Page 78 of Like An Animal

“Took you long enough, syn,” the man speaks and his voice… I know it.

How the fuck do I know it?

I do know what he called Jeremy though. Jeremy, Massimo, and Xavi have been speaking Russian around me since Kathy first started dating my father. Anytime I asked them what a word meant, they would tell me.

Syn translates to son. It was one of the simplest translations that they taught me.

Does that mean that this man is Jeremy’s grandfather?

Of course. Now, I remember. The bratva is the head of the mafia, the highest ranking person in the organization.

Then, as if having an epiphany, my brain glitches. Mr. B told me that Jeremy was in the Grove Hill area for his probation. If he was out there, why has everyone been acting like Jeremy has just as much say as his grandfather does? Everyone has gone with whatever he says. I haven’t seen an ounce of pushback from any of the guards or anyone.

Why?

Mr. B said he had disappeared the day before yesterday. It doesn’t make any sense.

The math doesn’t add up. I’m missing some piece of the puzzle.

“Grandpa, this is Bronwyn.”

The man turns around, holding a small glass filled halfway with a dark brown liquid.

I…I know him. I’ve only seen his face once, but it was burned into my memory from the trauma the words he said gave me. I still remember the way his voice sounded when he said that his bosses wanted to throw the death penalty at Jeremy.

“Mr. B?”

Wait. No. No, it can’t be. If he’s Jeremy’s grandfather…

It was all a fucking show. A slide of fucking hand.

Jeremy never went to prison.

He wasn’t in a halfway house.

He was here in New Jersey.

He was living it up while I was being tortured, manipulated, raped.

He broke his promise.

Although I want nothing more than to push Jeremy away and slap him so hard he flies into next week, I want to know what his grandfather wants before anything else. I’ll deal with Jeremy later.

“I wish I could say it’s good to see you, Miss Durst.” His eyes narrow at me as if I’m a bug he wants to squash, an inconvenience that he wants to erase.

What the fuck is his problem?

I would understand Jeremy being pissed at me, but he has no right, unless he’s mad that I killed Kathy. That cunt deserved it though. If I could kill her again, I would and I’d make it last longer.

And, yes, it’s because she hurt Jeremy.

He’s killed for me and so have I. I’d do it again, no matter how pissed off I am at him right now.

“Well, it’snevergood to see you so, I can’t be too mad, can I?”

Jeremy’s grandfather smirks, barely holding in a laugh, almost as if he thinks I’m a petulant child.Fuck you, asshole.I’m twenty-three years old. I’ve gone through more shit than he could ever imagine.

“They said you wanted to speak to me,” Jeremy mutters while tightening his arm around my waist.