Midnight Oath (Tasarov Bratva 1)

True to his word, Adrik doesn't talk on the drive to the breeder. He just sits there, looking straight ahead and only moving when it's required to operate the vehicle. It's almost like he's a robot.

And really, I don't know that he's not. I've never seen proof to the contrary. It would certainly explain a lot. Like why he's so cold. And why he looks like a fantasy come to life.

Watching someone drive shouldn't be a sexual experience, but when Adrik confidently shifts his hand down to hit the blinker and then turns the wheel… my god.

Sunlight glistens off his tanned skin, casting shadows down the expanse of his forearms. I see his muscles working beneath the skin, straining and stretching.

I want to run my fingers up his arms. I want to curl my hands around his biceps, reveling in the strength of him. I’d lie on my back with him on top of me. His arms would cage me in. I’d hold onto him, bracing myself against his body even as he slid inside—

“What are you staring at?”

I blink, coming out of my daydream in an instant to find Adrik looking at me. He glances back at the road and then back to me.

“What?” I ask.

“What are you staring at?”

Deny, deny, deny, blurts the voice in my head immediately. Lie your pretty little ass off.

“I was watching you drive,” I say, as though it’s obvious. “I don’t know how.”

“You don’t know how to drive?” he asks.

“Don’t sound so shocked.”

“You’re too—”

“Intelligent?” I suggest. “Accomplished? Beautiful?”

“Stubborn,” he says instead. “I’m surprised you ever let anyone drive you anywhere.”

“That almost sounds like a compliment.”

“It’s not.”

I roll my eyes. “Well, I would have learned to drive, but my dad never wanted me to learn.”

“Why not?”

Am I hallucinating or is Adrik Tasarov asking me about my life? I hurry to pick my metaphorical jaw off the ground to answer.

“I think he knew that, if I learned to drive, I’d get in the car and never come back,” I explain. “I mean, I could have hopped on a bus anytime, but there’s something freeing about a car, isn’t there?”

“I guess.”

“No, there is,” I insist. “All you need is gas and you can drive as long as you want. Anywhere you want. Keeping me from driving was his way of clipping my wings.”

“You feel trapped.”

“Not right now,” I admit. “You let me come with you. That’s a start.”

“It’s not a start to anything. Don’t get used to it.”

I turn towards him fully. “Why not? This marriage is a business deal, not a prison sentence. You have a van that fits Isabella’s wheelchair. We can take her with us, too.”

“Wow, what a fucking picture that is,” he scoffs. “You and me and Isabella and a dog all loaded up in the SUV. Where do you think we’re going in this fantasy of yours? Do you think men like me go to the farmer’s market? Do you think we take field trips to the aquarium?”

I feel slightly stupid, seeing as how I obviously can’t even begin to picture him in any of those places. But I stand my ground.

“Anywhere. We can go wherever we want.”

He shakes his head. “No, I can. But that doesn’t mean it’s safe for you.”

I remember the women at the party the night I met Adrik. Their whispers about him being connected. Connected to what? He’ll never tell me, I know that. And so long as he insists on keeping me on such a short leash, I’m not sure I’ll ever find out.

“This is exactly why I want Isabella to have a service dog.”

He glances over at me, but doesn’t say anything, so I continue.

“So she can have freedom,” I continue. “When she’s ready to go out and explore the world, I don’t want to be the reason she doesn’t feel confident or capable. I want her to know she can do and be whatever she wants.”

“That’s nice, but—”

“But what?” I snap.

“Freedom can be dangerous, too.”

“Maybe, but I don’t think so. Besides, that doesn’t matter.”

“Nothing else matters if you’re dead. So yes, I’d say it matters.”

“Not if it comes at the expense of living.” I look up and realize we’ve transitioned to a gravel road. The building is straight ahead. Even from here, I can see dogs running behind chain fences. “Cages are safe, but you can’t live your life in one.”

Adrik just grunts.

We park and get out, both of us bristling with pent-up anger and frustration.

The people working at the adoption center must have been expecting him, because two of the employees hurry into the back room to hide out before we can so much as open the glass front door. The lone man left behind audibly swallows as we approach the desk.

“I’m here to pick up a service dog.” Adrik scowls. “Tasarov.”

The man smiles, though it’s shaky and forced. “Yes. Mr. Tasarov. I have your name here. You’re scheduled for a first visit today.”

“This isn’t a first anything. It’s a last. I’m leaving with the dog today.”

I’m not sure if it’s possible to see someone else’s life flash before their eyes, but I think I just watched it happen to the poor man behind the counter.

He winces. “I do apologize, sir, but I think there might have been a miscommunication. We have a process we are legally required to follow with all adoptions. For a dog to be a registered service dog, there are protocols and—"

"Did I not pay you motherfuckers enough to deal with all that yourselves?”

"That was the agreement, but—"

"Not was. It is the agreement.”

“I’m sorry, sir.” The employee looks older than me, maybe in his late twenties, but he’s half of Adrik’s size. And based on the sweat breaking out across his forehead, he’s very, very aware of it. “The owner left a special note on your file. It says we have to follow the usual protocol.”

“Where is the owner?” Adrik’s voice is clipped. The threat is implied.

The man swallows again. “He’s… out for the day.”

“Then bring him in for the day.”

“I— I can’t do that,” the man says. “He’s, uh… out of reach.”

“The spineless bastard made a deal with me. If he’s backing out, I want him to tell me to my face.”

“I can call him, but he won’t answer,” the man whimpers. “Please, sir. I’m sorry about this, but I don’t know—”

“You don’t fucking know anything, apparently.”

“Sir, if you don’t…”

Adrik advances on the poor guy. “If I don’t what?” he growls. “Go on. Finish your sentence.”

I watch the man’s Adam’s apple bop up and down with the purest fear I’ve ever seen. “I’m happy to help you out today, sir, but if you’re going to cause a scene, I will have no choice but to call the police.”

I see the muscle in Adrik’s jaw twitch. The one that means, Implosion imminent. This silly, prideful runt is about to become a smear on the floor if I don’t do something.

Adrik opens his mouth to speak.

That’s when I swoop in.

“Honey!” I lunge forward and grab Adrik’s arm.

He tries quickly to shake me off, but I wrap both arms around his and melt against his side. He growls, but relents.

“Darling,” I coo, “this poor man is just doing his job. He can’t help us. It isn’t his fault he’s useless.”

Adrik’s lip curls in disgust. “I’m perfectly capable of eliminating the issue.”

I shift around Adrik, putting myself between him and the counter. “Come on, baby,” I purr. “Let’s do the silly interviews. It will be fun.”

“Is that so?”