Page 77 of Until Death or Defeat

“I asked. And she likes to talk.”

I clench my jaw as I take in what he’s said. Did she really say so much to him about her life? When I’m around, she wouldn’t dare admit to me how she feels.

“Just try it out, okay? She needs you more than me, so try not to be a raging douchebag every waking moment,” Maxim finishes softly.

It isn’t that I’m incapable of affection, or that I don’t want her to look at me with those beautiful hazel eyes as if she likes me, but I can’t let myself. I can’t do that to her when I don’t know if I can protect her yet. If she loves me, she’ll do something stupid, like try to save me instead of herself when shit goes down. I have to be selfish a little longer to keep her from becoming that brave.

“You don’t get it Maxim, and you won’t get it until you’re—” I start but stop myself, realizing the gravity of what I almost said.

“Ah, I knew it,” Maxim says smugly.

I really wish I didn’t have to put my trust in Maxim and come to some unknown man’s mortuary in the middle of nowhere, but I guess I’ll try to push my judgement aside for her. I didn’t want to come, but I made a promise to her.

It’s small, unassuming really but most of his arsenal isunderground. I knew that Maxim knew someone who will simply burn bodies for him, but I didn’t know how fucking creepy this guy would be.

“So, I’m ready when you are,” the pathologist named Garrett says. Roman and I lift up the coffin, and then he presses the button to make it lift up. We remove the lid, and immediately turn our heads from the smell.

Well, not Garrett. He just watches intently.

“So, how exactly does this work? Since it’s been over ten years?” Roman asks.

“Well, it isn’t uncommon for forensic teams to exhume bodies years after the initial autopsy. But you obviously can’t tell as much as you could when they’re still full of soft tissue.”

I clench my jaw as I force myself to look at the corpse. It makes me sick. It makes me think of Giselle’s heartbreak, looking at this and...that this was once someone so important to her.

Worse, it makes me think that this must be how Sara looks now too.

“Wow, never seen one this old,” Maxim says as he goes to touch, and I smack his head.

“Jesus fuck, don’t touch her.”

“Why? Garrett’s going to anyway, I’m trying to learn. Maybe I want to be a mortuary assistant.”

“Yeah, I bet you do, you sick fuck.” As I say that Garrett looks at me, and I realize what I said. I almost apologize...almost.

“Seriously? I love Giselle. I want to help her and her mom.”

“Don’t ever say you love my fucking wife again.”

“Damn Artem, you’re so jacked today. What’s your damage?”

“What’s my damage? Seriously? I just had to dig up mywife’s mother’s grave and you think I should be in a good mood? This shit is...fucking serious for her, okay?”

I hate the way he’s looking at me, holding back a laugh. Son of a bitch.

“Well, I’m going to need a little time, you guys can go upstairs if you want, I have coffee or tea or whatever,” Garrett says.

I nod and when all three of us go upstairs, I can’t relax. I’m pacing the room as Maxim sighs deeply from the armchair.

“Seriously? Can you sit down? You’re making me dizzy.”

“Are you sure your friend isn’t going to do something weird? And aren’t bodies buried that long fragile?” I ask.

“No. Well, maybe a little. I don’t know, he’s a professional, Artem.”

“Yeah, a professional grave digger. That guy isn’t fucking licensed for anything.”

“Didn’t know you were a stickler for the rules, big bro, I thought that was Roman’s shtick.”