keep telling myself that I need to be away from Bohdan, the way he’s simply decided to fuck off and leave me hurts. I can’t lie.
“Will you see if you can speed things up with that lawyer?” I ask. “I might need new protection.”
He stops, turns to me, and shakes his head. “You’re coming with me, Dasha.”
What?
“You’re not safe otherwise. Not remotely. I won’t leave you alone to your husband’s tender mercies.”
“Coming with you where?”
“To Corfu. Where my friends are, and where I can keep you safe. And because I’m soft as shit, your Mother can come too. She might think the sun shines out of Jasper’s fucking ass, but we both know he’s going to take it out on her if you’re gone.”
“I don’t think she’ll come,” I tell him.
“Then that’s her choice, isn’t it?”
I can’t simply go to Corfu with him, can I? As the alternative hits me, either staying here for the beating of my life, or hiding in a hotel, terrified every day that this will be the day Jasper will find me, I decide I can. I will.
“Okay, I’ll pack, but we have minutes. He’ll be here any moment.”
“I know,” he says. Bohdan doesn’t seem scared or worried about that, but I am.
As it happens, I’m only halfway packed when heavy footsteps pound up the stairs. Jasper bursts into my room. “What the hell are you doing?” he asks. His face is red, and his breathing is hard.
“Packing. What does it look like?”
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?”
“She’s coming to Corfu. With me.” Bohdan appears in the doorway, and Jasper barks out a surprised laugh.
“I take it you are the mysterious Bohdan from the diaries and not Daniil?”
Bohdan simply shrugs.
“Answer me! You fucking work for me,” Jasper spits.
“Not anymore.” Bohdan smirks.
“Oh, you think she’ll pay you? Guess what? She has no fucking money; it’s all mine.”
Bohdan walks into the room, his steps menacing as he nears Jasper who shrinks back. “I don’t want her money.”
“What do you want then?” Jasper looks between us, and I see the moment it hits him; the understanding of what’s been going on. “Oh. I see.” He laughs. “Well, if you want her dried up, infertile, useless body, you’re welcome to it,” he sneers at Bohdan and then turns hate-filled eyes on me. “Don’t think for one moment you’re getting away with this, you witch. I made you what you are. You’ll have nothing. You’ll be a dried-up old has been, nothing but an empty husk.”
On the word husk, Bohdan ploughs his fist straight into Jasper’s gut. My husband bends over, gasping for air, and I find I don’t care. I don’t give a shit. Even his vile words don’t really hurt me anymore.
Bohdan picks him up and throws him across the room, and Jasper smashes into an antique desk I’ve always hated and splinters the legs.
Jasper explodes! He grabs one of the legs and jabs at Bohdan with it as if he’s trying to stab him. Wow, it took his precious desk breaking to make him fight back. Not me, or me leaving, but his stupid antique fucking desk.
Bohdan laughs and dodges out of the way as Jasper parries, trying to stab him with the pointy end of the broken leg.
“You want to joust? Or is it fence? I don’t know what these posh games are you foppish types play, but I’m down for a bout.” Bohdan dodges again and grabs the other leg, ripping it from the desk like it is made of paper. He puts one hand behind his back and waves the leg in front of him with a flourish. “En guard.”
Jasper falters. He can clearly see that Bohdan doesn’t give two shits about being hurt or hurting Jasper in return, and fear creeps across his face. Something primal within me stirs, and I smile at seeing him like this.
He jabs at Bohdan again, and Bohdan grabs the leg, pulling it out of Jasper’s hand easily. He waves the legs in front of Jasper’s face. “Now what? Do I kill you or is that impolite, what with you not having a weapon now?”
“Fuck you,” Jasper screams.
Bohdan hits him hard on the thigh with one of the legs, and Jasper cries out. “Does it hurt?” Bohdan asks, all solicitous. “Want a doctor?”
“You’re dead.” Jasper turns to me, his eyes burning with hatred. “I mean it, Dasha. You are dead.”
Bohdan throws the wooden legs to one side and grabs Jasper in a neck lock, arm tight