Vicious Justice

by Tobi Doyle

  The door opened and Adrianna’s face was wet with tears. “Go on.” She sat beside me.

  “I wanted you then. I want you now. Dima will protect you with his life because he is the brother of my heart. I know you don’t trust him, and I understand.” I pushed my wedding band back onto my finger and took hers and held it. “I give this to you to wear as a promise that I will put you first.”

  She held out her hand, it trembled. And so did mine.

  I put on the ring and kissed her hand.

  “I still don’t want you hanging out at a strip club.” The touch of sass in her voice sparkled.

  “I understand, but Dima’s office is there.”

  She looked at the guest bedroom. “He can meet you here. Or he could put a freaking office in the back of the laundromat.” She poked me in the chest. “And if you ever come home with glitter on you, you’re a dead man.”

  I kissed her. She burrowed into my chest, her tears wet my shirt, making my skin cool. She clung to my shoulders, her body melting close to mine. Her scent comforted me and with that came the understanding that she made me vulnerable, like walking naked into a gunfight. I cared about what she thought. Me, who gave no fucks about what people expected of me, now held the one person in the world that could disintegrate me.

  “I will not betray your trust.” I kissed her, promising with my lips, my body, that she would always be first.

  She combed her fingers through my hair. “You know, if you had just talked to me a year ago, we’d be well past this by now.” She whispered as if sharing a secret with me.

  My lungs froze. “Really?”

  “Oh yeah.” She scooted onto my lap.

  “But you never talked to me.” I settled her between my thighs, loving the feel of her against me.

  “Your you. Thor. Rich. The society pages write about you and your dates with models.”

  “I take models to charity events to get more publicity for the charity. I do not date these women. I’ve only wanted you for the last year. And Dima and Vanya have teased me horribly.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Well, you got your wish. I’m here. Are you disappointed?”

  “Never.” I wanted to tell her I loved her but did I really know the meaning of the word? I brushed the hair off her face.

  “You are so beautiful, kotyonok.” I cradled her face and kissed her, nibbled along her jaw to her neck. I loved her skin, the silky feel and the scent of citrus calmed my heart and made my muscles relax. I wanted to be that for her. “I don’t ever want to be the reason for your tears.”

  She burrowed into my chest, like she knew she belonged as part of me. “We’re just getting to know each other.”

  “Trust that I will protect you, at any cost.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  I will protect you at any cost.

  Alyosha held me close in his lap, protecting me from the cold hard marble floor. Soothing me.

  We’d argued.

  Disagreed.

  Talked.

  No broken bones.

  No cruel words.

  No blood.

  No violence.

  Tears fell down my face at the realization our relationship could be real. Our marriage could work. I could retain myself and still be part of an us.

  “What have I done?” Worry and anguish laced his tone.

  “Compromised.” I half-laughed, half-sobbed, and wiped my face against his shirt. He didn’t seem to mind.

  “I’m confused, I thought you wanted compromise.” He kissed the top of my head, sweet and loving and making me fall harder for him.

  I held his face, smoothing my thumbs over his rough stubble. “I do. These are happy tears.”

  He looked skeptical, as if it was impossible for me to express so many emotions in one evening.

  “Alyosha, you listened to me. You didn’t get angry. You didn’t…”

  A flash of fury burned in his eyes, but not for me, for my past. “I’d never hurt–”

  “I know.” I kissed him, tasting whiskey and Alyosha. “I know and I’m being totally emotional and crazy but this is the first time I’ve ever confronted a man without fear. I never thought you’d hurt me, or bully me, and I don’t want to argue but… It feels good to feel safe enough to disagree.”

  He rocked me, allowing me to nuzzle into his chest, my favorite place, warm and hard, and smelled of his woodsy cologne. “I’m not sure I understand, but I don’t want to argue either.” The doorbell chimed, and he stood. “I ordered dinner.” His gentle voice and tender offer of his hand to help me stand warmed me from the inside out.

