31. Use
Chapter thirty-one
Use
Tatianna stood beside Adrik; her hands squeezed into his arm. She was supposed to be on her way to Russia, but Gil, in his dramatic suicide attempt, texted her ‘ goodbye ,’ and it ripped her off the plane. Adrik kept his arms crossed, staring down at Gil. The ventilator was the only sound, breathing in and out as he slept. They had gotten to him in time and were able to revive him, but an infection got to his heart too quickly and put him in cardiac arrest. Gil wouldn’t have made it if they hadn’t lived so close to a hospital. Now they were waiting for him to wake, but Adrik didn’t want to stay. Gil was no longer family, no longer important, and Adrik wouldn’t waste his time.
Adrik’s thoughts began to focus on his next step. He would give himself one week to get his affairs in order. It would provide Katia time to set up roadblocks or traps, but Adrik knew her well. Her ego would make her believe she was safer in Russia. She had plenty of allies there, but so did Adrik. His sisters were tangled up with four powerful politicians. They would be on equal ground instead of here, where she had lost all her footing when Vincent was destroyed .
But it wouldn’t be Katia Adrik would be fighting. It would be her father, Boris. The question had to be asked—why did he leave Tampa? He had a strong position here, powerful enough to take on Adrik’s family. It had to be a strategic move that Adrik needed to understand before he threw himself into the ring.
When Gil opened his eyes, Adrik left, leaving his mother gushing over him.
A text message told him Gil had revealed the truth about Katia’s whereabouts. There was a decoy sent to Tampa International while a private jet left from Sarasota. It was no redeemable measure in the least, and this pitiful suicide attempt gained him no points, either. Adrik would make Gil live for a very long time to mourn what he’d done. There was no escaping that.
Filip was waiting with the car, and Adrik dived in. Before the vehicle took off, Adrik stuck his pinky finger into a baggie of cocaine. The hit burned, and he rubbed his nose, but it was delicious and soothing. He waved the driver on, feeling a boost of energy. He’d already been going for nearly twenty-four hours and needed a few more to get through the night. Filip handed him a bottle of water, but Adrik ignored it. The man was too attentive, and though most of the time Adrik appreciated it, right now he found it only aggravating. He wasn’t a fucking child to be coddled. Adrik took another small bump to spite him and relaxed against the seat.
But he couldn’t rest.
With a phone in his hand, Adrik went right to work, designating who was going where. He needed to prepare the house in Russia and let his sisters know he was coming. His eldest sister, Luerna, would have to take care of burying the bodies in the family plot. It was cruel, but Luerna would be able to handle it.
Adrik wasn’t as close to his sisters as Alexei and Gil had been. He never enjoyed chatter. He liked the quiet, but now, sitting in the car alone, staring at Alexei and Gil’s empty seats, the quiet had become a curse. It crept into his head breaking his concentrate. Names and numbers were overrun by memories, by could-haves and should-haves.
He curled his fist around his phone as a wave of overwhelming loss drowned him.
“There’s a party going on at the house.” Filip broke into his head, and Adrik snapped his eyes open. The door to pain slapped shut, and he went back to texting.
When he finally finished the last message, Adrik slipped the phone into his pocket and stared out the window. It was expected after a funeral to have a party, to get fucked up and move on. Adrik didn’t have time for such distractions, but with his father’s brother taking most of the control out of Adrik’s hands, he had little to say about it.
A party, as unwelcome as it was, had its benefits. If Adrik went back to his room, he’d only sink further into misery, and he was done being miserable. There were things that needed to happen, and the only way for it to get done was to keep moving. He couldn’t stand still anymore, even if that meant letting Alexei’s memory fade a bit from his mind.
“Where’s Jolie?”
“Miss Bell was brought back to the house. Should I bring her to the party?”
Adrik stared at the floor. It was another situation where he had to dedicate a bit of time. Jolie was wisely staying out of his way. She knew she fucked up. Now he had to gauge the justice she deserved.
From the servants’ confessions, Vincent had given Jolie permission to leave, but she had chosen to stay for Helina. She even tried to escape with his daughter in her arms. Adrik wanted her selfless actions to erase her work with the FBI, but it didn’t.
His fingers twisted his brother’s ring, now hanging from a new necklace, and Adrik could hear Alexei in those final days in jail. ‘Stupid would be to let this girl go because of a goddamn rumor!’
It was no longer a rumor, so what would Alexei’s advice be? Adrik already knew the answer. Alexei was in love with Jolie. He’d forgive her in a heartbeat.
