29. Poker Night
Adrik glanced at his watch. 11:25 p.m. He put the cigar back in his mouth, puffing as he held his cards. He hadn’t thought he’d be caught in a poker game at this time, but here he was. A random party had popped up when Gil brought in a group of women. He was slightly drunk, really high, and looking for a good time. Now the girls sat at the bar, getting drunk, while some got naked and were twisting on the stripper poles, gyrating to the music. The lights flickered in colors with the music, and it vibrated the floor, making his drink of whiskey ripple. He tossed a card, and the dealer handed him a new one. The five of clubs only pissed him off. He was gonna lose the round and miss his meeting with Jolie.
Alexei sat next to him. He asked for this impromptu gathering. He was covered in black and blue and moving hurt, but he wanted to get drunk and forget that his father had beaten him the night before.
His mother and Alexei both asked Adrik not to do anything in revenge, and though he assured them he wouldn’t, there were little things he could do to fuck over his father. Subtle things that could be deniable. The shipment of his father’s cigars would be lost. The whiskey he loved would disappear. The sugar-free donuts his father adored would go out of stock. It was petty, perhaps, these silly little ramifications. But it would prove to Yakov one thing: Adrik had control of this company, not him.
“Game’s rigged.” Alexei cursed, unimpressed with his cards.
Adrik hid his amusement. His brother was never good at bluffing. He was too honest. A woman passed by, a hand on Adrik’s shoulders. She smiled and winked before sauntering over to the stripper pole. Adrik humored her because he had to. She didn’t know that after years of this shit, it was boring. It had nothing to do with her, because she was a beautiful woman. But it didn’t matter. Adrik was no longer interested in what she had to offer, and he didn’t want to pretend to be.
“Want the last hit?” Gil nudged his head to the final white line on the glass tray. Adrik shook his head and watched him take a glass straw and stuff it up his nose.
“Take it easy, brother,” Alexei chastised. “You want to be alive tomorrow?”
“It’s the weekend,” Gil fought. “Besides, I’ve never had an apology taste so good.”
Alexei chuckled as he held his ribs. Yakov’s apology came in the form of an ounce of cocaine and a new Rolex left on his bed while he slept. It was an empty gesture, put there out of obligation and fear of Adrik’s retaliation. He did admit that the Rolex looked great around Gil’s wrist.
Gil flexed his arm, pulling the sleeve up to expose the watch. “And it’s never looked so great either.”
Though Alexei and Gil found it amusing, Adrik was far from allowing humor to ease his anger. If Yakov believed he could do something like that, what else did he think he could do? He thought his father would have limits when it came to his kids. But the evidence was proving otherwise. Yakov was more daring than Adrik ever hoped to be.
“You should get beat more often, Alexei,” Gil joked, high as a kite. “This is a great fucking night.”
Alexei took a big swig of his whiskey and sighed, “I’ll try.”
Adrik bit the inside of his cheek to keep quiet. He wasn’t going to ruin his brother’s high. But the more the night wore on, the more the petty shit wasn’t good enough.
“Oh, shit,” Alexei cursed.
Adrik looked at him, only to see his eyes at the doorway. Jolie stood there, frozen with her mouth open. She saw the bar full of women, the stripper poles where naked girls danced, and the bowling alley full of people smoking weed and sorting out a line of cocaine. Guns were out on the table, watched over by a guard to ensure no one popped off in a fit of anger after losing a stupid game. Alexei stood, and it broke Jolie out of her stupor. She ran from the doorway.
It was Adrik’s fault. He asked her to the movie theater that was three doors down. No doubt she would have gotten lost.
Alexei sat down and glanced at him with a glare. “She doesn’t belong here.”
After last night, Adrik spent all day thinking about their words to each other. The one conclusion he came to was she was too good for him. She deserved more than he could give her. And though he wanted to try, there were certain things he knew he couldn’t give. One of them was marriage. As long as Katia was alive, he was bound to her. And there was no killing the mother of his child.
Adrik took the cigar from between his lips and set it on the ashtray. “I’m thinking of getting rid of her.”
“What?”Alexei paused. “No. There’s no need to kill her.”
