Vicious Justice

by Tobi Doyle

  Adrianna’s bedroom door opened and she emerged, wearing a cream sweater dress and brown leggings. Her long hair was a dark curtain framing her face. Her shy smile slammed into the me, waking up a possessive demon.

  I took her hand, kissed her knuckles, and pulled her close. “You look lovely.”

  “Thank you.” She shivered in my arms.

  Elena returned with the water for Mr. Gertz and stood beside her sister, a silent guard.

  It took a few minutes to fill out the paperwork. Vows exchanged quickly, impersonal and awkward. Adrianna stood rigid beside me, pale but her jaw clenched, as if determined to endure the ceremony. She didn’t waver but her soft responses reminded me this day was not a joyous celebration.

  I pulled the rings from my pocket and slid the simple gold band onto her finger. It fit perfectly.

  Kismet.

  Her bottom lip wavered and she blinked rapidly. “Thank you,” she whispered. She took my grandfather’s ring and slid it onto my hand. Her small hands clasped mine.

  Perhaps one day she’d believe fate brought us together a year ago, when I saw her in the window of her salon dressed in purple and laughing with her client. Her smile so radiant she drew me inside. I looked forward to seeing her, but at the same time I never wanted to corrupt her with my darkness. And now, as I held her, I considered she could banish the darkness. I wanted to become the man she needed.

  Finowitz remained silent. Not once mentioning VISA’s or prenuptial agreements. I considered adding a bonus to his next bill.

  Elena showed the men out and Adrianna pulled me to her bedroom. “Alyosha, I don’t know what to do.” Tears fell down her cheeks and she wiped them away.

  I sat on her bed and pulled her into my lap.

  She inhaled, and her eyes cut to the window, like it might explode. “God, I just want to leave here. Can we go, now?”

  “Whatever you want, kotoynok.” I meant it.

  Outside, I helped her into the truck cab. Her hand shook so I buckled her in, placing a kiss on her forehead. “Kotyonok, I have you. You’re safe.” I ran my hands down her shoulders to her hands, my fingers caressed her wedding ring. Satisfaction settled in my gut.

  She bit her bottom lip. “I know. I’m sorry I’m bringing this to you.”

  “I’m happy you allow me to help, kotyonok.” I cupped her face and kissed her. Softly at first, but silently begging for more.

  “Ew, gross, enough of that.” Elena slid into the back seat, tossing her book bag on the seat next to her.

  We drove to my condo and I called the concierge from the garage. “This is Alexei Bykov. I need assistance with some boxes and luggage in the garage.”

  “Yes, sir. I’ll send Alan.”

  I gave Adrianna and Elena keycards. Adrianna’s fingers wrapped around the plastic card, eyes blank and unseeing, but she no longer trembled.

  “I feel so fancy,” Elena teased.

  “Have you eaten?” I asked.

  Elena caught my eye and shook her head. “Why don’t we figure that out after we get into your place.”

  “Elena, Alan will bring you to my condo. Do you mind waiting with him while I bring Adrianna up?”

  “That’s a great idea.” Elena scrambled out of the truck and opened her sister’s door. “You just leave me to handle this. And dinner. Don’t worry about a thing.” She tucked her hand under her sister’s chin. “Okay, Adri?”

  “Yeah. That’s good,” Adrianna whispered.

  We got into the elevator and I showed her how to use the keycard to get to our floor. “What happened today, Adrianna?”

  She stepped closer, and my arms instinctively held her. She molded her body against mine and I savored her sweet softness.

  “Detective Morris came by work with a photo of me. He said Herndon had dozens on his computer.” She shivered and refused to meet my eyes.

  Rage blistered my blood.

  Her hand twisted the fabric of my shirt.

  I held her tighter, willing her strength. The elevator doors opened and I stopped myself from carrying her down the hall. I left the condo door open for Elena. In the living room, I settled on the couch with her on my lap.

  “What kind of photo?” I softened my voice, to mask my anger.

  She opened her purse and pulled out a photo of her in underwear, in her bedroom.

  “What the fuck?”

  “Herndon took it from outside my house. Alyosha, he was in my garage. He was…” she blanched, “In my room.” She pushed against my shoulders and bolted toward the bathroom. “I’m going to be sick.”