  I washed my face, fixed my makeup, and gathered control over my mental state. Hopefully.

  He plated our dinners at the kitchen island. “We eat dessert first,” he commanded in a very serious tone, but his eyes twinkled.

  Like I’d argue. Red wine and chocolate waited for me. I sat beside him, my spoon immediately digging into the chocolate soufflé. The rich cocoa, sweetened my mood. “Perfection.”

  “You are.” He added a heated look and my muscles relaxed further.

  I nudged him with my shoulder. “The thing is, I feel like I’ve lived off adrenaline for the last year, each day getting by with survival instincts, and now I can breathe. And it’s a relief, almost exhilarating, but absolutely terrifying in a totally different way.”

  “Why terrifying?”

  “When Elena started college, the health department offered free therapy and she took me along. ‘Live in the moment,’ was how we’d coped. And it worked. But now, I can plan a future, and I’m not sure what I want.” Or who I was without having to cope with crushing debt and fear that I was taking Elena down with me. And now my future included a very scary Alyosha and his even scarier friends, and it didn't scare me, and it could work.

  Wonder and hope blended in my brain intensifying my current emotional whiplash.

  Too early the next morning, I woke snuggled against a naked Thor. Thor’s hammer sought attention between my thighs but jerked at the sound of a ringing phone.

  He groaned. “This better be life or death.” He rolled over, stretched his arm, slapped the bedside table until he found his phone. Another ring. “It must be your phone.”

  I fumbled, swiped the screen with Marlo’s name. “Hello?”

  “Good morning, Adrianna. After serious consideration, I’ve decided it would be best if you didn’t return.” Marlo’s voice emanated from the speaker.

  I held the phone out and checked the screen. Was Kendra playing a prank? “What?”

  “Your clients will be rescheduled with other stylists.” Marlo’s clipped tone grated my un-caffeinated nerves.

  Confusion morphed into disbelief and then anger. “What?” I bolted up in bed.

  “I mean no disrespect to you or your husband’s associates, but I’m concerned about the safety of the other stylists and my clients. Kendra will gather your things and you can pick them up from her. She’ll bring your paycheck and two-weeks severance. I’ve been very generous.”

  “Generous? You’re firing me. How is that generous?”

  “This business is all I have, Adrianna. I don’t want any trouble. If you need a reference, I’ll provide one.”

  “You’re insane.” Anger exploded inside me, firing the synapses from my emotions to my mouth and bypassing my brain completely. “I’ll contact my clients and take them with me. Your damn reference has no value, like you, or your salon. You’re a phony, Marlo. No one likes you. And I swear to god, you have started a shitstorm you will be weathering for years.”

  “Don’t come back.” She ended the call.

  Alyosha looked at me, eyebrows up, jaw open. He closed his mouth. “Perhaps it would be better for me to keep your phone until your claws are retracted, kotyonok.”

  “I’m pissed.”

  “I’ll make coffee.” He slid out of bed and pulled on sweatpants. No briefs.

  My anger fizzled at the sight of my very sexy husband. He turned, givi
ng me a view of his incredible butt, and my body woke up, my fingers itched to explore. “Fine.” I followed, grabbing his t-shirt and pulling it over my head. Since I didn’t have to go to work this morning we might as well have sex. Right? Silver lining and all?

  But I needed to find a place to work or I’d lose my clients. Even if I kept only half, I didn’t want them going to Marlo, supporting her.

  In the kitchen, he pulled me into a hug and kissed my forehead. “You have any specifics planned for this shitstorm you promised your boss?” His smile promised he’d help. His playful tone made me grin.

  “No, but it’ll come to me. I don’t want Kendra and the others hurt, it has to affect only Marlo.” He toyed his complicated espresso machine to make dark rich heaven. “More than food poisoning, this time.”

  “This time? Are you serious?”

  I waggled my eyebrows. “Hey, she stole my lunch from the fridge one too many times and maybe Eric got sick from some empanadas so I might have packed them for lunch, but I never told Marlo they were up for grabs. She took the risk.”

