Midnight Lies (Tasarov Bratva 2)

“Out of the storm.”

I sigh. “I can always count on you for an irritating answer.”

Adrik comes to an abrupt stop outside of a metal door. Then he reaches for the handle.

“Whoa, what are you doing?” I whisper. “Why don’t we just stay in this hallway? We’re out of the storm. We can stay here—”

“We’d be here for hours,” he says. “Before I had to chase you down, I was sitting in a bar a half block over. I saw the storm on the television.”

“So you were fine?”

He nods. “Stefan texted that the dog was back. I was going to wait out the weather.”

“And then I ran out after you and…”

He holds out his wet arms. “Ruined everything, more or less.”

The tears I managed to shove down earlier rise up again. This time, there’s nowhere to hide. I blink, hoping Adrik will think it’s just rain on my face. But the man is far too observant for that. He grabs my chin and tips my face up.

“Are these angry tears?” he asks.

I try to pull my chin away, but his grip is like iron. I’m forced to look in his eyes while I answer. “Yes.”

“Are you angry with me?”

I nod.

“Because I went looking for Isabella’s lost dog? Or because I saved you from being pummeled to death by hail?”

“Well, now, I’m angry with you because those are leading questions. Because you’re stubborn and cocky. And because… because I hate being angry with you,” I admit, swiping at my cheeks with my good hand. “You are so endlessly frustrating. And you never let me make a decision for myself. But you take such good care of me and Isabella. And…”

“And?” he presses. He’s showing no reaction at all to what I’ve said so far.

I swallow down my nerves and decide the time has come to come clean. To lay it all out there. “And I’m angry because you are making it so easy for me to depend on you. I’m comfortable and content and… I’m afraid what will happen when you aren’t around anymore. I’m afraid I won’t know how to go back to life the way it was before you. I’m afraid you’ve ruined me.”

Adrik’s touch softens on my jaw. His thumb brushes up, sweeping over my skin. With those searing blue eyes staring into mine, he whispers—so quiet I can’t hear him, and maybe I wasn’t even meant to—“Likewise.”

Then he drops his hand and steps away. His voice, so soft a moment ago, goes back to its normal gruff rasp.

“Will some food help?”

I frown. “What are you—”

Before I can get the question out, Adrik pushes the metal door open. A small convenience store spreads itself in front of us.

The lights are off and metal gates are pulled down over the windows, but the shelves are fully stocked with all the bodega goodies. Chips and cookies and protein bars. Beer and soda refrigerators in the back hum pleasantly. No other signs of life to be seen.

I run my hands along a rack of candy like I’ve never seen it before. Something about the place seems weirdly magical when it’s empty and all ours.

“We can’t be in here, though.”

Adrik sighs. “I’ll leave cash for anything we take, if that’ll soothe your conscience. Double, just for the owner’s trouble.”

I turn towards the front windows and marvel at the deluge flooding the gutters. Hail is piling up around the trashcans and light posts. I’ve never seen a storm like this.

“Fine.” I pluck a bag of barbecue chips from the rack and open the bag. I smile over my shoulder at Adrik. “That’s six dollars.”

He grabs one for himself. “Make it twelve.”

We walk the aisles of the store, grabbing snacks and bottles of water and soda. I even find a few candles with pictures of celebrities painted to look like saints on the side. Adrik grabs a lighter from the checkout counter. Then, in the back of the store, we set up a picnic. Adrik lays out a fleece blanket with a picture of the Statue of Liberty on it and we settle on top of it to eat.

“We’re up to, like, ninety-four dollars,” I say, surveying our haul. “With the blanket, it’s one-hundred thirty. If you’re still paying double, that is.”

“Money isn’t an object, but I’ll be damned if we take this godawful fucking blanket with us. Don’t spill anything on it and we’ll leave it here for some idiot tourist to drool over later,” he grumbles.

I laugh and nibble on a dark chocolate granola bar. “I hope Isabella isn’t worried.”

Adrik shakes his head. “Stefan is taking her back to the penthouse as soon as the rain lets up. I told him we’ll be there as soon as we can.”

“As soon as we can?”

Is that disappointment in my voice? Adrik hears it, too.

“Do you want to stay here longer, kiska?” he asks, a subtle smirk making his already handsome face even more irresistible.

I shrug nonchalantly. “We went to so much work to set it up. It seems like a shame to let it go to waste.”

What I don’t say is that, being in here with him… it feels like we’re away from the world. Like all of our problems don’t exist.

But I should know it isn’t that easy to escape reality. God knows I’ve tried.

“I take it you’re not angry with me anymore, then.”

“I’ll probably never be done being angry with you,” I sigh. “But, for the moment, for this moment only, the scale has tipped towards me not hating being in your presence.”

“Truly a rave review. My heart swoons.”

Our eyes meet, and my heart does the same thing as his.

What is it about this man that draws me in again and again? He has a gravitational pull I can’t resist.

I quickly look away and tear open the package of chocolate donuts. I hold one out to him. “Donut?”

He slides his finger into the center of the donut in a move that seems designed to make me think of things I’m trying really hard not to think of, but I pretend not to notice.

“Did Stefan tell you a woman found Travis walking in the street?” I ask, changing the subject.

“He’s too drunk to tell me much of anything.” Adrik scowls. “He told me the dog was back. I figured you found him.”

I shake my head. “Not me. This really nice woman found him. She stopped at every restaurant on the block looking for the owners. Isn’t that nice?”

“Sounds moronic to me.”

“What does that mean?”

Adrik gestures to the windows. “She probably got caught in this storm for her good deed.”

Rain is lashing against the windows, rattling the glass. I wince. “I didn’t even think of that. Well, hopefully, she made it somewhere safe.”

Adrik sighs. “What was her name?”

I frown. “I don’t actually know.”

“Guess we can’t pay her for her troubles then.”

I remember her silk shirt, the elegant way she held herself. “She didn’t exactly seem strapped for cash. I doubt she’d want the money. But it would be nice to thank her.”

“Sure thing, let’s line up the whole damn city and pick her out.”

I roll my eyes. “Well… I don’t know her name, but she had a scar.”

Adrik smirks. “Like a Bond villain?”

“No!” Then I consider it and shrug. “Okay, maybe a little. Her face was really badly scarred. She shouldn’t be too hard to find. Especially since you’re basically a Bond villain yourself.”

“That’s right. I’m the Big Bad.” Adrik is smiling, but it doesn’t sound like he’s joking. I catch a hint of bitterness there, and I think I know why.

“Adrik,” I say softly, twisting a donut in my hands. “I just want to say… I’m sorry.”

“For?”

“You can’t just infer?”

He shakes his head. “Say it, Emery. Use your words for once.’

Of course Adrik would make an apology as hard as he makes everything else. I groan. “I’m sorry about what I said… about Sofia. And your brother. I know everything is complicated with Yasha, so I don’t blame you for not killing him. I couldn’t have done it. And I also don’t think you killed Sofia.”

“Then why did you say it?”