickly tugs on them as he flicks his eyes back up to her face. This version of Vitali is new; he’s protective and serious as he clenches his jaw while staring at her eyes, then sleeves, and back. Since he’s busy examining her, I introduce myself.

“I’m Stasi, he clearly has no manners, what’s your name?”

“Yeah, he’s pretty dumb. I’m Kristi.”

“Did you just call me pretty?” Tali asks and drops down to sit on the armchair.

“Pretty dumb,”she seethes and rolls her eyes. “Like very dumb, the dumbest of the dumb, King Dumbass of Idiotic Island.”

“Oh, so you think I’m royalty too?”

The girl, Kristi, sighs and looks up at me. “Hit him again.”

My hand doesn’t move to strike him and he’s a dopey idiot as he smiles up at me. I don’t want to hurt him, but that doesn’t stop me pushing his face away.

TWELVE

Vitali

Kristi pulls her sleeves down to cover her hands and her eyes won’t meet mine. I wait her out and move her guilty pleasures out of reach until she looks at me.

We had a deal. She was supposed to call me if things were bad. Her cunt of a mother isn’t home, evidenced by there being no drunk fuck on the sofa and the house actually containing breathable air but she’s avoiding me. My tone hardens when she stares off into the distance.

“Kristi, show me your tattoo.”

I’m not going to spill her secrets with Stasi behind me and I quickly check to make sure she can’t see before I step closer to the little shit.The tattoo is on her shoulder, but she understands what I’m asking for as she pulls up one sleeve far too fast while moving the other slowly.

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