Page 78 of Volatile

The rumors about Dani are funnier since they all assume that she’s Viktor’s biological mother and we had her sent to Brazil after he was born. I’ve heard everything from Val forcing her to leave to the lie that we got her deported when she wasn’t even born in Brazil. The ignorant fucks can’t even check that their rumors would make sense before they begin gossiping.

Stasi doesn’t argue anything further, knowing it’s useless and allows me to guide her to the right table. Weddings are a time for family and the fuckers sitting on the bride’s table aren’t hers, so I take her to ours and Inessa pushes out the chair beside her. She doesn’t sit on my thigh like I want her to and takes the seat beside Inessa.

Our good mood is pissed on when her cunt mother decides to come over. I push my chair back with more force than necessary and for no other reason than slamming into the bitch as she tries to reach Stasi and lazily sit back.

All she has to do is say one thing and I can react; it won’t be viewed as anything other than a Vartanov’s lack of control, Stasi’s name won’t be mentioned apart from people mentioning it was her mother’s death. But the woman does have restraint, just not with her daughter, and she keeps walking. Her dickhead husband doesn’t follow his wife, two more glasses and then he’s mine.

Stasi is strong as fuck when everyone she grew up with is a coward.

I turn back to the table, and Vlad’s neurotic brain is working on putting the pieces together as he stares at me. I’m not a child who needs his protection anymore and I don’t offer any information. He can find out about Borya with all the other guests. He’s already starting his last drink at the bar and anger has Borya turning red in the face. There’s skin-tone bandaging over his hands to conceal what happened last time and the little fucker has covered my words with an undershirt.

When he leaves the ballroom with his brother I finish my drink, making sure to spill a few drops on my suit. My tolerance is higher than most given Len’s parenting techniques, but if he thinks I’m drunk it will serve in my favor. As soon as I go through the doors an annoying presence is behind me, ice clinking together in his tumbler, but there are no words to draw me back. Fuck it, if Vlad wants to watch he can, it’s usually his style to turn weddings murderous so it can become a family tradition.

Fuck, my knee burns when I force myself to walk sloppily and Borya’s eyes flicker between Vlad and me. He’s scared of the wrong person when he’s going to die at his own hand and my face will be free for my beautiful woman to take a seat.

I plug false joviality into my voice as I close the distance and we’re far enough away from any civilian eyes for it to be an issue as I say, “Such a happy occasion. Marta is glowing — just like she was on her engagement.”

My reminder has his jaw clenching.If I knew the cunt touched my girl I would have done a lot worse, he’s lucky Stasi told me not to do anything and that deep down I’m a little frightened of her. Even if I wasn’t, I respect her too much to ever betray what she asks of me.

Anika’s parlor trick of playing roulette and always being able to calculate who it would land on comes in use as I take the revolver from my waistband and allow his pride to be his downfall.

“Only the brave?” I ask, as per tradition.

His ego is on the line as the other fuckers watch on, taking notice. To them I’m a dumb fuck, too volatile and unpredictable to become a Vor and a waste. The same description Len lovingly used every time he spoke to me or about me. The truth is that I have no interest in anyone kissing my ass, unless Stasi is into that then I’ll bend over for her, and I’ve been raised with the same conditioning as my brothers. Apart from the exception that I know both of those crazy fuckers will support whatever decision I make.

Removing all but one of the bullets, I wait for the click and Vlad hardens as he steps to my side. He never witnessed Anika in her element, she reserved that for Val and me. Her fucked-up mental games always became our torture when she was too drunk to even tie her robe and whoever had lowered themselves to fuck her that day decided not to show up.

Four empty rounds, one chambered, a final empty – and one dead little pedo cunt, well, he will be soon. Semantics.

I smile widely and don’t look away from the cunt as I bring the muzzle up to press it under my chin.

“Let’s play?”

The click of it being cocked has excitement flashing on their faces at the probability of my death. Sweat beads on his hairline and I keep my tone light as I ask, “Oh, do you want to go first?”

Vlad moves closer to me, it’s minute, a small tilt of his shoulders, the overprotective shithead. I’m surrounded by Vory, but they hold more fear in the outcome than I do as I pull the trigger. The dull click has everyone relaxing while my brother gets bigger. Another overprotective presence comes to my other side, and I ignore Val as I goad Borya. “Oop, four chances left.”

Lies, there’s only three until I reach an occupied chamber.

Borya doesn’t even blink as I press it to my temple. He’s afraid of missing the outcome, while my brothers fill the air with rage so potent it threatens to ruin my good mood. They both move closer to me, and I don’t need to look at them to know murderous intent will be written all over their features. It gets worse as I slowly cock the revolver, the chamber clinks, silencing everything as each of them bracket me and stand half a step behind me. They brush my shoulders and I want to tell them to fuck off, but we’re in front of people so I can’t.

The sweat on Borya’s nasty fucking head begins to slowly trickle down closer to his brows and I let out one further taunt.

“It’s fun to watch, isn’t it?”

There’s another dull click as I pull the trigger without anything being released. His face falls for a split second when my brain doesn’t leave the other side of my head and I hold the revolver out to him with a challenge.

“Three chances, your turn.”

It’s not a fucking question. I need him to feel that same fear Stasi felt, not knowing what the fucker would do next and blaming herself when she didn’t do anything wrong. He made her vulnerable and now he’ll know a fraction of what that feels like. To want to scream but being so fucking afraid of how other people will react that it chokes him.

He takes the gun from me with false bravado as he tries to stop his hand shaking and the crowd gets bigger. Gossiping cunts, they want to see the outcome to make sure they recount it as dramatically as possible.His eyes slowly close as he cocks the revolver and positions it under his disgusting chin. The tremor in his hand is hilarious and a dark laugh leaves me seeing the relief on his face as he clicks through the empty chamber. Vlad’s hand twitches in my periphery as I take back the weapon and I ignore everyone else to let the pervert see I win. I will always fucking win when Stasi is involved. She’s mine, to argue with and argue for.

I slur my words and clumsily slap the metal into his hand, making sure to press my fingers into the holes I left there.

“You do the honors, Vor.”

Controlling his hands, I pull them up until the muzzle is pressing into my forehead and cock it before he can be a chicken shit. The metal knocks against my skin at the threat from beside me as Vlad takes a step closer. “Do it, Borya.”

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