Chapter 22
NIKOLAI
Red.
How the fuck did that damn dress get into this house?
That damn color was flashing in front of my eyes, mixed with fury and a craving for punishment.
The door clicked shut behind Alexei and Adrianne, and I had to physically restrain myself from going after them. From going after her and tearing that damn thing off of her.
“Nikolai?” Adrik’s voice cut through the fog of rage. “Are you listening?”
I turned back to face the room, forcing my features into something resembling composure and indifference.
Viktor Morozov stood beside his daughter, his arms crossed over his chest, his expression neutral, but I knew there were doubts rumbling underneath. He was a man who’d built an empire on the corpses of men who’d underestimated him. I’d make no such mistake.
“Apologies for the interruption,” I said, biting my cheek to keep myself in check. As I reached into the drawer, I pulled a cigarette out and lit it with my mother’s lighter. Open wound and salt. “Please continue.”
This little stunt was more exposition than I cared for. Adrianne had walked into a fucking den, flashing my weakness to ravenous wolves. And Alexei? I’d have to deal with him later.
Drea stood by the window where I’d left her, her hand now clasped in front of her instead of on my chest. She watched me with those calculating eyes, a small smile playing at her lips like she knew exactly what had just happened.
She wasn’t dumb. She just played the part well for her father’s sake.
“As I was saying, our agreement stands. When you make your move against Vladimir, you’ll have our full support. Men, weapons, whatever you need.”
“And in return?” Adrik asked, ever the diplomat but always straight to the point that mattered.
“In return, the Morozov family maintains our territories in the south. No interference from the Volkovs once Nikolai takes his rightful place.” Viktor’s gaze locked onto mine, defiant, waiting for me to protest, but I didn’t give a fuck about this so-called legacy I was born into.
I was in it only to destroy the man who killed everyone I ever loved.
“We’ve been loyal to you, not your father. That loyalty deserves recognition.”
“It’s yours,” I said, hoping this would be the end of this meeting. I had other pressing matters to attend to. A fucking red dress to destroy and a prisoner to correct.
“There’s also the matter of security,” Viktor continued, pulling me back to the conversation. “Once Vladimir is removed, there will be those who challenge your claim. Other families who think they can take what’s rightfully yours while you’re still consolidating power.”
“I’m aware.” My jaw clenched after a sharp drag. This conversation was taking too fucking long. I needed to get out of here because my fucking mask was slipping, and I didn’t have the willpower to hold it up anymore.
“We’ll provide additional men to secure the estate and your territory. We’ll help you make sure no one gets any ideas about taking what’s rightfully yours.”
“For how long?” Another drag.
“As long as necessary.” Drea spoke for the first time since Adrianne had walked in, her voice smooth and confident.
“We’re invested in your success, Nikolai.
Your father’s been a plague on all of us for too long.
Leaching out on our hard work. When you take him down, we want to make sure you stay up. ”
She moved closer as she spoke, her hand reaching out to touch my arm. I let her, even though my skin crawled with the contact. Even though all I could think about was Adrianne’s face when she saw this exact thing moments ago.
The hurt in her eyes. The jealousy she’d tried so hard to hide.
Why the fuck did she care? Why the hell did I?
She was my prisoner. A means to an end. The wrong butterfly I’d caught in a net meant for someone else.
Luck.
The word slipped into my brain without permission.
“Nikolai?” Adrik’s voice held a warning. “You’re not listening again.”
“I said I’m aware.” I pulled my arm away from Drea’s touch, moving toward the corner bar to put distance between us. “Your support is appreciated. The terms are acceptable. Is there anything else?”
Viktor’s eyebrows rose slightly at my abrupt tone, but he wasn’t brave or stupid enough to comment on it. “Just one more thing. The Krasni Ball.”
Fuck. I’d almost forgotten about that disaster waiting to happen.
“What about it?”
“Drea will be attending, of course. It would be... appropriate if she were seen with you. Dancing, perhaps. Making it clear to the other families that our alliance is strong. Appearances matter, Nikolai.”
Of course. Because nothing in my fucking life could ever be simple.
“Fine.” The word came out clipped and harsh, the dismissal too clear for anyone to miss. “One dance. That’s all I can promise.”
“One dance,” Drea said, her smile widening. She moved closer again, this time stopping just short of touching me. “I’ve been told I can be quite persuasive when I want to be.”
“Drea,” her father warned.
“What? Nikolai and I have an understanding. Don’t we, Dorogoy?” Darling.
The endearment made my skin crawl, but I forced myself to nod. “You know I’m not the romantic type. There’s no romance in my future, Drea. I’ll entertain our guests with what they need to see to feel secure about their alliances, but I will not promise you something I can never give.”
My words were vague enough for her father to mistake them for the premise I meant. An arranged marriage, maybe, but a loveless one, nonetheless. But the way the light died in Drea’s eyes told me she understood exactly what I meant.
