Chapter 9
ADELINA
At the nightclub, Dorin and I stepped out of the car with some of my people trailing behind us.
We were there to blend in and gather whatever information we could about an upcoming drug deal.
A week had passed since Dorin first caught wind of it, and the more disruptions I caused within the underground networks, the better.
“We will go in and keep a low profile. Don’t do anything stupid.” I looked at a few of my guys who enjoyed dicking down women at places like this. Their carnal pleasures were not my business, but this wasn’t the time. Their shame at my warning was amusing.
As we reached the entrance, some obnoxious asshole stumbled out with another idiot beside him. The second I recognized the first one, my stomach dropped.
Cezar.
Before Dorin and I could avoid anything to do with him, he spotted us and staggered our way. “Heyyyyyy, frens… fancy meetin you hereee.”
Someone was chasing behind Cezar. Once he got closer, I realized it was Codrin. Unlike Darius, there wasn’t much information on the two younger brothers.
“Cezar, fuck, come on, man. Leave them alone.” Codrin tried to reel in his brother, but Cezar was bigger than him and not easy to move.
Dorin and I, along with my men, were trying to get around the situation when Cezar snatched my wrist. “Oh, come on… I knows you want all this.” He gestured to his body.
There it was, even in his drunken moments, the smirk never failed.
Before my men could act, because that would just cause a shit show, I got Cezar off me. “Stop being such an idiot.” I was talking to him like I knew him, which had his brother watching me a little too closely.
“Cezar, is this the fucking whore you were with the other night? The reason you got kidnapped? Fucking seriously.”
Stunned, I stood wordless, then eyed Dorin. He went rigid, a muscle jumping in his jaw. He looked like he was ready to murder him. None of them would do anything without my command.
I can’t believe he just called me a whore. Does he even know how his brother acts??
“What????? Noooooo, broooooo, but I would gladly be her whore.” Cezar started trembling with laughter.
“I do not appreciate you talking to me like that. You don’t even know who I am. You know nothing about me,” I stated, looking right into Codrin’s eyes, my arms folded. I think that was when he realized I wasn’t alone and the people lingering around belonged to me. He backed off.
“I didn’t mean to assume. It’s been a long night.
I will take my idiot brother and be off.
” Trying to escape the situation with their bodies intact was a smart move on his part.
As they disappeared down an alley, I found myself wondering where they were headed.
I ordered my subordinates to tail them. Maybe I could go there too.
The club was packed, and I was annoyed. The last thing I wanted to do was deal with men hitting on me all night, just to hopefully overhear something that would help us. I endured it for a while until my people returned.
“The two are staying at this hotel,” they reported, handing me a piece of paper with the name and address. Time for some real fun. Dorin was looking at me like he knew exactly what I was going to do. He was wearing that disappointed grandpa face again.
“Oh, come on, it’ll be fun.” The smile barely lasted before I was already making my way out the door. Most of the people I had brought stayed behind to try and gather more information while I hauled Dorin with me to the hotel.
Dorin, being on the cautious side, called a few more guys to meet us there. Always good to have backup.
“Listen, I am going to go up alone. There is a balcony, which is how I will get in.” I was already changing in the car parked across the street from the hotel.
“What if that isn’t his room? What if the brother is waiting for you, I mean, what the hell are we doing, Adelina?
” Dorin doesn’t say my real name a lot. It was nice when I heard it.
I was waiting for the day when that would be normal again.
When everyone learned the truth, I’d take back what had been stolen.
“Dorin, everything will be fine. I know you got my back. And with the lights out in that room only, from what we can see, he is probably in there. I mean, he was pretty drunk a couple of hours ago.” I smiled and opened the door.
All of the training and exercises I did with Stefan helped pay off when one had to climb to get into the bedroom of someone they kidnapped not too long ago.
What am I doing though…
It didn’t take much to get into the room. Cezar lay on the bed, quiet for once. I never took a night I actually slept for granted.
I sat there for half an hour or so. I didn’t hear much going on outside the room either. It wasn’t that late. Codrin was watching a fishing show. As time went on, I became more intrigued and really wanted to know what the fuck kept eating their damn bait.