  He stiffened and a look of fear and then maybe a touch of admiration crossed his face. “Kotyonok, promise you will tell me if I have done something to upset you before plotting revenge, yes?”

  Amused my Avenging Angel considered me a threat, I crossed my heart. “I promise.”

  He handed me a demitasse of espresso with one sugar cube melting inside. A perfect Corto Cubano. I toasted his cup and took a sip and reconsidered revenge. “Maybe I’ll just focus on keeping my clients for now.” Since that night in the alley, my every emotion was heightened, like a frayed electrical cord, sparking at the slightest thing. I needed to start journaling before I did something regrettable. Like poison Marlo.

  “What will you do today?” He opened the refrigerator. “Do you want eggs for breakfast? Toast?”

  “I thought you believed cooking was superfluous.”

  He answered with a noncommittal shrug.

  I nudged him aside. “I’ll make breakfast.”

  “I know how to cook.” Although he clearly didn’t mind my taking over. “What did Marlo say, exactly?”

  “She fired me. She says she’s worried about the safety of the clients and staff.” I cracked eggs into a bowl and whisked them into a froth. “I’m guessing she heard about last night and Dima’s visit.”

  “I’m sorry, Adrianna.” He pulled a pan out of a hidden drawer and set it on the stove.

  I set the heat under the pan. “Where’s the salt and pepper. I hate that everything is hidden. Your cabinets don’t even have hardware.” I kept the toddler-sounding whine out of my voice. Mostly.

  He smiled. “The realtor considered the clean look a feature.”

  “She lied.”

  “We could move.” His head tilted to the side, like he weighed his words, balancing wishes with reality. This morning his eyes were a beautiful amber color, and sincere.

  My heart tripped in my chest, his willingness to move just to make me happy. “And make you commute to work? Never.” But the offer to move if it mattered enough to me was swoon-worthy. I poured the eggs into the pan and seasoned them. “Although I may reorganize your kitchen, or at the very least make a map.”

  He slid the toaster out from another cabinet. “Since you’re free today, perhaps you could look at properties with me.”

  “What kind of properties?” I faced his back, amazed at the muscles and man. His naked, broad back featured the Madonna and Child and I traced the line of the baby’s smile, then kissed his shoulder.

  He hummed a deep melodious sound. “You mentioned taking your clients with you from Marlo. Perhaps we could search for a location for a new salon?”

  Seriously? I lost my job less than ten minutes ago and he was already willing to buy me a freaking salon? I faced the stove, and stirred the eggs. Dammit. Tears stung my eyes and I blinked them back. “You’d invest in a salon?” My voice sounded thick, strange.

  He hugged me, nibbling on my neck. “I invest in you. It will be yours.”

  My stomach flipped. I pulled the eggs off the heat.

  Feeling loved and strong and brave, I told him about Michelle’s idea for Drink and Dye.

  He listened and put toast on plates.

  I added the eggs.

  We totally rocked the domestic breakfast thing.

  He pulled napkins from a drawer and sat down at the kitchen counter. “This idea has potential. Can you serve food and cut hair in the same place?”

  “I think so. But I’m not sure. I found a place in Santa Barbara that does.” I sat down beside him. “But this is San Francisco and probably has more regulations. I swear, sometimes I wished we lived on an island in international waters and would be able to do what we want without having to jump through regulatory hurdles.”

  He pushed his eggs onto his toast. “That could be an interesting solution for some of Dima’s issues.” He smiled, his eyes warming and a teasing tone lilting his accent. “Shall we contact the realtor?”

  My stomach twisted at the idea of spending so much money. “Can I think about it?”

  “Of course.” He shoveled eggs and toast into his mouth. “What is your concern?” He sounded truly curious, like spending hundreds of thousands of dollars was a normal everyday occurrence.

