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NOTE:

Thank you guys for sticking around this far! What are your thoughts? Predictions? What do you think I can improve on? I'd love to know! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and if so don't forget to vote, comment, and share.

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0 7 | How Far We Go

V U L I A A M O U R

Glorious mortification peeled from rattled bones when the quiet descended. Guilt pierced her heart, suffocating her chest as air leaked out in increments. She was gifted with a release. Then struggled until normalcy claimed her. She realized that her body had betrayed her. And it had been so easy to give into the temptation, the desire. How easy it was to submit to Calix's touch. She imagined his fingertips against her skin. Featherlight, dainty, yet all kinds of rough and brutal.

Brutal to her being, existence, and mind. But especially murderous to her heart. A dangerous tragedy in her soul and the way he made it sing with all kinds of doubts and questions. As if it was habitual as if even the wilderness blessed her with daydreams she shouldn't have conjured. An everlasting utopia of harsh delicacy. She was the nightingale that swayed and he was the hunter that preyed. She had given him control. More power than he needed or should have been granted.

Vulia swiveled her head to ensure she hadn't been caught in the devious act. She hadn't realized that the pads of her fingers had traced the warmth that he had gripped, a half-flush dying at the base of her throat. The color which left her brown skin had returned. She dropped her hand almost instantly, disgusted and angry with her actions. What the fuck was wrong with her? And how long had she been standing there?

The entrance door swung open, knocking her out of her reverie. Snake walked in, dragging his leg with gritted teeth. It didn't take rocket science for Vulia to realize what happened, or what may have happened. He looked like he was in pain and blood trailed behind him.

"Shit, Snake!" she exclaimed as she ran towards his aid. His body weight slumped into her when she wrapped her arm over his shoulders. "Did he do this to you?"

He hadn't responded as she helped him into a seat by the door.

"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch," he gritted out. Sweat drizzled down his face, glazing him in a sheet of shine. His jaw had been bruised, purple dotting white. Snake had looked the least composed he had ever been in all of Vulia's years of knowing him. It was saddening and all she thought about was how badly she wanted to hurt Calix just as badly as he hurt Snake.

"Should I call an ambulance? Or the police--"

"No! No, Vulia if you call the police they'll ask questions, and what Calix does isn't a one-way street. We will get pulled into it too. Do you want that?"

"Then what the fuck am I supposed to do, Snake? You have blood gushing out of your leg."

Snake leaned in the chair, his eyes falling victim to gravity. He was losing consciousness and his words struggled from his lips. He couldn't form coherent sentences. A few of the artists peeked their heads out of their rooms to find out what the commotion had been.

"You have got to be screwing with me," she muttered as she ripped a piece of her shirt and squatted to push Snake's bloodied pants up. She tightened the fabric around his skin to stop the bleeding. She gazed at Snake who was slipping away into oblivion so easily. "Don't give up, Snake. I'm gonna call Delano and get one of his doctors here."

But it looked as if he hadn't caught the words she threw at him. He was going to live. He was going to live for fuck's sake, he had to. Vulia patted his leg and rose up to rush to her phone behind the desk. Determination swathed her face when she dialed her brother's number. He answered on the second ring.

"Are you okay?" he said when the line connected.

"Yeah, I'm good. Uh, but Snake isn't. He was shot and he needs a doctor."

"Shot?" Was Delano's stunned reply, but didn't pry Vulia for details. In time, he'd know the full story. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes. Find something and tighten it above his wound to stop the bleeding."

He hung up and the few workers that loitered scattered and returned to their respective rooms. Gia remained though and approached Vulia with steadiness and concern in her eyes. "Is he gonna make it?"

"Of course he is. This place would be a shitshow and he wouldn't allow that."

