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“Yes.”
I wasn’t surprised. She wasn’t dumb enough to ignore the threat I was perfectly capable of executing. I left her to sweat for a moment or two before I laughed.
“Perfect. So this is what you’ll do, and you only have thirty minutes.”
She stayed quiet as I explained—she knew better than to ask questions or provoke me further when I was in a state of rage. She’d tried once and almost lost an arm. I’d broken it in three places, and ever since, she’d known her place.
My fury mixed with excitement. It was time for me to show Davorin what I was made of—who I was before he’d decided it wasn’t good enough.
Well, now he’d have no other choice but to see me as the monster I was.
D A V O R I N
GALINA Ivanova had a terrible upbringing. Her parents, my grandparents, were Russian immigrants who’d managed to find shelter in New York, after being homeless for years. My mother wasn’t planned, and since my grandparents were homeless drug addicts, no one had batted an eyelash at the child they brought into the world.
It was no surprise she followed in their footsteps. That kind of lifestyle was all she’d known. I wasn’t planned either, conceived after a one-night stand in her mid-thirties. Galina had never wanted to be a mother, because she’d never had one herself. She didn’t know how to act like one, and for a long time, she didn’t.
Child protective services took me when I was a baby, and soon enough, I was adopted by Melissa and Greg Rivers. They came from a wealthy background, owning multiple chains of restaurants and a handful of other businesses on the side.
I was a reserved kid who never looked for trouble purposefully. However, when trouble came knocking, I didn’t slam the door in its face. Instead, I welcomed it—before I killed it.
It was Galina who never gave up on me. I never loved her, but I was grateful for everything she’d done for me and all the sacrifices she’d made. That was the only reason I didn’t leave her on the streets and found her the help she needed.
I drove past the familiar street. It was close to the house I’d grown up in, a little up the hill. Trees surrounded me, the sun piercing small gaps in the thick canopies. I readjusted my sunglasses so the sun wouldn’t bother me and parked the vehicle in the spot I’d paid for.
The tall metal gate opened. Visitation time varied from month to month. Today, I was almost late to visit Galina. I’d been caught up in some unfinished business with a motherfucker who couldn’t take a goddamn hint.
I’d ended up killing him just to get him to shut the fuck up. Getting rid of the body was another hassle, but it needed to be done. I only disposed of bodies when I killed for my pleasure—when my contractors had me kill, the body was theirs to deal with.
“Good afternoon, Ricki,” I greeted the receptionist as I strolled into the lobby. I waited a few minutes before I approached her desk—she’d just arrived and was taking over the shift.
Ricki was a woman in her late fifties. She’d been on call when Galina had first been admitted, and she was the most pleasant member of staff to work with. I didn’t trust anyone in the facility, but Ricki had always called me when there were issues, hence my favoritism—if it could be called that.
“Hi, Adrik!” She smiled. “How are you?”
Ricki was the only person who used my real name, aside from Galina. Though Galina was mostly out of it now and could barely remember she had a son, let alone his name. But when she did, she would reminisce about when I was a child.
“I’m good,” I responded. “Is Galina asleep?”
“I’m not sure—let me check.”
I nodded and tapped my index finger against the wooden counter while Ricki picked up the phone and called one of the nurses. I zoned out and observed the people around me. Many patients had their families visiting, and the crowd was irritating me.
I forced my gaze away from the irrelevant people and brought it back to Ricki. My facial expression mimicked hers—brows narrowed, confusion written all over. Slowly, she hung up the phone and took a seat behind her desk. Not a second later, she began typing.
“Is there a problem?”
Her brows creased even more. “It looks like someone took her out during visitation hours.”
“I’m the only one who can do that.”
Ricki sighed, her eyes moving from left to right as she read what was on the screen. Out of the first drawer, she took a big, thick notebook and flipped a few pages, until she reached today’s date.
“According to my data, you gave the rights to someone else.” She paused before she turned the notebook around and pointed. “There, the time and signature of the person who took her out.”
The blood in my veins chilled, and a bubble of anger sneaked through my harsh demeanor, my lips thinning into a line. I’d never told anyone about Galina’s whereabouts, let alone given someone the right to take her outside.
There was a reason she was kept in the institution and had no contact with the outside world.