“For now. But who knows what the future holds?”
I wanted to tell her exactly what the future held.
Nothing.
Absolutely fucking nothing between us beyond the political alliance that kept her father’s men in my corner.
But I couldn’t. Not when I needed them. Not when everything hinged on maintaining this delicate balance until I could move against Vladimir, until I could be sure my little Babochka was safe.
So I smiled, cold and empty and absolutely false. “Who knows.”
Viktor clapped his hands in glee, and I wanted nothing more than to rip them from his fucking arms and shove them in his mouth to see if he’d finally shut up a leave. “Excellent. Then we’re in business. Adrik, if you could have your people coordinate with mine on the security details?”
“Of course. We’ll have everything in place before the ball tomorrow.”
They shook, sealing the deal with all the formality of a business transaction while Drea looked at me, expecting a kiss or God knows what. I extended my hand, motioning towards the door for her to follow her father.
“Until the ball, then,” She said, her voice low in what should have been a seductive move. But, even though other men might not be immune to her tactics and blonde hair, I couldn’t give a damn about her moves.
They finally left, Adrik escorting them out with his usual diplomatic charm. The door closed behind them, and the silence that followed rang in my overcrowded mind.
I stood there for a moment, my hands braced on the desk, trying to rein in the fury that had been building since the moment Adrianne walked into this office.
Did she know? Had Alexei told her about the ball, about the tradition, about what wearing red meant? About what it meant… to me?
Or was it just a coincidence? A cruel twist of fate that she’d chosen the one color guaranteed to make me lose my fucking mind? It couldn’t be. And there was only one person who’d dare to provoke me by bringing that shade into my house.
“You look like you’re about to murder someone,” Adrik said, returning to the office. “Should I be concerned?”
“You saw her.” I took another puff of my already dying cigarette.
“I did. But I’m sure there’s an explanation. There’s no way she could have known. Besides, the girl has no clothes aside from the ones provided.”
“Where is she?” I asked, dismissing his reasoning. I was out for blood now, and I couldn’t give a damn if my rage was misplaced. There was only one way to soothe me back into control.
“In her room, presumably. Alexei was supposed to lock her in and bring you the key.”
“And did he?”
Adrik pulled a key from his pocket, holding it up. “He gave it to me. Said you looked like you might actually castrate him if he came back in here.”
Smart boy. I grabbed the key from Adrik’s hand, already marching toward the door, “He’s not out of the woods yet.”
“Nikolai!”
I didn't wait for whatever warning he was about to give me. I was already rushing through the house, the key clenched in my hand until it was printed into my flesh.
Adrianne.
In red.
In my fucking house.
She looked so fucking beautiful it physically hurt to look at her.
When I reached her door, I didn’t bother knocking, and the guard didn’t need the words to scramble the fuck away. Unlocking it in a hurry, I pushed inside, the door slamming against the wall with the force of my entry and then shut again.
Adrianne stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by shattered crystal and scattered flowers, spinning on her heels as she heard me coming in. Fury burned through me as I saw her still wearing that fucking dress, clenching a gun in her hand.
“Throwing a temper tantrum?”
“Stay away,” She warned, pulling the gun up to point at me.
“You should have done as you were told.” My eyes raked down her body, tracing the lines of her breasts, the curve of her hips, the shape of her legs. “Take it off.” The words came out as a growl, low and dangerous.
“No.”
“That wasn’t a request, Adrianne. Take. It. Off.”
“Make me.” She crossed her arms over her chest, the motion pushing her breasts up in a way that made my cock twitch despite my rage. “You picked it out, didn’t you? You wanted me to wear it. So now I’m wearing it.”
In two long strides, I was knocking the gun from her hands before gripping her throat and pushing her back until she hit the wall.
“I would never put you in red.”
Confusion flashed across her eyes, but there was no fear despite having my hand on her throat, knowing that, with one single gesture, I could snap her in two.
“Then, who?”
“I don’t fucking care who. I want it off of you, right now.”
Her chest rose and fell as if she’d been running for miles, the swell of her breasts tempting me with their fucking allure. But then that mouth of hers moved to speak my utter demise. “Make. me.”
With a resounding growl, both of my hands gripped the edge of the fabric, tugging on it hard enough to tear the damn thing right down the seam in the middle.
Jesus fuck.
I was not prepared for the bounce in her boobs as they were set free. Adrianne was now completely naked, wearing nothing but a scrap of lace that couldn’t even be considered a thong. But the half-whimper, half-moan that escaped her mouth was my last shove I needed to cross that line into the abyss.
“Happy?”
I tilted my head to look at her from head to toe, finding that I was a heaving mess just as much as she was.
“Not even the slightest.”
“Then go back to your whore.”
“She’s standing right in front of me.” Without permission, warning or restraint, I slammed my lips onto hers, consuming her like she was the lifeline that kept me alive.