Gia grinned and turned to look at an unconscious Snake. Worry swallowed her expression and Vulia detected it. She stalked over to Snake and ushered Gia to follow. She placed her hand over Snake's heart to feel the beating. Then, she allowed Gia to do it. His heart thudded, pumping against his chest. He hadn't lost too much blood quite yet, but Vulia knew that if Delano didn't get his ass there he would. It was a race against time. Often time, time won, but Vulia would die before she allowed that to happen.

"See?" she said to Gia. "He's fine."

And it was like Vulia had been trying to convince herself too that in the end Snake would be alright. She stayed by Snake's side until Delano rushed in with the doctor. Delano shouted orders at the doctor and went to check in with Vulia. Gia, in the midst of it, disappeared in the back. The customers which remained, exposed to something that didn't concern them escaped through the back.

"Do what you need to do here so we can take him back to the mansion," Delano commanded and the doctor nodded as he proceeded to help a now unconscious Snake. Delano approached Vulia and she prepared herself for the sea of questions he was going to ask.

"Tell me what happened," he encouraged.

"I think this had something to do with Calix," she assumed because she had no certainty that her assumption had been right. "I was working behind the desk. Snake must have stepped out for one of his smoke breaks. He came in through the front door injured."

"Did you hear any gunshots?" he added.

"I would have heard a gunshot, Delano. I'm sure everyone in here would have heard it," she stated. Calix was a smart man and knew how to steer attention away from himself. He didn't want to be heard and he must have used a silencer. It was the only logical approach that fit. If Snake hadn't dragged himself in, he may have bled to death out in the alleyway. And because Vulia was so transfixed with their interaction she hadn't even realized the true reason he had come. As if Vulia had always been the one thing separating him from his goal each time.

Delano nodded, then said, "Shit."

Vulia could see the wheels in his head turning when he lowered his gaze and fell deep into thought. She knew that this was taking its toll on her brother and he looked like he was losing control.

"Hey," she interrupted, cutting into his thoughts. "I'm alive. Snake's alive. Mom's alive. We're okay."

Delano released a sigh, the kind that seemed like it was nestled in his throat for an eternity. He gave his sister a look and pulled her into a hug as if he was afraid for her, or for himself. Then he pulled away.

"Calix is a threat, an enemy, and I won't rest until he's dead."

And in that time the doctor had finished his task, signaling to Delano that it was done. A few of Delano's men which lingered, some faces Vulia had been familiar with in the ongoing years, helped Snake up and they all exited the tattoo parlor. Vulia stared back at them, worry sinking into her thoughts. She listened to the vehicles drive off and returned to her spot behind the desk. She hadn't realized it, or she chose not to acknowledge it, but her heart had been pounding in her throat. And all she wanted to do was swallow it and make it stop.

However, everything happened for a reason. If Vulia hadn't shown up for work that day, who's to say if Snake would have suffered a different fate? Maybe he would have shaken hands with death that day, allowing it to pull him into a heavy embrace. She didn't want to think about it. Instead, her thoughts drifted back to Calix once more and his prior plans.

Because in truth, he could have easily killed Snake as he had planned all those days before. He could have done it and not thought twice about it. But he didn't and maybe that was Vulia, again, searching for the good in someone who didn't acquire it. Yet her thoughts spiraled, clinging to that hope. She knew that she shouldn't have.

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The following night Thisbe invited Vulia for drinks at the bar Nightcap. Vulia had heard things about it, only by ear. It was a couple of blocks from Thisbe's apartment luckily and Vulia couldn't have been more thrilled with the timing. A drink would really help her unwind after the events at the parlor and everything before that.

She spent the entire day after the misfortunes trying to recover, but the events still taunted her. Luckily, Snake survived, but it hadn't been without relaying a message from Calix. Vulia didn't know what happened after that because it wasn't her lane to know. It'd simply be better if she didn't know. All she wanted to do was unwind and escape.

Her makeup was applied wildly but perfect for the occasion. It suited her. Desperation hadn't grazed from her attire, but class and seduction. Soft and fierce. Dominance and poison at the tip of her tongue. She was a warrior and a seductress all rolled into one. But the encounter with Calix, consumed her, half-truths and half-lies, playing hide and seek in the crevices of night and day. Guilt and anger.