Eventually, Cezar started to toss and turn until he shot up and headed for the bathroom.
He didn’t make much noise, so I figured I was all right to stay put.
Codrin cared about his brother, but I didn’t think he would come in here to pat Cezar on the back while he puked since the idiot drank too much.
I caught a few glimpses of red stains on the back of his shirt as he walked toward the bathroom. The light in there was the only one on, so it was hard to tell what exactly I was seeing.
Blood?
It felt like he had thrown up for hours before he finally emerged from the regretful night he put himself through. “Ugh, fuck me.” He stumbled through the room, trying to find something to drink. That was when he noticed the glass of water I had set on the dresser.
I had no idea why I did that. Maybe because he reminded me of a dog. Yeah. That had to be it.
He grabbed the glass, took a long swallow, and then saw me sitting in the corner with my dagger on my lap.
Cezar stopped mid-drink. “Did you poison this?”
“And what if I did?”
“You can do better than that, Petal.” He smiled and took another long drink. Then he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “You set water out for me?”
He eyed me for a moment with that annoyingly observant expression. Then he tilted his head when I asked him, “How did you know it was me who left the water?”
“Because I know my brother and he would never.” Cezar let out a short, tired laugh. Something amusing and a little too aware. Then he sat on the bed, glancing between the door and me. I could see the worry lingering in him. Probably for his brother. Yet he still looked almost pleased to see me.
He was an odd one. A dangerously odd one.
“Don’t worry. It is just me.”
“Bold.” He looked more intrigued now.
“Don’t be delusional, Cezar. Your existence is the result of my choice to spare your life. You live because I haven’t taken it from you… yet.” I uncrossed my legs and angled my whole body toward him.
He was at my mercy.
“God, I fucking love it when you talk dirty to me.”
Within his smile, I could see excitement for the unknown. He grabbed his junk and licked his teeth.
Pervert.
“So, your brother doesn’t know who I am?”
“Did you want me to tell him?” He didn’t wait for a response.
“Listen, Nycto Reaper, he doesn’t know right now, but he will.
He isn’t dumb. He’ll figure it out. But why would I go around sharing the details of our wonderful night?
” He pushed himself to the edge of the bed, practically ready to fall off and crawl to me. The man acted like he was in heat.
There was a lot I wanted to know, mostly why he kept that to himself. The Nycto Reaper wasn’t an unknown name, yet few people had seen my face. Not a deal breaker, just not ideal for members of the Crimson Rose Syndicate to piece together.
“Why are you here?” His arms went behind his back as he leaned into them.
“Why not?” It had been a long time since I had fun working my way up the chain. A long time since the only thing I had been working for wasn’t in control.
“Hmph, so you do like to play, I see.” Cezar was ready to move, unsure of what he was going to do, when our play was interrupted by Codrin walking into the room.
“Who the hell are you talking to?”
“Jesus fuck, how the fuck—” Codrin searched for his gun, coming up empty. “How the fuck did you get in here? What the hell is going on?”
Cezar slid off the bed, just enough to put himself between his brother and me. I wondered if that loyalty extended to his father. How much did he know about what Viktor had done?
Before Codrin could do anything, I moved, grabbing Cezar and pressing the dagger to his throat as I stepped behind him, forcing him back with me. Codrin stilled, his focus snapping between us, tension pulling tight across his face.
“Relax.” I didn’t raise my voice. “I was just leaving.”
Cezar angled his head just enough to look back at me, smiling. It seemed we both thrived within the chaos, especially the chaos we created.
I backed us toward the window I’d left open, my grip steady, the blade firm against his skin. Codrin didn’t move. He just watched, as if working through every possible outcome.
Cezar’s hand lifted slightly, enough to keep his brother exactly where he was.
“Until next time, Petal.”
I didn’t let myself sit in that.
I shoved him forward, breaking the space between us, and used the second it bought me to turn and slip out the window I’d come in through. The drop hit harder than expected. A sharp jolt shot through my legs, but I ignored it and kept moving without looking back.
And just like that, I already wanted more.