“And I’ve never met someone as understanding as you.” I slipped into her arms.
She wrapped her hands around me and began rubbing my back. “Emi…don’t be like me. Don’t end up living a life of regret and loneliness,” she said quietly.
Those words touched the deepest parts of my heart, and suddenly, I began questioning my choices. Had I overreactedwhen I left the mansion? Was I truly free? Was this even what I wanted for myself?
My mom was getting better, I’d gone back to school, and I was free from that life of violence. This was everything I thought I’d wanted. Why did I still feel so empty?
The answer to that was simple.
I missed him.
I missed Adrik Tarasov.
Chapter 26 – Adrik
I sat at the table, silent and distant, as Sergei discussed the terms and conditions of our deal. The room was dimly lit, and the smell of whisky and tobacco drifted through the air.
The men at this table were important members of some of the city’s most powerful families. The purpose of this meeting was to reach an agreement on how to form a formidable alliance.
I was the one they all expected to speak, but I gave the floor to Sergei. I honestly couldn’t care less how this meeting would turn out in the end. Regardless, though, those greedy bastards were in safe hands because Sergei wasn’t new to this.
It was obvious they weren’t pleased with my silence, but fuck them. They should be lucky I even showed up for this ridiculous deal. I never wanted to be in this room with these scorpions. But the Bratva elites had decided I must.
I knew these men better than anyone else within the ranks. They were vipers and shouldn’t be trusted with anything. Letting my guard down around Richard Beaumont taught me a hard lesson: never to ignore my gut.
Sergei was still speaking to them when one of them interrupted him.
“I’m not comfortable with this,” he said, his voice laced with disdain.
“With what?” Sergei asked.
The man shifted his gaze toward me. “What’s the matter with you, Adrik? You’re the one who’s supposed to address us.” He glanced at Sergei. “Not your errand boy. That’s disrespectful.”
My scowl deepened. “He’s not my errand boy,” I growled.
“Whatever,” he replied. “Are you addressing us or not?”
I didn’t respond, just kept my cool, even though his disrespect toward my lieutenant already had me pissed.
“He can’t,” another man replied to him, reclining in his chair. “I hear he’s still sulking because his wife left him.”
The room fell silent.
Sergei turned to me, knowing exactly what was running through my head. My expression remained unchanged, but my men could already feel the tension rising. I didn’t say a word, yet my gaze left his face.
Murmurs rose from amongst them as they leaned in, whispering into each other’s ears.
From my seat, I glared at the bastard who dared mention my wife. With the reflexes of a cat, I reached out and grabbed him by the collar. “You should’ve kept your mouth shut.”
Before anyone could react, I dented his head onto the table three times, then dragged him across the surface. The others sprang to their feet, watching helplessly as I drilled the man with heavy punches.
Without mercy, I slammed my fist into his face, each strike further damaging his broken nose. The impact of my punches made his body jerk, the back of his head hitting the floor.
No one dared intervene. Nobody dared to speak up for him. My knuckles hurt, but I didn’t stop. The room was so quiet that the only sound was that of my fist smashing his face.
Once satisfied, I let go of his collar and rose to my feet, seething in silence. His blood dripped from knuckles as I straightened, my disheveled hair framing my face. My chest rose and fell with slow, controlled breaths while his body lay at my feet.
He was still breathing. Barely.
