Page 115 of Essence of Fear

“What was it?” Pav asked.

His heart ached from pumping so hard. His nerves were pulled as tight as they were going to go. At any second, he might blow.

That’s how it felt, anyway.

He just needed something.

A reason to hurt Vadim.

One more second with Viktoria.

Anything.

“It’s Vik,” Kolya said, holding the phone out like he intended for Pav to cross the room and take the device from him. “She’s calling from Konstantin’s phone.”

Pav stilled in place.

The air slipped past his lips—relief.

Kolya passed a look to the man in the chair behind Pav, still bleeding and waiting for the second round with a knife. “They’re fine, and Konstantin asked us to leave Vadim alive until they arrive here.”

Pav didn’t move.

Not to take the phone.

Not to acknowledge the order.

He just didn’t move.

He couldn’t.

“She’s coming?”

Kolya shook the phone a bit. “She wants to talk to you, yeah.”

Pav didn’t know why he hesitated to cross the room and take the phone. Maybe because everything that was great and good in his life had been taken from him so many times that he was scared this was just another sick joke.

It wouldn’t be her on the phone.

His life would be pointless.

He’d just found her.

“Pav.” Kolya said quietly, “come get the phone, yes?”

He nodded, shaking off the odd feeling in his gut and closed the space between him and Kolya. Taking the phone, he glanced at the name on the screen—Konstantin’s contact—and then put it to his ear.

“Viktoria,” he murmured.

“Pav?”

Relief never felt so sweet.

“Da, krasotka.” He swallowed thickly, easier words slipping out then when he added, “Ya lyublyu tebya.”

Viktoria laughed lightly. “I love you, too.”

He wanted to say he was sorry. This shouldn’t have happened again—she deserved to be loved and protected every day of her life. God knew she had suffered enough already, and he felt strangely guilty that here she was, yet again in this position.