  I followed, gathering her hair in one hand and rubbing her back with the other.

  “I can’t take it.” She wiped her mouth with toilet paper and flushed. She faced me. Eyes glittering, a hard stare. “I have to know. Is Herndon gone?”

  I nodded and waited for her repulsion and fear.

  Her head fell. Her shoulders lifted slowly, a slow intake of breath, released just as slowly. She met my eyes. “I was so afraid he was still out there. That he was still watching me. I’m glad he’s gone.”

  I exhaled and hugged her. “You are safe. I will keep you safe, I promise.”

  Elena called out. “Knock, knock. Avon calling.” She pushed open the bathroom door and wrinkled her nose, backing out of the bathroom. She returned a moment later and handed Adrianna some mouthwash. “She expresses her emotions with her stomach first, her words later. You’ll get used to it.”

  Elena left and I could hear her puttering in the kitchen.

  Adrianna rinsed with the mouthwash.

  I stood behind Adrianna. “You can’t tell Elena.” I studied her reflection.

  Her beautiful brown eyes widened and she nodded. “I know. I won’t. But the rest, the stuff about me, she knows.”

  My heart slowed, my blood congealing to sludge. “The rest? What else?”

  “Give me a minute.” She rinsed her mouth a second time.

  Elena returned with a bottle of water. “Quesadilla’s okay for dinner?” Elena asked.

  “Yes, thank you,” I said.

  Adrianna followed her sister to the kitchen and sat on a bar stool, leaning her elbows on the granite counter.

  Elena cocked her head to the side, standing across the counter. “You want me to say it or do you?” Compassion saturated Elena’s words.

  The hairs on my neck prickled. I sat next to Adrianna.

  Adrianna’s face twisted into a mask of disgust and embarrassment. “My father abused us. It wasn’t just violence. He liked to take us into the garage, he converted it to a den, and…”

  Elena threw open the refrigerator door and stuck her head inside, her shoulders rigid and square.

  Adrianna’s finger traced the art on my arm. “It was bad,” she whispered. “It was always in the garage. He threatened me if I screamed he would get Elena. He threatened her the same. It started when I was fourteen and ended when I stabbed him in the balls a couple years later. He broke my jaw, but he never touched us like that again.”

  Elena closed the refrigerator door. Her stony face and rage-filled eyes reminded me of Dima.

  Adrianna was pale. “After that he beat us in the house and we never went into the garage again. We hate that house.”

  “I need a drink.” Elena looked at me, waiting.

  Her voice sounded far away, because in my mind I was beating their father with Dima’s cane, flaying his skin open and adding salt. But right now, the women needed comfort. My head buzzed with rage, but I opened the liquor cabinet. “I have red wine, vodka, whiskey, gin, tequila—”

  “Red wine,” Elena said.

  I uncorked a bottle and poured us all a glass. The story was the beginning. Herndon’s presence the end. “Herndon used your garage.” I guessed.

  “Yes. I found…” Adrianna closed her eyes and shuddered. “He had my panties and he… he…”

  “Jacked off in them. From the looks of it, often,” Elena said.

  The buzzing in my head explode
d, and red flared my vision. I should have strangled Herndon myself.

  Adrianna’s fingers whitened around her glass. “But I can’t prove that it wasn’t consensual. Detective Morris came to my work today and asked if I was having an affair with Herndon. They’ll twist this like I wanted him to watch me.” Adrianna let out a long breath. “But that’s not all. There was a flash drive and I thought maybe there were more pictures of me on it.”

  “Were there?” My flat tone disguised the rage storming through my body.

  “No.” She pulled the flash drive out of her bra. “But I need you to promise me, that you won’t tell anyone what’s on this until we both agree what to do.” She looked at me with pleading brown eyes.

  Elena chopped an onion, and allowed the tears to flow down her face.

  “I promise, this is between us until we decide how to proceed.” What the hell was on the flash drive that could be worse than pictures of my Adrianna? Was this what Lev, Dima’s uncle, wanted?

  Elena gave me quick smile, sniffed and chopped.

  “Do you have a laptop?” Adrianna asked.

  I picked it up from the dining room table and brought it over.