What did that mean for Adrik? Was he not in love? Or was he not in love at the level Alexei was? How could he subject himself to a future full of bullshit for a girl he wasn’t entirely in love with?
Adrik nodded. “Let her come. Let her see.”
Maybe he wouldn’t have to choose. Maybe she’ll run away and take the decision out of his hands. It wasn’t his way, but controlling everything was becoming exhausting. He didn’t have the strength he had before.
He didn’t have anything he had before.
‘You want to fucking control everything and everyone. And when we don’t bend to your command, you make our lives fucking miserable. You’re just like Papa.’
Alexei wanted him to be less controlling, so that’s what Adrik would be. Maybe then, something in his life would go right.
The house was surrounded by dozens of cars. The music vibrated the ground as Adrik stepped out. He thought he could make it back to his room and change, but it looked like he’d have to go straight into it. First, he had to come up with some excuse why Gil wasn't at the funeral. No one needed to know Gil was Alexei's killer. Someone would take it upon themselves to seek their revenge, and no one had more of a right to harm Gil than Adrik did.
Alexei’s photo was the first thing he saw when he walked in. They had put up a massive 50-foot poster of Alexei’s face and drank about it, cheering and saluting every time they passed by. It was annoying, and Adrik walked by without acknowledging it. He found a table full of his cousins, and they all tried to put a drink into his hand. He let them. He needed to numb the pressure in his chest.
“How was jail?” Trevor asked. The kid was eighteen and only beginning his training to take over for his father. They owned several laundromats where they laundered money.
“Want to go?” Adrik offered, making a few of the cousins laugh.
The boy shrugged. “I ain’t afraid.”
Adrik swallowed the rest of the liquor and found it quickly replaced. He looked around. Surrounded by more sons of his business, he realized something. They were all vying for Alexei’s and Gil’s positions. Adrik would need lackeys, a person to handle the personnel, do the hiring and firing and scheduling, manage customer problems and punishments—things Alexei always took care of. And then he’d need someone to deal with internal conflicts. When gangs would fight, Gil was the first to try to soothe the problem. He was the easiest and friendliest of them.
Adrik sat back. This was where he could take and not have to give back. Every single one of them wanted to be used so Adrik could see their worth and make them important. In the next coming weeks, he’d use them, push them, and try to get them to burn out. The ones that stayed would become his trusted 'sidekicks,' ones that would die for him.
War against the Stephanovs would require sacrifices. Better them than him.
“Would you all leave him alone?” A woman stepped in between the circle, wearing six-inch heels and a sparkling gold dress that ended high on her thighs. Five more women, all dressed in revealing skirts and outfits, wiggled their way through. The lead girl gently pushed Trevor out of her way. “He was in jail for weeks, and you think he wants to look at more men?”
Her confidence was commendable, but he found her only irritating when she sat on his lap, smiling at him. “Hi, I’m Marsha. The youngest daughter of Oleg Moskal.”
It explained her extreme level of ego. Moskal was one of the ten Russian Families here in Florida and his most loyal. They had defied Katia and Vincent, so he owed them a reward for their loyalty.
And now that Adrik was a free man, women would come from the far reaches of his empire to forge a partnership. It didn’t matter to them that the time and place was his brother’s funeral. A chance for them to get Adrik’s attention was all that mattered.
Adrik took an inhale of a joint before he blew it in her face. Marsha inhaled through her nose and moaned. He smirked. She was definitely the type of woman he used to take to his bed. They were always confident in the beginning, but after being tied up and fucked, they surrendered within seconds .
Was this a way to get revenge against Jolie? Was it not equal justice to betray her? Or was fucking another woman too far, even for him?
Adrik shifted and helped her off his lap. He couldn’t think rationally and wasn’t about to fuck up. Marsha sat on the armrest, a hand on his shoulder, exposing her fat thighs and excessive tits. She should be enough to erase Jolie, and Adrik did want to erase her. Bitterness swelled up inside him. A girl like Jolie was typically a small blip on his radar, easily overlooked. There were a dozen women within eyesight that would be better suited for him, a part of his world, and not such a fantastic fucking liar.
Adrik wanted to face Jolie. After so many days apart, he was ready to deal with her. Besides, if today was one of the most horrible days of his life, what were the odds it could get worse?
Adrik slipped out of the group. His actions were ignored. He was considered grieving and believed to be so high and drunk, so nothing he did at this party would be held against him. He searched the area for Jolie. He found her still in the tight black dress, sitting on the couch, completely uncomfortable. She sipped a drink and looked around like a lost sheep. There was a group of women making fun of her in the corner, but Jolie was oblivious.
