Page 108 of Twisted Tyrant


Font Size:  

Irina’s blue eyes widen, a horror-stricken expression slipping over her pale face. She grips the edge of the wall next to her and slides down to the floor, her tortured cries reverberating between my ears like clanging cymbals.

“No, stop lying to me, Tori. Stop saying such horrible things to me. You were always jealous of Dima, always competing with him for my attention. Now you’re just trying to hurt me, to get back at me. Why?”

Tori falls to her knees next to Irina and gives her mother a quick shake, her teeth clenched tight. “He’s gone, Mom. Gone. This is real, okay? No amount of pills will bring him back.”

“No,” Irina howls, gripping Tori’s arms. “He can’t be gone. My baby boy.” A fresh torrent of tears streaks Irina’s skin and she falls against her daughter. Sobs wrack her body and Tori turns her hard gaze up toward me with a shake of her head.

Jesus, there really is no limit to the dysfunction of bratva families.

A sharp ringing sound makes me gasp and I jump backward, my heart leaping into my throat. My nerves are stretched like a rubber band about to snap at any given second, and I just stare at the phone, a wave of nausea crashing over me.

Luka?

No, it’s too soon for him to be calling, right? He hasn’t been gone that long.

Unless someone got to him before he got to Boris…

I bite down on my lower lip, afraid to breathe.

“How long are you going to stare at the phone before you answer it?” Tori snaps.

My heart pounds harder and faster, my hand creeping toward the handset on the kitchen counter.

No news is good news…until you actually get the news.

“Hello?” My voice is barely audible through the lump wedged in my tight throat.

“Who is this?”

I furrow my brows at the unfamiliar female voice. “This is Natasha. Who is this?”

“Natasha.” She speaks in a low, quivering voice. “It’s Valentina. Thank God you’re there. I need help.”

“Oh my God.” I swivel around toward Tori. “Val!”

Tori leans her inconsolable mother back against the wall and leaps to her feet, snatching the phone from my hand. “Val! Fuck, where are you?” Her lips pull into a tight line. “Bal Harbour Shops? Okay, go into Carpaccio and lock yourself in the ladies’ lounge until I get there.”

A quick pause.

“Ten minutes. Don’t let anyone in. I swear I’ll be there.” Another pause follows. “Wait, what did you say? Val? Val!”

Tori pulls the handset away from her ear and hits a button. After listening for a second, she stabs the handset and tosses it onto the counter before pushing past me. “Fuck.”

“Tori!” I run after her. “Where are you going?”

She grabs her keys and handbag. “To get Valentina. She tried to tell me something but whatever phone she was on cut off. When I called the number back, I got a busy signal.” Fear settles into her pinched expression. “She’s in trouble. I need to get to her.”

I pull her back as soon as she reaches for the front door handle. “I’m coming with you.”

“The hell you are, princess. Stay here with my demented mother. She needs you more than I do.”

I shove myself between her and the door. “Look, there’s no way I’m staying back. Val told me something about making an escape before the wedding and I didn’t say anything to Luka. I may have been able to help her if I’d have spoken up. Let me help now. Please.”

Tori narrows her eyes. “I have no loyalty to you. I don’t care that you’re marrying Luka. My priority is saving Val, so if you’re coming, you’re on your own to watch your back. I’m telling you now that I won’t have it.”

I shrug. “Fine. If I’m going to be a bratva wife, I guess I need to watch my own back, anyway.”

She lets out a huff and pulls the door closed behind us, locking it. On the way to her car, she stops a man in a polo shirt, khakis, and sunglasses. “We’re heading out. Mom is inside. Keep an eye on her.”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
Articles you may like