Cruel Paradise - A Mafia Romance Chapter 163

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 great pahkan would do.”

“Except you’re not a pahkan.”

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.”

“And you are starting to piss me off now, little hellcat.”

He grabs my hands suddenly and pins them to the wall. I can already feel the bruises he’s gonna leave on my wrists as he traps me against his body.

Don’t panic. Don’t panic. Don’t—

Too late. I’m panicking.

“No. Adrik. Let… me… go!”

My words are muffled in his heaving, hungry breaths. Venera may lower inhibitions but it certainly doesn’t hinder strength. Adrik feels like a mountain I’m trying to push off me.

“P-please… don’t do this…”

He just growls in my ear. “I’m gonna send you back to him stinking of me. I’m gonna carve my fucking name onto your pussy so that every time he touches you, he’ll know what I did tonight.”

I scream but he clamps his hand over my mouth. The moment he releases my wrist, I swing it forward, whacking the side of his head. But that just pisses him off.

“You fucking cunt! I’m gonna…”

His hand rises. I close my eyes and brace for the blow that I know is coming. And then—

His oppressive weight disappears altogether. Relief floods through me as I open my eyes and realize that I’m not alone anymore.

The cavalry's here.

44

RUSLAN

It takes all my willpower to keep my leg from bouncing up and down.

But considering I’m not the only one in this VIP room, I need to maintain an air of confidence. I need to keep my shit together.

Which is easier said than done, considering that I can hear the way that bastard is pawing all over my woman and it feels like there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.

Kirill seems to believe otherwise, though, because he rounds the coffee table and leans over my shoulder. “Just a few minutes more. She’s almost got him right where she wants him.”

“Is that wishful thinking?” I snap. “Because it sounds like she’s terrified.”

“She’s playing the part,” Kirill says convincingly. “If we bust in there now before he’s confessed to anything…”

Our whispering has earned some glances from a few of the other men at the table. Including the massive, beefy president of the Rabid Wolves MC, a motorcycle club infamous for running damn near ninety percent of the drug traffic in the city.

“Be cool, brother,” Kirill murmurs. “We’ve almost got him.”

I focus on the tiny device sitting on the table between us, crackling with radio static. “… you cut corners…”

I grit my teeth. This is it. I get to my feet, ignoring the fact that Kirill is still breathing down my neck.

“Brother—”

“Give the team a heads-up. They need to be ready to go in the fucking second I give the signal.”

“… No. Adrik. Let… me… go! P-please… don’t do this…”

“Now!” I roar as I burst out of the VIP room and charge towards the back entrance of the club.

By the time I get out into the alleyway, two of my guys have Adrik by the collar while Emma stands pasted to the wall with her arms wrapped around her shivering body. I rush straight to her and gather her up in my embrace.

“You did so fucking great, baby,” I whisper to her. “You did so fucking great.”

She looks up at me timidly, her blue eyes shrouded with a relieved sense of disbelief. Then a tear slips down her cheek.

“Finally remembered her, hm?” Adrik screams at my back. “Because she had forgotten you! I was just about to fuck you out of her system.”

I turn around without warning and slug him in the jaw. He recoils back, but my guys still have a firm grip on him, so he ends up just bobbing in place. His eyes are narrowed with anger but it’s obvious that he’s under the influence. Even his sweat is charged with testosterone.

“She wanted me. Your fucking woman came to me.”

“Do you want me to rearrange your face, mudak?”

He snarls and thrashes in the guards’ grip. “Get them off me!”

“Oh, I don’t think so.” I saunter closer. “Not until we settle a few things. It’s about time we put this feud to rest.”

Only then does Adrik seem to realize that this was a setup. “You sicced your bitch on me?”

I ignore the insult. It’s much more satisfying to focus on the break in his nose and the blood dribbling down his lips.

“Emma.” I hold out a hand to guide her forward.

She steps to my side and reveals the wireless mic that she’s been hiding in her cleavage. She drops it in my palm and I show it to Adrik with a satisfied smile.

“Nothing loosens the tongue like Venera,” I explain.

Adrik’s eyes go wide and hazy. “Y-you… you fucking drugged me?”

“Actually—” Emma steps forward right next to me. “—I did.”

“You… you fucking bitch!”

My fist smashes into the side of his face for the second time. He careens back before my men haul him back to his feet once more. Now, he’s got a split lip in addition to a broken nose. It’s only the beginning of what I will do to him if he doesn’t bend the fucking knee.

“Say another word to her or about her and I will cut out your tongue myself. Is that understood? You’ll rot in a jail cell and you won’t even be able to beg for a cup of water.”

Adrik looks between us before settling on me. “You’re Bratva. Involving the cops is not your style.”

“Oh, you think I’m taking this to the cops?” I snort. “Fuck no. I handle my business on my own.”