  Adrianna’s handed the flash drive to me. Smaller than normal, but it fit and the icon appeared on my desktop. I double-clicked the icon.

  “It’s a video?” I asked.

  “Yes. Watch.” Adrianna pointed to the screen.

  Grainy, black and white video of a street, probably from a traffic light or a building showed a dark coupe speeding through a red light, weaving, hitting a minivan on the front bumper. The minivan swerved and tumbled down an embankment.

  The coupe’s license plate was easy to read.

  LIL MOE

  City Councilman Moe Robertson’s son.

  Senatorial candidate Moe Robertson’s son.

  The man could be even more connected that Dima’s uncle.

  “Fuck.” The word hissed between my clenched teeth.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Aloysha’s sudden F-bomb stunned my senses. I swallowed, taking in his curled lip, and half expected fangs to appear. My heart thumped hard in my chest. I slid off the kitchen stool. “Do you recognize the car?” I stood behind him, resting my hand in the small of his back. “What is it?” I caressed his back, wanting to soften the hard edges. Show him some of the comfort he’d given me. With Herndon permanently gone, I felt like I could handle anything now.

  “I recognize the car. Lil Moe is a prick. Never tips the valets at Konstantin and tried to claim they were responsible for a scratch on the door of his overpriced car.” His tone suggested there was more.

  “Who is he?”

  “Moe Robertson’s son.” He ran both hands through his hair.

  “Why do I recognize the name?” I searched his eyes for an explanation.

  “His father is running for senator. Junior is a forty-year-old adolescent who is also Robertson’s campaign manager.” Alyosha’s jaw clenched, like he was chewing on Herndon’s bones.

  “Angry Thor looks scary,” Elena said.

  He ignored Elena and focused on me. His arms folded me into his embrace.

  The weight of his arms slowed my heart, allowed me to relax. To think. To be. I snuggled closer, inhaling his soothing scent. And he held me. He knew the ugliest things about me. I had no more secrets. No need to hide.

  He wasn’t running.

  He didn’t look at me like this was my fault. His nostrils flared, like a bull prepared to charge. But for me. To help me.

  “Herndon and Robertson must have had an agreement.” He looked over at Elena. “Do not discuss this with anyone. You understand?”

  Elena slid a quesadilla onto a plate. “Yeah, yeah, I hear you.”

  Alyosha responded with his scary glare.

  Elena quirked an eyebrow. Defiant by nature, she surprised me, lowering her eyes and turning her attention back to the food.

  “Herndon could have been blackmailing him. He probably didn’t prosecute some cases as a favor to Robertson or his friends.” His lips curled, like his words were bitter. “But that could have been a lie. Fuck. Dima should know.”

  I grabbed his arm. “Don’t tell Dima about the video. Promise me, not yet.”

  His eyes gentled, the tenseness around his mouth yielded. “I won’t tell him you have the video. But I need to tell him about the photos on Herndon’s computer. This could change things for Dima.”

  “Is Dima involved?” I pulled away, and held my breath.

  He sighed, a sad smiled twisted his lips. “Not exactly. Dima’s family is complicated.” He cupped my cheek. “But that is for Dima to explain. But Dima...” Alyosha glanced at Elena, then back at me. “I’ll explain more later.” He closed his laptop leaving the flash drive in it. “This video is why you wanted to marry me?”

  “Spousal immunity works both ways.” I slid my hands around his waist and leaned against his chest loving the sensation of being surrounded by him. “Now we’re both holding evidence for an on-going criminal investigation.”

  He hugged me and whispered, “I wanted to marry you. You just needed to say yes. But I’m glad you trust me.”

  “I do.” I allowed myself a moment to enjoy his embrace.

  “Dinner’s ready.” Elena carried three plates with quesadillas to the dining room table.

  A fragrant and colorful bouquet centered on the table made me smile. “Those are beautiful.” I wondered if he’d bought them just for me. For us, on our wedding day. I was married.

  To Thor.

  I held up my wine glass. “To a happy future.”

  Alyosha trailed his fingers up my arm, over my shoulder, to my neck, where he held me steady and kissed me. Kissed me like he meant it. Kissed me in front of my sister, making it real.

  “Kismet.” His hushed voice reverberated in my bones, my heart. He released me, whiskey-colored eyes burning my skin.

