This man was at least six feet tall, with ash-brown hair and a chiseled jaw that accentuated his ruggedness. His blue eyes were cold and almost lifeless, his expression dark and unreadable.
He had a faint scar that cut along his cheekbone, adding to the air of danger that clung to him.
Adrik reclined in his chair and said something to this newcomer in Russian. The man’s expression softened ever so slightly, and he responded in the same language.
I didn’t understand Russian, but I always recognized sibling banter when I saw it. Even after the visitor settled into the chair in front of Adrik’s desk, the two kept going back and forth about God-knows-what.
I faced my work, eyes fixed on my lit screen, pretending not to notice them. Until the visitor spoke to me.
“Hello, Emika,” he greeted me politely.
I looked in their direction and replied with the same courtesy. “Hello.”
“Do you know who I am?” he asked, not in a proud manner, but a curious one.
My gaze flicked toward Adrik, but his expression remained as blank as always. I shook my head. “No, I do not.”
“Shame,” he muttered to himself. “The name’s Artur. Artur Tarasov.”
I knew it.
“Your husband is my brother.”
“Olderbrother,” Adrik chipped in.
My lips curled into a smile. “Nice meeting you…in-law.”
“Pleasure’s all mine.” He returned his gaze to his brother, and the two continued their discussion.
Most of the time, they spoke in Russian, throwing in a little English every now and then. I could barely piece together what they were talking about. But from the English fragments I heard, I figured it had to do with a new shipment and some kind of alliance.
This was the exact kind of information that Richard wanted me to report back to him. However, I didn’t think I had itin me to play that role. In fact, the mere thought of being his spy made my stomach twist.
It was a good thing that the two brothers spoke mostly Russian. At least that way I’d have an excuse. Language barrier.
Even if they spoke English and I heard everything they said, I didn’t think I’d report back to Richard. It just didn’t seem right to me at all.
At that moment, I decided that I would rather keep my mouth shut. At least for now. Until I was sure what to do.
Chapter 18 – Adrik
Crack!
His nose broke beneath my fist, the impact knocking his head backward. He was strapped to a chair in a dimly lit room while I struck his face with heavy punches.
My knuckles were covered in his blood, my sleeves rolled up for efficiency. Red splashes stained my crisp white shirt as I beat the crap out of him. His face was battered beyond recognition, his breathing was shallow, and he was barely holding on to life by a thread.
I hadn’t planned on getting physical with the man. But after he killed two of my men in a lousy attempt to escape, something snapped inside me.
Sergei had done as I instructed: He captured Richard’s errand boy and tortured him for days. He was able to extract the necessary information we needed—the names of Richard’s allies in his plans against me.
I was never going to let him go after his capture. But I wasn’t going to kill him right away. However, after that attempt at escape that claimed the lives of two of my most loyal men, I had a change of heart.
Fueled by my rage, I beat him to a pulp—all that pent-up anger coursing through my blood. My heart was dark, my fists so tight my hands trembled.
I told myself that I was so mad because I lost two good men for nothing. But deep down, that wasn’t the real reason. I was furious at one thing: Emika’s possible involvement in all of this.
She claimed she had nothing to do with this. She claimed she didn’t know about her grandfather’s plans. However, I found that hard to believe. And the more I thought about it, the more her claims seemed rather baseless.
