Owning Vic

Phillip Bura sat at his father’s extravagant desk in the overstuffed chair tapping his expertly manicured fingers against the arm rest, as a dark looming figure sat silent and still across from him. Phillip tried not to sweat as the old analog clock his father insisted on keeping made every second sound off with an ominous tick. “I assure you Mr. Volkov, my sister is usually very punctual. The passing of our father has taken quite a toll on her.” he began to explain, while fidgeting in the dark red leather chair he was perched in, like a rigid child waiting to be disciplined. The man across from Phillip only gave a slow nod and continued to sit in silence, making Phillip swallow his anxiety as he tried to hide the constant wiping of his clammy hands on his pressed slacks. Phillip licked his dry, thin lips and continued to fill in the silence. “You know how sensitive these women can be. I tried to explain to her that business needs to continue, but as you can see-.” Phillip let the sta

Vic had been hiding in her apartment for almost a full week, since the day she had called the number, the receptionist had given her. Plenty of people had tried contacting her, including Phillip, but the news that came through the phone the moment she heard Volkov’s voice dug a hole in her stomach she was still trying to recover from. He simply told her that either “The Ghost” would work for him, or Phillip would, and she would know when he wanted his answer.“The Ghost” was the code name Vic’s father had insisted on when she first told him she wanted to help with the family business. At first, he was more than apprehensive about her involvement because, although their family had specialized in using brute force to extract information where others could not for generations, Phillip Bura Senior had others plans for his oldest and only daughter.When she was about sixteen Vic heard her father having a hushed argument with their mother one night, before she had gotten too sick to speak.