“Adrik?” the man asked.
“Have her stay in one of the houses.” He smoothed down his tie, indicating he was ready to get out of the car. “She’ll live on the estate where I can control and determine the debt Morovov owes us.”
I dared to let out the breath I’d been holding for the last several tense seconds.
He wasn’t killing me. Yet.
He wasn’t forcing anything on me. Yet.
All my fantasies, all the nightmares of pain and torture faded from my mind. But as I met his dark gaze again, I got sucked into the instant conviction that I would be a fool to ever think he trusted me or valued me in such a way that my fate wouldn’t seem like a curse I could never escape.
7
ADRIK
We reached the estate, and I directed a few men to take Elena to one of the guest houses on the property. Multiple lodging options were available around the edge of the land we owned. While she wasn’t a guest, she wasn’t a ward or captive, either.
I stayed in the circle out in front of my father’s mansion.
My mansion.
Fuck, it’s going to take me a long time to get used to saying that now.
All that the Bratva owned wasours, my brothers’ and cousins’ and mine. But this residence was designated for the Pakhan, and soon, that would fully be my title.
The heat of the sunshine warmed my back, but I wasn’t motivated to rush into the shade and coolness of the house. I stayed put, shoving my hands in my pockets while I watched the men escort Elena to where she’d be locked in as my… guest?Something. I wasn’t sure how wise it would be to let her become my accountant, yet I lost the urge to hurt her or abuse her.
So far.
My brother got off the phone and came to stand with me, glancing in the direction of where Elena went. A few seconds later, Alexei joined us as well.
Mountains spread as far as the eye could see in the distance. Smooth, stamped-concrete paths allowed a way for Elena to walk away. Behind me, clean water tinkled and splashed in the large ornate fountain positioned as a central focal piece of this landscape. My father had designed this home to be a grand, extravagant display of wealth and affluence. But I wondered how she saw it. How Elena viewed it.
From the looks of John Morovov’s office and the financial firm’s building, she couldn’t be used to the finer things in life.
She looked likeshewas one of the finer things in life, gorgeous in a plain and unassuming manner that gave me the distinct impression that she was a natural beauty. Long blonde hair, so light that it was more like wheat than gold, swayed over her shoulders as she walked. She’d gazed at me uncertainly with clear, blue eyes I struggled to look away from. Her unblemished complexion and high cheekbones had me guessing that she didn’t use makeup, either.
A natural.
As her slender figure became smaller and smaller in the distance, I couldn’t wipe her out of my mind.
How scared and confused she’d been in the backseat. How she’d dragged the tips of her unmanicured nails back and forth overthe palm of her other hand in a nervous tic. How she’d sat there almost hunched over in that plain white blouse and simple gray skirt.
Elena hadn’t been raised with the finer things in life, and I was curious what she could possibly be thinking now.
What she could be thinking other than relief that I wasn’t shooting her dead on the spot, perhaps.
“What’s the plan?” Alexei asked.
“Not sure yet,” I admitted. “I’m curious about her offer to play accountant for us.” Meeting his gaze, I waited for his skeptical reaction.
He huffed and glanced at Maksim. “Seriously?”
Maksim shrugged.
“Morovov is trying to trick us likethat?” Alexei asked. “Fuck with our books and then send her here to spy for him or something?”
My brother shook his head. “It sounds like she’s the one who’s been doing all the books for her father there. She knows too much to have just been told about our accounts.”
