The Dark Side: A Mafia Romance Thriller (Morozov Mafia Series Book 1)

9. Marriage

Adrik parked his black Lexus next to the line of cars in the garage under his house. Fifteen vehicles parked in the marble-floor showroom, all exotic and of vibrant colors. His collection was one of the things he was proud of.

Adrik waved goodnight to his bodyguards and took the elevator to the fourth floor of his estate. The mansion overlooked Tampa Bay Harbor, and though most of the house was made of windows, they were bulletproof, and one-sided, so no one could spy on him. Adrik passed his wife”s room contemptuously, wondering if she”d pop out to argue or curse him. He didn”t want to deal with her tonight, so thankfully, he got by without a problem.

Adrik stopped by his daughter”s room, peeking his head in. It was pink thrown-up everywhere, with a Barbie Dream House in the corner, a princess castle against the left wall, a canopy over her massive queen bed, and stuffed animals to keep her from falling off the mattress. She slept peacefully, and it eased his stress.

Adrik went to his room down the hall. He kept his distance from his daughter by choice. He hoped anyone trying to assassinate him wouldn”t mistake his room for anyone else’s.

Adrik stepped into his room and locked the door behind him. It was a habit he had started when he was younger. Five years ago, someone broke in and nearly managed to kill him. There was a scar on his back where the bullet hit. His father had been the one to stop the intruder. He blew his head off right in front of Adrik with his shotgun. It was a night that stayed with him.

To his disappointment, his wife, Katia, sat on his bed. Adrik ignored her as he removed his sweater and stood before his dresser. He unclasped his Rolex and placed it carefully back in its container. Then he pulled his gun from the back holster and laid it beside a wad of money and his wallet.

”Where have you been?” she asked.

Adrik took out pajama pants and slammed the drawer shut before he went to the bathroom, slamming that one as well. He flicked the shower on to warm it up, then rested his hands on the sink.

Katia was like a honey badger. She was sweet when she wanted something, and if she didn”t get it, she became a fucking psychopath.

Adrik had only two regrets, and one of them was marrying Katia. Like any young teenager, there were expectations of what a wife would be like. He thought his mother was a prime example of a perfect partner. She was supportive, encouraging, sweet, and challenging. His father would compliment her constantly on being such a wonderful wife. So stupidly, Adrik believed all wives would be as easy.

Plus, it would be pussy he didn”t have to work for.

What was the bad side of marriage?

I was such a dumbass,Adrik cursed at himself before he jumped into the shower.

Katia was from a wealthy military family in Russia. But like his father, her father, Boris, had to leave Russia when things got too hot with law enforcement. By the time Yakov came to Tampa, Boris was already set up nicely with the harbor. To form a positive partnership, they married their children together to keep it. Adrik and Katia had only met twice before they were forced to wed. She tried hard to avoid it. And so had he. But when push came to shove, neither could disobey their parents.

Their wedding night had been horrible. It hadn”t been his first time with a girl, but it had been the first time he screwed someone while they were crying. And maybe that put a damper on things between them. But he knew, like she did, that they had to have a child as soon as possible. It was expected.

Days turned to weeks. Every month when she failed to get pregnant was another horrible moment between them. She learned to shut off. And he learned to get the deed done as fast as possible.

Over time, a friendship grew between them, and the sex got better. Adrik even started to feel something for her. He had been so happy when he learned she was pregnant. He recalled how he had lifted her off her feet and kissed her with vigor: joyful, proud, and in love.

Weeks later, he found out Katia was fucking someone else.

Adrik hadn”t controlled his temper then. He hadn”t known what he was capable of until that night. But he pushed limits he never dared to before. It was the only time in his life when he scared himself.

There was no reconciliation after that.

Adrik got out of the shower. He took his time with his nightly ritual—combing his hair, brushing his teeth, and flexing in the mirror to determine which muscle he wanted to work on in the morning. With slacks on his legs, he walked out.

She was still sitting there.

Katia dropped her phone on her lap. ”Your father said you wanted to speak to me. So, speak.” Katia sat rigid in a tan Dior dress, with her blonde hair curled and pinned to her head. She had gone out with some friends, or that”s what she claimed. He stopped caring about her liaisons when he started his own.

