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It’s funny, in a way, that the only person who has shown me any compassion throughout all of this is a mafia boss. And that mafia boss looks back at me with concern as I try to placate Eric over the phone.
“Eric, I really need you to listen to me. I’ll do anything you need me to as long as you don’t go to the police about this, okay? Please,” I plead.
I’m embarrassed for Ruslan to be seeing me begging Eric for mercy. Eric is nothing but a dust mite to someone like Ruslan, and the fact that I’m groveling to him makes me feel like I’ve reduced myself to nothing.
Ruslan frowns but doesn’t say anything.
I grip the phone a little tighter, lowering my voice. “Please, Eric, just don’t involve the police.”
“Right, I actually wasn’t planning on going to the cops. I’m going to figure this shit out myself. You know that the law won’t come after me, especially not for killing a criminal,” Eric replies.
A laugh a little, finding it hard to believe that Eric would even be capable of killing someone. I can’t imagine him facing Ruslan again and walking away in one piece.
“You don’t think I would?” he asks, raising his voice again. “I’ll put that piece of shit in the ground.”
“Eric, we can talk about this later. Right now is a really bad time,” I reply quickly. “Just don’t do anything crazy.”
At this point I trust Ruslan more than Eric, which shocks me. Even with Ruslan’s erratic and suicidal behavior, he’s shown more concern for my wellbeing than Eric has. From Eric’s perspective, I was kidnapped by the same person who beat the shit out of him. Shouldn’t that warrant some empathy at least?
No, because his car got stolen. His sixth car in four years.
And now he thinks he can kill Ruslan.
Eric’s grating voice comes through the phone again. “There’s nothing you can do except tell me what I want to know, Vera. You fucked up when you went behind my back and fucked that guy.”
I’m too stunned to respond articulately. How could he be claiming ownership of me when he had hardly acknowledged me before today?
I’d better stick with Ruslan.
“I really think you’re making a mistake, Eric,” I reply, noticing Ruslan’s eyes go dark. He’s realized that I’m severely stressed by something, and he’s not the least bit pleased about it.
“I’ll do whatever the fuck I want,” Eric spits, hanging up the phone.
My hand shakes as I fumble around for my pocket, slipping my phone inside and doing the best I can not to vomit.
“That was Eric? What the fuck does he want?” Ruslan snaps.
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it,” I reply.
He knows better than to take my words at face value, but he’s not concerned with Eric to begin with.
Eric should be worried about Ruslan coming afterhim.
Just like all highly sheltered rich boys, Eric has no true understanding of his limits. He’s been coddled and praised his whole life for being athletic, but he doesn’t possess the brute strength of someone like Ruslan. He should have learned that the second Ruslan broke his nose, but instead, it only wounded his ego.
Eric isn’t capable of killing someone, physically or mentally. His resolve is soft, and he doesn’t have the ability to maintain his composure under pressure.
Ruslan could kill Eric in his sleep without a second thought.
I didn’t ask to be a part of all this bloodshed and conspiracy. All I did to deserve this was asking a man at the fair to help me find my way back to my friends, and that wouldn’t have even happened if Eric didn’t steal my phone.
This is more Eric’s fault than mine, but I’m suffering the consequences for it.
I’m facing the possibility of losing my scholarship and leaving the state at the very least. If things get worse, I might be considered an accomplice of Ruslan’s for obstructing the case against him.
“So, what exactly are you looking for here? Bloodstains aren’t going to help you unless you’ve got some really high-quality technology that you’re holding out on,” I say, trying to lighten the mood.
“I’m looking for anything that proves that a shooting occurred here. If I remember correctly, the gunfire started around this area, so keep your eyes to the ground for anything unusual. Bullet casings are the most valuable thing to look for right now.”