All she could imagine was what could happen to her brother or Snake because of him. She needed to get to that bar. Her heart was in her stomach, pounding as she waited in thought. When Thisbe finally finished dressing she joined her in the kitchen with a smile. She did a little spin to showcase her outfit.

"Don't we look like a million dollars?"

Vulia nodded. She pulled a glass from Thisbe's cabinet and poured the last bit of vodka into the glass. She downed it easily.

"The fun doesn't start until we get there," Thisbe teased, bumping her hip with her. Vulia smiled, something youthful twinkling in her eyes.

"Well, what are we waiting on?"

So they made their way to their destination, recalling memories and giggling into the night. The lights sprouted from lampposts like fireflies in the city. It was all heaven-bound, patterns of other worlds, celestial and free. The bar was luxurious and on the high end. Gold stained the entire interior, it seemed, and the place was somewhat bigger than a usual bar. In fact, it seemed like an exclusive bar and she wondered if Thisbe left that part out when she discussed the details over the phone.

She whispered into Thisbe's ear, "Thisbe what kind of a bar is this?"

Looks cast in their direction. She suddenly felt like an outsider.

"I know the owner. I met her the other day on the way to work. We bumped into each other while I was getting coffee. You'll love her."

Something bubbled in Vulia's chest and something about all of it seemed wrong. She surveyed the area. The bar. The main floor and a piano on the other side of the space. No one was using it, but there was something about that piano that put her mind at ease. It made her think of her father and when he taught her to play. Thisbe went to the bar and asked if the owner was there.

"She's out today, but she'll be back tomorrow," the bartender said. "You should stay. I'll tell her you stopped by."

Thisbe nodded and finally sat at the bar. Vulia sat next to her on the velvet stools that screamed money.

"So what's this woman's name?" she asked after ordering a drink.

Without a thought, Thisbe said, "Eryn."

Vulia nodded and sipped her drink, deep in thought. She felt like she had seen the name Thisbe had spoken before but didn't think twice about it. Thisbe started a conversation with the bartender and Vulia decided to sneak off toward the empty piano. Memories of her father swayed as she approached the bench and sat.

She brushed her fingers over the keys, without eliciting a note, and fluttered her eyes shut. She allowed the music to take over her as a stream of chords blitzed at her fingertips in soft hushes. The sound echoed throughout the place, but she was so unaware. It was like her father had been right next to her, encouraging her and standing there proudly. It was a beautiful moment and Vulia was getting lost in the euphoria.

A sun sprouted in that bar, a beaming ray of fantasy and peace when she played. A swift and melodic flick of something innocent and grand. A light in the darkness. A light to someone's darkness. And when she stopped and opened her eyes she was grounded. She took a sip of her drink at the brief claps that loitered the space. And she felt a heavy, eerie presence behind her. She didn't want to turn around because of it but decided against it when the stranger's body came closer, pressing against her back.

"You have five seconds to step away before I pull out my pepper spray."

A mocking chuckle vibrated, sending all kinds of goosebumps down her arms. She knew that laugh all too well. She stood up and turned to face Calix.

"This an exclusive bar."

"I'm aware," she retorted. "I came with a friend."

He nodded and kept his gaze on her. Then his eyes traveled, drinking in her attire and then focusing on her face. Vulia wasn't a self-conscious woman and now, even as Calix watched her she remained unfazed. In fact, she loved it. She had his attention and could do whatever she wanted with it.

"Why are you here?"

"This is mafia territory."

Something in Vulia's eyes flickered and she sucked in a breath as she took a long look around. She noticed the unsettling gazes that connected with hers. Her tongue dangled no words as she swallowed, then met Calix's tantalizing gaze again.

"Why is it that everywhere I am you are too? Are you stalking me?" she voiced, trying to calm her nerves. She hadn't felt any less space being in Calix's presence.