Adrik tossed a poker chip to the center of the pile. “Did I say that?”
“I never know with you.”
When Adrik lost his hand, he tossed the cards, glancing once more at the clock. 11:45 p.m. He didn’t know if it was a lost cause if Jolie had returned to her room, too shocked to handle it. He almost felt resentful. His world wasn’t apple picking and scrapbooking. If they were going to attempt to be together, it was something she would have to accept. And he didn’t know yet if she was capable of it.
“I’m done,” he announced in English. “Party’s over.” There was a look toward him, incredulous gawking as they paused whatever they were doing. While it was true he never ended a party before three, it didn’t stop him. “Get out,” he shouted with a little more demand. There were whispers as they slowly gathered their things.
Alexei tried to keep the peace, “He just lost twenty grand. He’s a little moody.” A small collective chuckle eased the tension.
Adrik didn’t care about their upset. This was his house, and he could kick them out whenever he wanted, but he allowed his brother to ease their tempers. Drunks and druggies tend to have attitudes when you take away their free supply.
Gil gathered the chips, stacking them with a grin, “You are always trying to piss someone off.”
“What do I care?”Adrik provoked. He was pissed at Jolie for the judgment he saw riddled on her face. Picking a fight was probably for the best, so he didn’t go look for her and say things he shouldn’t.
“Don’t get an attitude with me. I’ve had to deal with your wife all day. I was a fucking escort today.”
Adrik’s brows knitted. Only low-level guards did shit like that. Not something his adoptive brother was supposed to be doing. “Why?”
“Filling in. Your dad went out to meet with some people, and we were short-staffed.”
Adrik shifted his gaze to Alexei, accusing, “You gave him a guard job?”
Alexei held up his hand. “I didn’t. I was in bed all day. Dad must have scheduled it. We’ve been short-staffed for a while. He might not have had a choice.”
“Then hire people. Isn’t that your job? Maybe if you weren’t focused on this fucking teacher, you would have noticed a problem. He is family. He doesn’t do bitch work.”
“Watch your fucking tone,”Alexei bit back. “I don’t need your shit right now.”
Anyone hanging around began to panic and swiftly moved to whatever exit they could find. Gil sat nervously, darting his eyes between the two brothers before he reached out. “Adrik, it’s fine. I didn’t mind it.”
Adrik ground his teeth, tapping his fingers on the green velvet of the table. He knew he was overreacting. He was pissed about his father, about his mother’s awkwardness, about not being good enough for the one girl he wanted. Everything was piling on, and he knew it was only a matter of time before he snapped.
“That teacher, by the way”—Gil grinned, avoiding Adrik’s eyes, talking to Alexei—“got some nice legs. The girls were trying on dresses. Think you’re gonna like the one she picked. I know I did.”
Adrik straightened his head, glaring at Gil, but the guy knew what he was doing.
“I asked her to Mom’s dinner,”Alexei revealed casually, as if it wasn’t a big fucking deal.
“Oh, yeah?” Gil laughed, eyeing Adrik and enjoying his brother’s reaction. “That’s fucking hilarious.”
Adrik never wanted to shoot Gil in the face so badly.
“Gil!” Two girls stood in the doorway, their long hair hanging over the shoulder, with their boobs nearly out of their shirts. “We’re lonely.”
Gil smirked and stood. “There’s enough for all of us.”
Alexei got up. “Gonna head to bed.”
“Alexei, do you ever just fuck to fuck?”
“It’s funny you ask that. How many STDs have you had?”
Gil shrugged, confused about why he would ask. “I don’t know.”
Alexei laughed. “Yep, that’s all I need.” He dropped a hand on his brother’s shoulder, as a way to apologize. “I’ll hire more people on Monday.” He slapped Adrik’s cheek affectionately, but he turned away, unmoved.
Adrik continued to sit there as the boys left. He rubbed his fingers over the felt of the table, unsure if he should be stupid enough to show up in the movie theater, just for it to be empty. He should just go to bed. It was time to end what could never be. He glanced at his watch. 12:01 a.m. Adrik got up and took a last gulp of his whiskey before he moved out of the room.