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“You’re trying to turn me against him,” I snarl, making eye contact with Adrik. “He’s not the one who’s trying to use me.Youare.”
He scoffs. “I’m—”
“You may not hate him but you are envious of him, of everything he’s built and everything he’s accomplished. This whole feud between the two of you started when you decided to give in to your inferiority complex.”
His jaw clenches. “I am inferior tonoman! Least of allthatmotherfucker.”
“Why else would you try so hard to outdo Ruslan? Why else would you try so hard to mimic him? Hell, the moment he was done with Jessica Allens, you swooped in and scooped her up. If that isn’t the move of a desperate man, I don’t know what is.”
“Desperate?” He gawks at me. “You think I’m fucking desperate?” He takes a step in my direction and I back right into the rough brick wall that flanks the club. “I’m not fucking desperate.I’mthe one with the goddamn upper hand!”
His eyes have this vaguely unnatural sheen over them. If I didn’t know better, I’d assume he was high. Although perhaps using Venera isn’t that far off. It’s been long enough now, right? He definitely seems less in control.
It’s ironic to think that I’ve been waiting for this moment since we arrived. But now that it’s here, it doesn’t feel powerful like I imagined. So many things could go wrong. So much hangs in the balance.
Keep your eyes on the ball.
Adrik inches closer. Another step forward and his chest will be pressed against mine.Too close. Way too damn close.
Alarm bells are blaring inside my head and panic is starting to rise up my throat like bile. My focus is crumbling under the surge of fear. But he hasn’t given me anything significant yet and I need to make sure I get something out of him first.
“‘The upper hand’? How do you figure that? Ruslan is the one with the empire, not you.”
He growls. “Ruslan assumes he thinks of everything. But he wasn’t even able to protect his precious Venera samples on the day of the launch.”
“So youdidtamper with them?”
He laughs. “It was so fucking easy. Honestly, I didn’t even break a sweat. The great Ruslan Oryolov. He didn’t realize that it was over before it had even begun.”
“You killed innocent people.”
There’s not a shred of remorse on his face. His smile looks manic and he keeps creeping closer and closer towards me.
“I did what I had to do. It’s what any greatpahkanwould do.”
“Except you’re not apahkan.”
He growls, baring his teeth. “I’m whatever the fuck I want to be. And you are gonna be whatever the fuck I want you to be, too.”
A shiver races down my spine. The bile in my throat rises higher.Focus, Emma. He’s finally talking.“So your trump card is Sopernik?”
He looks surprised that I’ve mentioned Sopernik at all but he doesn’t question me. “Sopernik is the future. It’s my ticket to greatness.”
“How did you manage to roll it out so fast?”
I’m aware that I’m not being very subtle anymore but that fog over Adrik’s eyes is making me bold. His inhibitions are long gone right now and I intend to take full advantage.
He bends down so low that I get a whiff of his gin breath.Ugh.Vomit-inducing. “I did what I had to do,” he mutters vaguely.
Not good enough.
“Meaning you cut corners?”
He shrugs. “There might be unintended side effects. If a few people die—well, no one’s gonna give a shit. In fact, they’ll be hard-pressed to link it to my product in the first place.”
I shake my head. “You’re a fucking monster.”
“Andyouare starting to piss me off now, little hellcat.”
