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I needed some information on Adrik’s younger days, to fully understand his youth, back when I didn’t know him. Anything might be helpful in putting an end to his miserable life; however, if that failed, I had his precious mom to kill. It was a win-win situation.
I couldn’t refer to him with the name I’d known him by. Granted, I hadn’t known his real name until now, but Adrik Ivanov wasn’t the one who’d harmed me—Davorin was. And the mere thought of him brought all my anger right back out.
I couldn’t allow that to happen before the time was right.
I parked the car near the park. We had another fifty minutes to wait. The location I’d chosen for our meeting was where I was supposed to die on Aleksei’s birthday, four days ago. It seemed like the perfect place to end everything.
I linked my arm with Galina’s, providing her additional support. This woman hadn’t set foot outside on her own in years and was barely able to walk a few feet. I took her to the nearest bench and pulled out a juice bottle. It was her favorite, and I used it to bribe her.
Galina took it with gratitude, her wrinkled eyes lighting up at the sight of it.
“Galina, would it be okay to talk about your son?” I needed to approach her very carefully. One wrong word and she’d throw a fit. We were in a public space, and I couldn’t allow that to happen.
“Oh, my baby boy, Adrik,” she whimpered. For a moment, I thought I’d blown my chance, but then a soft smile appeared on her face as she looked up at the clear sky. “I didn’t want to leave him. I really didn’t want to, but they took him from me, and there was nothing I could do.”
She’d been a hardcore drug addict, taking anything from cocaine to heroin—whatever she could get her hands on. She’d never planned on having children; however, she’d got knocked up by a one-night stand when she was thirty-five, and decided she wanted to keep the baby and get clean.
It hadn’t worked. She’d stayed clean during the pregnancy, but the moment she’d given birth, she’d returned to her old habits. Child protective services had taken Adrik from her when he was six months old, and he’d been adopted into a wealthy family.
The family had promised to allow contact between Galina and Adrik if she got clean, and a few years later, she’d managed it. But it was too late to get her son back, and she didn’t want to take him from the great upbringing he was going to have anyway, so she settled for visiting him monthly.
Galina was one of the rare people who’d remained in his life after he was diagnosed as a psychopath. His adoptive parents had hidden it like it was some sort of spreadable disease and tried to provide him with the best care they could—and it had worked, because he knew how to keep that dangerous side of himself hidden and tamed. He didn’t often unleash it, which was ironic, considering what he did for a living.
“I know you didn’t.” Slowly, I placed my hand on hers and squeezed it softly. It earned me a smile.
Galina was too quiet, so I added, “Would you like me to take you to see him?”
Her face sparkled with happiness. It was atrocious. I swallowed the feeling of anger, and once she nodded, I put her back in the car and drove off. A gun wasn’t something I was going to need, so I opted instead for a pretty blade. It was as big as my palm, and the blade was thin. It had snowflakes engraved on it, and the handle was made from white gold. It had been Bogdan’s parting gift before I’d left Russia. I’d never used it and thought this would be the perfect opportunity to use and then dispose of it.
When we arrived, I helped Galina out of the car. Her slow walking began to piss me off beyond words as we stepped inside the venue.
It was exactly how we’d left it—bloodstains on the floor, broken tables and chairs. It was a mess. The only thing that had survived was a bottle of wine. I despised the taste, but it was the only alcohol I had, so I didn’t think before opening the bottle and sipping from it.
Galina sat on one of the chairs. She looked serene, patiently waiting for her son to arrive, but all my nerves seemed to be kicking in. My hand trembled slightly, and the more I thought about him, the angrier I grew.
I checked my wristwatch—he should be here soon. He was a smart man; I had no doubt he would be able to find us.
I couldn’t wait to meet him for the last time.
It was as if I could heard the clock ticking. The steady rhythm echoed in my head, my eyes glued to the small device on my wrist. It was the only piece of jewelry I wore on a daily basis that wasn’t made out of gold.
Galina began to tap her foot on the floor loudly, and my head began to ache. Her palms gripped her long skirt as she glanced around the room—she was clearly getting impatient.
The clock struck six o’clock and ten minutes. I heard a car pull up, and then, as if he were the Flash, he appeared at the door a few seconds later. He was evidently ready for what was going to happen as he’d put on that goddamn mask of his.
“And the man of the hour has graced us with his presence,” I announced. I drank the last few sips of the wine before the bottle flew out of my hand and shattered on the floor.
He walked a few steps forward then stopped. I was quick to get behind his mother, who was uncertain who the masked man was. Slowly, I pulled out my knife and placed it against her throat.
“What is it that you think you’re doing, Ekaterina?”
Adrik’s voice was filled with venom, my stupid nickname long gone. Good. I hated the way it made me feel.
He took another step forward, but I simply pressed the blade deeper into her skin, and he paused immediately.
“I needed some leverage.” I looked towards Galina. “And if you comply with my… demands, you’ll be free to go.”
He blinked, something between a snarl and a hiss slipping from his lips. It seemed he wasn’t going to hurt me unless I made the first move, which was why he hadn’t taken his gun out yet.