  “It’s a lot to consider. Equipment and staffing. I’ve never managed a salon before, or a pub.” I broke my toast into tiny pieces, trying to find the words to explain my hesitance. “I could learn all these things, but I’m uncomfortable with the idea of taking on all this right now. I think Michelle’s idea is great, and I’d love to work with the girls, but I don’t have the business experience. It’s too risky. Too much responsibility. I need more experience.” I pushed the eggs around on my plate, like self-confidence could be found between the carbs and protein on my plate. “And I’m not sure I want to be a manager, an owner.”

  He ran his fingers down my cheek. “You are honest. I never expected you. I want to deserve you.” He looked at me like I was perfect, and I wasn’t. What would it be like in a year, when this mess over? Would he find someone else to save?

  “You’ve done so much for me, you saved my life, handled the probate. You’ve made it easier for Elena to just focus on school. I’ve done nothing for you.”

  He faced me, taking my hands in his. “You have.” He kissed my fingers. “You bring light into my day. The way you put others first. And you always find things to smile about. Your strength makes me to want be a better man.”

  A shocked laugh escaped me. I slid off my stool and cupped his face. He relaxed into my hands, like a dog wanting to be scratched. “You’re crazy. I’m not strong, I’m sarcastic and struggling to survive day to day. I’m not who you think I am.”

  He leaned his forehead against mine. “You're strong. A fighter. A survivor. I’d lost hope in my own humanity before getting to know you. And I wanted to protect you from my darkness.” His hands drifted to my waist. “But you take my darkness away.”

  I pulled his hands from my waist and held them tight. “No, no, no, no, no.” I whispered over and over. How could such a strong and beautiful man feel so broken? “Alyosha, I can’t take away your darkness for you. The most important thing I learned in therapy was you have to be your own light.”

  Moisture pooled on his eyelashes. “I don’t know how.”

  His honesty and tears humbled me. “We’ll figure it out together.” I kissed his hands, pressing my lips to the Cyrillic letters that covered roughened scars.

  “Do you promise?” His voice whispered across my cheek.

  “I do.”

  “Adrianna.”

  My name was like a benediction on his lips. He rested his head on my shoulder, nuzzling me. He’d laid himself bare. Trusted me.

  I was falling in love, hard and fast and totally uncontrolled.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  We made love–lazy, slow, in complete daylight–love. I doubted physical intimacy would ever b
e a problem. He left for work, bringing down our dirty dishes (I was totally spoiled) and leaving me completely satiated and stretched. I searched Alyosha’s kitchen for something to make for dinner. It was well-stocked, which made me wonder if he did the shopping or had a minion do it for him. I found the ingredients for my mother’s special spicy lasagna and craved the melted cheese and peppery sauce.

  I texted Kendra that I was at Alyosha’s and asked if Marlo was talking shit about me yet.

  She called me later, in the afternoon. “I have to be quick, Marlo left to grab a coffee.” Kendra took a breath and muttered, “Even she can’t stand the crap she buys.” I pictured Kendra’s eyes rolling. “I don’t know what you said to her, but she’s been really nice. She bought us pizza for lunch.” Kendra snorted. “Like a slice would buy our loyalty. And Adri, she literally bought just enough pizza for us to have one slice each. One.”

  “Did she at least help you load your car with my stuff?”

  “No. A guy from Konstantin’s came by and helped.”

  I chuffed. “Oh, Alyosha didn’t tell me.”

  “It was a sweet gesture. The guy really cares for you. I’d be there, you know I would, if I didn’t have bills.”

  “I know, Kendra.”

  “What are you going to do, Adri?” She rushed her words, like ripping off a band-aid quickly.

  “Get another job.” Think about opening my own place. “I haven’t even started looking yet.”

  “Well, Michelle’s pissed and she says we should go wherever you end up.”

  “That’s sweet.” I frowned. “I can’t imagine not seeing you guys…”

  “Right? So, start looking for a job where there are three spots available. And better walk-in traffic. Or even a place we could open our own salon. I won’t survive here without you,” she whispered.