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“But Tori didn’t pull the trigger. She didn’t order the hit. She was off at some café in Miami Beach writing smutty novels. She shouldn’t have been punished for Viktor’s actions.”
I fist my hair, winding around the boxes clogging up my foyer.
Killing Larysa would have been wrong. Holding her hostage because I’m in a fucking spiral and don’t know how to release my rage is wrong. Letting my feelings for her grab hold of my head and twist it into a damn pretzel is really wrong.
Dangerous, too.
But my wounds are still raw, and every time I see her, smell her, or touch her, it stings like salt being dumped right into them. Whenever she walks into a room, the Devil flicks me in the balls to remind me of my failures, and all the hatred comes rushing back like a turbulent wave barreling to shore. It captures me in its swirling curl, jerking me in all directions until I can’t breathe or think.
That’s when I end up tight roping a very fine line between emotions I can’t begin to process, and I know, deep in my bones, a fiery crash is imminent.
“Okay, so here you have a Pack and Play,” Tori says while walking into the foyer with Daniela. “And this is a booster seat. You can strap it onto your chairs if you don’t want a high chair, which we have right here.”
“What the hell is a Pack and Play?” I rub the stress knot at the base of my neck. Sitting straight up against the wall last night was bad enough, but now there’s more than just physical stress plaguing me.
“It’s a protected area where she can play and nap. And it’s portable, too.”
All three of us look up when Larysa answers my question.
“Mama!” Daniela raises her arms to her mother, and Tori carries her across the foyer, a big smile on her face.
“You must be the baby mama,” she says with a wink.
Larysa manages a smile. “Yeah.”
“I’ve watched your YouTube performances. You are amazingly talented.” Tori sticks out her hand. “I’m Danil’s sister, Tori, and this is my husband, Konstantin.”
“I never told you she played piano.” I furrow my brow.
Tori smiles. “Luka told me, so I checked her out.”
“Thank you,” Larysa says, taking Daniela. “And thanks for all of this.”
Tori rests a hand on Larysa’s arm. “Having Daniela here, today of all days, will be a really good thing for all of us. I think my whole family will agree. We’re all broken up about our mother, and having this little angel will make things so much easier on everyone.”
I exchange a look with Konstantin. “Where the fuck is my brutally vicious sister? I don’t know how the hell to react to this version of her. It’s like all the fire was replaced with fucking whipped cream and sugar.”
Tori turns to look at me. “Language. And also, we need this. All of us. It’s like Mom sent her to us, D. Like she knew it would give us something else to focus on, to make things easier.”
“I’d think Mom would be more concerned with us bringing her killer to justice.” My eyes slide to Larysa. The pink spots in her cheeks immediately fade after that comment.
“Um, I’m going to leave you all. Daniela needs to eat.”
“I made scrambled eggs. They’re on the kitchen table.”
“They’re her favorite.” But Larysa doesn’t smile. Her eyes drop along with her shoulders and she carries Daniela back to the kitchen.
“You are such a dick.” Tori stomps over to me and slams me in the shoulder with her fist.
“Try to remember what’s happening today, Tor. We’re burying Mom because Larysa’s family may have murdered her. Do you really expect me to be a fucking white knight to their princess?”
Tori’s eyes glitter with anger and she grabs me by the neck of my t-shirt. “She was killed on my wedding night. Shot right outside the reception. I should be on my honeymoon right now, but I’m not because we’re under attack and I was too afraid to leave you all. You think I don’t remember, you asshole?” She yanks me closer. “I may not have been as close to Mom as you were, but I loved her and I miss her. Today is going to suck, so if I want to cling to a tiny bit of brightness…a little flicker of happiness in the muck…for fuck’s sake, just let me.”
She lets go of my shirt and steps backward.
“Okay, so she is still in there.” A half-smile lifts my lips.
Tori flips me off. “Konstantin, let’s go.”
