Midnight Lies (Tasarov Bratva 2)

“Was it Antonio?” Stefan laughs. “Did you call in a favor or make a threat?”

Adrik chuckles viciously. “I told him that, as a favor, I wouldn’t kill him in his sleep if he gave me the key and let us stay there while he got the fuck out of town.”

“Adrik,” I groan.

He whips around lightning-fast and is in my face in a second. “Do you want a safe place to put your daughter tonight or not?”

“I do, but—”

“No, no buts. It’s that simple,” he says. “We needed a safe place to go, and I found us a safe place to go. Your conscience would get us killed. Say ‘thank you’ or say nothing.”

An argument sits on the tip of my tongue, ready to go. But Stefan was right: Adrik looks exhausted. His voice is hoarse, his hands bleeding, and he’s dirty, splattered in God-only-knows what. He doesn’t need me to question him or push back—he needs me to obey. To be grateful that he’s alive and still taking care of me.

It’s not hard to show that. I am grateful.

“Thank you,” I murmur. “Really.”

Adrik nods sharply and then turns towards the window. “There’s no one outside. We should go now.”

Stefan helps load Isabella into the car. She’s asleep before we even pull out of the driveway.

As we leave, I see Stefan watching us from the living room window. Then, just before we reach the end of the block, he pulls the curtains closed and the house goes dark.

* * *

When I walk out of the bathroom, my hair twisted up into a towel, Adrik is sitting up in the king-sized bed.

He’s shirtless. Normally, I’d be entirely distracted by the expanse of tan skin on display. And the ripple of his muscles—the way the light plays off of his abs and the carved lines of his chest—is all very alluring. But I can’t stop focusing on the nicks and scratches all over him.

I crawl across the bed and drag my hand over his shoulder and down his chest. “Are you okay?” I ask quietly. “Like, actually okay.”

“Fine,” he says, shrugging his shoulder to try and push me away. “Part of the job.”

I arch an eyebrow. “Nearly being burnt alive and blown up is part of the job?”

“Today, it was.”

I sigh and lie down next to him. “I wish you’d stop downplaying what happened.”

“What do you want me to do? Cry?” he scoffs. “Am I supposed to be broken-hearted over losing my house or facing off with my little brother?”

I nod. “Yeah. Maybe. A normal person would be!”

“Stop fucking saying that, goddammit. You and I—we aren’t normal, Emery.”

“But we’re still human,” I argue. “You can have feelings.”

“You want to know what I’m feeling right now?” he barks.

“Desperately!”

Our voices are raised, verging on yelling, and I’m not sure why. I’m not angry with Adrik—I’m scared. I’m worried about him, about what this feud with Yasha is doing to him. He’s doing so much to take care of Isabella and me. When does “so much” become “too much”?

Every man has his breaking point, right? Where is his? Are we close to it?

“I’m feeling like I failed,” he snarls. His voice is still laced with anger, but beneath that is something else. Melancholy, maybe. Penance.

“Failed who?”

“Failed you. Failed the little girl sleeping in the next room.”

I blink in surprise. “You’re worried about Isabella?”

He shakes his head. “She’s a strong kid. I know she’ll be okay. But… I wanted more for her.”

My heart cracks open. I lean across the bed and rest my hand on his shoulder. “She loves you, Adrik.”

“That doesn’t change a damn thing. Love never saved anyone.”

“It changes everything,” I insist. “All day today, Isabella asked where you were. She didn’t care where we were, so long as you were with us. And that won’t change whether we’re living in a penthouse or a cabin in the woods or a sprawling mansion or a tent on the sidewalk.”

“The mansion is off the table for a while.”

I smile. “My point is, it doesn’t matter where we live. We both just want to be with you.”

Adrik grimaces. “You two don’t belong in this shit.”

“Impossible,” I say. “We’re a package deal now. All three of us. And…”

I close my eyes. It’s time.

The pregnancy has been a secret for too long. I was waiting for the right time to tell him, for a time when I wouldn’t be afraid. Maybe once this war was over and I knew for sure we were all safe. But that is seeming less and less like a possibility every day. Nothing is promised, nothing is guaranteed.

The only time is now.

I open my eyes again and look at him. “The three of us and… maybe one more.”

Adrik arches a dark brow, fixing me with a look that sends shivers through me. Looks like that are why I'm in this mess in the first place. It’s like the devil himself smiling and showing you everything you ever wanted, right there in the palm of his hand, and saying, Have it, it’s yours.

I take a shuddering breath. "I have something to tell you."