“That’s what I thought. Now, this is how a man deals with his wife. You young shits need to stay out of my business. Or I’ll tell your father.”
“Good,” Adrik acknowledged. “Please make sure to tell him about the money you are stealing.”
Rurik snickered with a twisted smirk. “You think you got me, boy?”
Alexei raised his gun. “You better start showing respect, or I’ll shoot your kneecap clean off. Won’t be able to go fuck your whores for six months.”
“I’m your father’s top official. You can’t do shit to me without his approval.”
“You must not know me very well,” Alexei bit. “I live to piss my father off.” He cocked the gun and shifted down to Rurik’s knee.
“That’s enough, Alexei,” Adrik ordered.
“Ask your sister if that’s enough. Tell him about the bruises–”
“Stop it, Alexei.” Luerna pleaded.
“About the broken ribs. About the miscarriage–”
“Please stop!” she cried. How did Alexei find out? She kept her head down, unable to look at Adrik. She was supposed to be the eldest, the one that could hold the family together, the one that was stronger than any of them. Adrik looked up to her. She couldn’t bear the thought of him seeing weakness. Or Adrik finding out that their father already knew, and he had pretended he hadn’t heard her.
Alexei ground his teeth and kept quiet.
“Take Luerna upstairs,” Adrik said.
Luerna braved a glance at him, but Adrik’s ice-cold eyes were only on Rurik. Every muscle in his body was tense, the apple forgotten at his feet. Gil helped her up, holding onto her as they moved past Adrik. She didn’t want this to be a burden on his shoulders. Adrik was the favored child. He was kept from every terrible thing Yakov did. He only had to watch, had to listen. He never had to experience it. He was the only child that nothing was expected of. It was ironic that he was now the heir.
She wanted him to love their father. It was the only thing she could give him as a sister.
Luerna pulled out of their hands and circled to the other side of the hallway to peek into the room from another doorway.
Adrik stepped toward Rurik.
“Careful, boy,” Rurik warned in a whisper. “I’m family.”
Adrik smirked. “I’m not going to hurt you, Rurik.”
Tension faded in Rurik’s shoulders, and he chuckled. “Smart move. Your sister is hard to tame. Certainly doesn’t help when you assist her in taking off. You won’t tell me where you sent her, fine. That doesn’t mean I can’t find out. And if I learn you helped her fuck that wolf, I’ll blow her brains out right at your feet and the family won’t be able to do a thing about it.”
Adrik nodded as he approached. Luerna couldn’t stomach it. Rurik’s threat was too real, too possible. What could Adrik have in response? “I went through your marriage contract.”
“Is that right?”
“It’s air-tight. You got a pretty good deal for my sister. It makes me wonder why. How did you earn it, coming from such an impoverished family?”
“I’m likable.”
Adrik kicked Rurik’s knee, and as he crumbled, Adrik grabbed his arm, twisting it behind his back, forcing him to kneel on the ground, bent over, screeching in pain. Luerna flinched, but Alexei grabbed her and kept her still.
In his ear, Adrik whispered, “I’ll find out on the day you start answering to me. And on that day, I will seek justice for everything you have done to my sister.” He pushed a little harder, a warning as his shoulder nearly popped out of place, and as Rurik squealed and screamed, Adrik smiled.
Chapter nineteen
Future
Luernawasintheshower when Rurik came into the room. He ignored her, keeping his arm tight to his side, trying not to move it. She was still as the water ran down her face, trying to watch him but not daring enough to look at his face. She knew she had to make this better somehow.
“I heard Sofia passed her final. She’s going to be moving up to the sixth grade.”