  I slumped into a chair, breathless.

  Elena clinked my glass. “Vivan los novios.”

  The traditional toast rang hollow for a marriage with an expected life-span of three years.

  She clinked Alyosha’s glass. “So, Thor, what’s the street address here? I’m gonna need to order a ride tomorrow.”

  “You could drive my Prius,” Alyosha offered.

  Elena grinned like she’d just won the lottery. “What? Thor drives a Prius?”

  Alyosha gave a half-hearted shrug, but a smile threatened to break through on his face. “Sometimes Thor likes to fit in.”

  The silly statement softened my heart, sucking me deeper into infatuation with my husband. I closed my slack-jawed enamored mouth.

  Elena waggled her eyebrows. “Well, Thor’s sister-in-law would be grateful for transportation. Thank you.”

  Elena retreated to the guest bedroom to do homework, and Alyosha and I cleaned the dishes. He teased me with lingering touches, reaching past me while I rinsed the plates. Trailing his fingers over my back, down my arm, finding sensitive spots on my neck, and seducing me with heated looks.

  My body thrummed. My pulse beat slow and steady.

  He’d slayed the dragon.

  I wanted to give him his reward.

  “Adrianna.” His chest pressed against my back. His woodsy scent spiked my pulse. He nibbled on my ear and my head fell to the side, craving more. “I want you—“

  I moaned, unable to articulate that yes, wanting was a good thing, it was mutual, and dammit, now was a really good time for me.

  His lips descended. Soft, gentle caress of lip on lip, and then fierce claiming. His fingers twisted in my hair holding me, his tongue invaded.

  I wanted this, him feral, unable to stop himself. I rolled up on my toes and pushed against him, wanting no space between us. His hard body cradled mine, the feel of him against me decadent, and I softened, my body heated and craved more.

  He turned me, and kissed my neck, nibbled on my jaw, almost punishing me with his teasing mouth. Breaking from our kiss, he studied my f
ace, worry wrinkled his brow.

  “Please, don’t stop.” My husky plea tickled my ear, and cascaded sparks down my spine.

  He gripped my butt, grinding me against him, sensitizing my center. Sweet words murmured in Russian fell from his mouth. We were going to consummate our marriage. Immediately.

  Thank God.

  My hands fumbled over his shirt buttons.

  He lips fused to mine and he dragged me, bumping into the kitchen counter, stumbling against the hall wall, to his bedroom.

  A glow came from the master bathroom, giving me just enough light to see the massive bed, centered on a wall between granite bedside tables. The bedding was a decadent red, surrounded by a sea of sand. Our reflection danced off the far wall of windows, the image erotic. The huge window overlooked the city, and lights flickered.

  “That’s beautiful,” I whispered.

  Alyosha reached to the hem of my dress and pulled the fabric over my head. “You’re beautiful.” A heated blush stained his cheeks.

  I huffed out a shaky breath and placed my hands on his chest. His fast heart beat drummed against his chest. Was he as affected as me? I unbuttoned his shirt.

  He caressed my shoulders, my back, and my bra fell from my shoulders. Impressed with his dexterity I planted open mouth kisses against his bare chest. I worked the rest of his buttons free and pushed his shirt off, my heartbeat loud in my ears.

  He kissed my breasts, nibbling, sucking making my nipples pucker and my body writhe against him.

  I needed more. I fumbled with his belt, but lust left me uncoordinated.

  He covered my hands with his own. His gentle touch stilled my motion.

  I whimpered. Frustrated.

  He spoke Russian and then his hoarse voice bit out the words, “I help.” He whipped his belt off and toed off his shoes.

  “I love a man who can multi-task,” I murmured, afraid to break his concentration.

  He groaned. “Beautiful woman, you make me lose English.”

  I didn’t think I would ever receive a higher compliment. I pushed my leggings and panties down at the same time his jeans fell to the floor. I stepped back and my legs pressed against the soft fabric of his comforter.

  He kissed me, grabbed my waist and guided me to the center of his bed. His long body covered mine. He rested his head in the crook of my neck and slid his hand, ghosting over my skin, down to my center where I ached. He pushed one long finger inside and hissed. “You are so wet.”