Adrik flicked his gaze away in annoyance. His father was forcing him to face the issue of her family. He was surprised his father hadn”t just talked to her himself. Why even bother making it seem like Adrik had any control over what happened in their family?

”We found the assholes that shot up Salem’s.”

Katia jumped to her feet, hopeful. ”Who?”

Adrik clenched his teeth as he watched her. He needed to mark every flicker of her eye, every movement of her hands. If he were to spot her lying, what would he do? Would he be able to hold back, even for the mother of his child?

”A couple of bitches.” He used the word ”bitch’ as a term for low-level pieces of shit that held no importance. ”They were ordered by a man with a raven on his hand.”

The color in her face drained.

”No,” she whispered.

”Your brother.”

Katia collapsed on the bed, wide-mouthed, simply staring at the floor.

It was a good act; maybe he believed it because he couldn”t believe otherwise. She loved their daughter as much as he did. He wasn”t questioning that.

Adrik snatched his phone off the dresser and sat in a chair, reading and replying to text messages as she recovered. He didn”t want to see her tears. They meant nothing.

When Katia stood, Adrik flicked his eyes up. She had pulled her emotions back, leaving behind a stone facade. He didn”t expect anything else. She was mafia-born. Tears could only get her so far. She”d go in a different direction when they no longer aided her. ”According to our contract, you can”t kill him.”

Adrik snapped to his feet and was in her face so quickly that she gasped and took back a step. A break in her mask. ”Tell me again what I can”t do,” he threatened dangerously. ”Go ahead, Katia. Say it.”

Katia, wide-eyed and breathing heavily through her nose, swallowed, bowing her head. ”I just meant, in the contract, immediate family—”

”I”ll make him suffer for what he”s done.” Adrik returned to his seat, with his elbows on his knees and the phone in his hands. He wanted a blunt. He wouldn”t be able to sleep now with the rage she caused. He sat back, resting his ankle on his knee as he watched her. Katia was a snake, constantly changing her skin. He failed to read her for the years while she was fucking another man. Her lies were plenty and creative. She was able to cover up her moves like a professional chess player. Yet he underestimated her because she was a woman.

”I want you there.”

Her head popped up, full of terror. ”What?”

”He almost killed our daughter. You deserve vengeance.” Adrik observed her eyes flickering in panic. She was trying to find a way out of it, sitting on the bed as if her legs were too weak to sustain her. She knew what it would mean to deny him. It would say she cared more about her brother than her daughter, and Katia couldn”t risk that.

”Your parents—” He paused when she looked at him frightfully. ”I don”t think they knew.”

There was relief in the tension of her shoulders, and she nodded vehemently. ”They love Helina. They wouldn”t hurt her.”

”I agree. But because of this oversight, the contract of our treaty is disrupted. We won”t be paying forty percent on shipments anymore. From now, it will be twenty-five.”

She scoffed; the Katia he knew so well resurfaced. The businesswoman that was built from the moment she knew how to add. ”Good luck with that. Your shipments cost us millions because of payouts to the harbor police, the workers, and the senator.”

Adrik continued his text before he replied, ”Not my problem.”

Katia stood with her arms folded, glaring down at him. Adrik pressed on Candy Crush, and the music interrupted the tension in the room. ”You have nothing without that harbor.”

It was true that seventy percent of his products came through it, but he was diversifying. This past month, he purchased land in Naples to build a small airport.

There was a knock on the door, and Adrik stood up, meeting her. ”If our contract falls through, there will be no need for this fake marriage. Perhaps it”s what you want.” Adrik knew it was what he wanted. He turned to the door.

Katia grabbed his arm. ”That”s not what I want,” she lied. ”We can fix this.”

When she became desperate, she always resorted to the same tricks. Adrik didn”t give her the time to touch him anywhere else. He stepped away, opening the door. Three females walked through, dressed in silk robes. He watched her face, noticed how cold and distant it became, and felt a small victory. The women removed their robes as they climbed into bed, wearing panties, bras, and heels.

Katia moved for the door, but Adrik gripped her bicep, forcing her to look at him.

”If I find out you were part of your brother”s plot—”

”That”s my daughter—”

”I”ll do what I should have done when you fucked another man in our bed.” He shoved her out and slammed the door.