"This is Italian territory," he responded, dismissing Vulia's notion. "But if I were?"

"Then I'd call the cops," she threatened, walking away from him.

"No you wouldn't," he responded. He followed her, grabbed her wrist, and slipped into the bathroom with her. He locked the door after him and unfortunately for her, no one had occupied the stalls. It was just the two of them and the evergoing silence.

"Even if I did stalk you, Amour, there would be nothing you could do," he mused as he stalked toward her, but she didn't walk back. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he implanted fear in her with his words. Plus, she had her pepper spray on hand just in case.

She wasn't afraid. She wasn't afraid. She wasn't afraid. Because she hadn't backed away, he came closer. He was a hair away from her lips, something electric in his eyes as he looked down at her. It was enough proximity to make anyone vulnerable, it seemed like the whole world had experienced the colossal explosion of a million dying stars clashing. The sun and the moon. The fathomless hatred of opposition ignited in two. A world flipping on its axis. And she was at a loss for words, absolute putty when he spoke. Every. Damn. Time. But Vulia refused to oblige the spell he had her under.

But he was so fucking close. So close. So very, very close. And it was suddenly so fucking hot. When did it get hot? Why was he standing so close? And suddenly she hadn't wanted to leave. As if he were some kind of safe haven, but it was the opposite. He was the danger the city coward away from. The danger she should have ran from. Yet Vulia wasn't afraid. She never would be. Her emotions were playing tricks, tricks in which case she'd likely prefer not to be a part.

Her heart thumped. It was so forbearing and confusing. She hadn't been connected to her emotions, a stranger to her feelings. The way her body reacted to his, compared to the way her mind had colored it was completely different. Heat. Imbalanced cravings. Dizzy confusion. His breathing was chaotic against her and it made her crazy.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," she responded. Calix hadn't touched her, but their proximity sent her heart into overdrive. The way he touched her without touching her. Calix hadn't responded and instead gripped her chin to meet his eyes and nothing more. Her heart raced, a race that pulsed in her veins.

"Get your hands off me," she gritted out, but he didn't. Instead, he released her chin and trailed a finger down the base of her throat, then down to her collarbone. His touch rumbled a fire on Vulia's skin and she kept staring at those haunting blue eyes. Void of any good because he looked hungry for a fucking feast. It impregnated fear in Vulia for a moment.

"What do you want from me?" she questioned. The first night they had sex they both agreed that it'd be in their best interest to never see each other again. And yet he was everywhere she was. A small part of Vulia enjoyed the feeling he sparked in her when his presence was around. A small part of her chased that feeling, that adrenaline. But she'd never say it aloud. A beat ensued and he dropped his hand.

"Everything," he echoed and Vulia hadn't realized that she had finally backed into the wall, allowing the terror and pleasure to invade. His lips grazed her neck and he breathed her in. Dizziness consumed her. She breathed heavily and then she felt his lips kiss her skin. Heaven bled into hell like an eclipse. This wasn't supposed to happen. But it felt so...good.

"Is your pussy wet for me?" he cooed. His lips trailed lower. She bit her lip, fighting her urges and her own primal desire to be ripped apart by this man. She couldn't betray herself again. She couldn't give him the luxury of knowing he could edge her on, and make her feel like this. But somehow he had bent her to his will without knowing.

"I hate you," she spat out when his lips almost grazed her own. His breath played with her lips. Heat pooled between her legs.

"The feeling is mutual," he agreed. Then he pulled away and left the bathroom. When he was gone, reality settled in. This man had done bad things. He was an enemy of her family. He nearly killed Snake. He wanted to kill her brother. She was sure he killed innocent people, too. He was evil at its core and Vulia had fallen victim to that evil too. She allowed him inside her mind. And soon she'd succumb to the darkness.

Because maybe she enjoyed the darkness a lot more than she thought. Maybe she enjoyed the complexity that came with Calix Ace. She yearned for it, even.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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