When her eyes landed on him, her movements froze.
Adrik didn’t even know what he wanted to say or do. He just stared at her. He didn’t know if he loved her like Alexei did, but he did know that she felt like a tether to his chest. She kept him rooted in place, and she made him feel connected. The loneliness that’s been following him since Alexei died eased a little. He could breathe again, something that drugs and liquor hadn’t been able to help with .
Jolie gave an encouraging smile and awkwardly pointed to the blow-up poster hanging in the living room. Adrik suppressed his humor, but his lips twitched, nonetheless. Then he nudged his head, beckoning her.
Jolie stood, quick as lightning, and shifted through the people and furniture, following him down the hall. He didn’t look behind him and stepped into the kitchen, where his servants continued to move, bringing out more liquor and food. When she popped her head in, Adrik took her hand and pulled her through another doorway, further away from the party.
One last door, and they were in his newly appointed office. The lights were off, and only the moonlight illuminated the room. He pulled her in and shut the door. “Adrik—” His lips were on her. A kiss that he’d been dying for.
Jolie’s hands slipped into his hair. Her heart pounded intensely, making breathing difficult. She panted as his lips traveled down her throat. His touch had been missed and feeling him again brought her comfort. She attempted to talk to him, to tell him how sorry she was for Alexei and for working with the FBI. She tried to beg him to forgive her, but he heard nothing. He gripped the edge of her dress, yanking it down to reveal her breast. His mouth was already on her nipple before she could object. He sucked it, bit it, licked it while he pressed his hard dick against her.
“Adrik,” she whimpered. Jolie couldn’t let this continue. He wasn’t in the right headspace, and they hadn’t talked since he saved her from Vincent. She needed to hear her name on his lips, hold him as he cried, and comfort him. She had to know that her stupid secret hadn’t destroyed their relationship, that there was still something concrete between them. Jolie gripped Adrik’s cheeks, and even as he fought, she was stubborn and wouldn’t relent. He snapped up, almost angrily, meeting her gaze. She gasped, the sight of his sadness knocking the breath from her lungs.
It was everything he was holding back, everything she knew he was suppressing. And he was silently pleading for her to ease his pain.
Jolie nodded dumbly, swallowing her words and all the things that distracted her, and leaned in and kissed him. Adrik’s passion drowned her. His lips were chaotic as his hands slipped up her dress, pulling the fabric to her hips. She reached for his belt and unbuckled his pants. Adrik slipped his hands into her underwear, cupping her bare ass cheeks, digging his nails into her fat skin with desperation. His lips traveled up her neck, his tongue slipping into her mouth. She pushed his pants down, and they dropped to his ankles. Adrik yanked her panties off, snapping the fabric against her skin. He tossed them on the floor before he grabbed her behind her thighs, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He shuffled to the desk, nearly tripping, and sat her on the edge. Jolie tried to get some eye contact, but he avoided her, concentrating only on need.
Adrik spat on his hand and pulled his cock out of his boxers, rubbing the saliva along it before lining up to her vagina. He shoved in, hard. Her gasp of pain and pleasure was a beautiful fucking sound, and he wanted to hear it again. He pulled out, spat on the tip of his cock again, and slammed into her. She inhaled sharply, her nails digging into his arms. There was tension from the pain of his intrusion, but with each thrust, the ache dissolved soon enough. She threw her head back and let out a small, suppressed whimper. He buried into her neck as he fucked her. The desk rattled, and random objects fell and rolled on the floor. Her heels pressed into his ass, begging him for more.
Adrik pulled out of her, and her legs dropped to the floor. He grabbed her hips and turned her around, ignoring how desperate she was for his gaze. He bent her over the desk as he pulled her dress back above her ass and then pushed into her again. She twisted to look at him, a hand on his chest, but he snatched that hand and then grabbed her other, pinning them to her back so the side of her face was flush against the papers on the desk. She groaned and moaned, meeting his thrusts. He pounded into her hard, making her take his dick, even if it was painful. Her pussy felt like heaven, and he wanted to soak in its holy haven.
With one final shove, he came inside her. He threw his head back, twitching, flinching, embracing the wave till it disappeared.
And when it was gone, Adrik hated her for it.
He stepped back, pulling out, panting, an overwhelming rush of misery nearly choking him. Adrik pulled his pants up and began buttoning and buckling them up.
Jolie recovered slowly, but as she looked behind her, Adrik turned away. “Adrik?”
He walked out of the room and slammed the door.