Empire of Sin (Empire #2)(87)

It doesn’t matter that I left, Kirill and especially Adrian won’t stop until they get what they want.

I press Pause on the picture frame that shows Knox grabbing Sandra’s elbow while he and Lauren guide her away from the crowd.

It’s a bit blurry, but I can see every line of his face and the cut of his jaw. I can even see the frown in his forehead and that perturbed look in his eyes. My shaky fingers reach out to the screen and I run them over his face, lingering on his cheek and mouth.

God, I miss him.

I miss him like I’ve never missed anyone before, and the knowledge that this ache will never disappear splinters the bones in my ribcage and digs them into my heart.

As I look closer at him, I notice something is wrong. I don’t know if it’s how dark his eyes are or how stiff he appears, but it’s there and I can’t look away from it.

The need to find out what’s wrong and make it better overwhelms me. But what can I do when I’m under house arrest?

“So this is the reason you returned.”

My body goes rigid at that familiar voice. The chatter of the guards from the next room is still ongoing, so I thought I was safe.

But I can never be safe from Adrian. I slowly turn to face him and he’s leaning against the wall, watching me and the TV screen as if he’s been here for a while. Maybe ever since I first got here.

I didn’t sense him. I couldn’t have even if I’d tried, because he moves quietly and takes action just as secretly.

But apparently, I’ve lost all semblance of fear, because I stride toward him. “Are you the one behind this?”

“Behind what?”

“Making him lose.”

“So what if I am? In fact, last time I checked, you should’ve been our spy at Weaver & Shaw. Instead, you decided to come back without informing me. Isn’t that very bold of you?”

“I will not let you use me against him. Never.”

“Does that mean you wouldn’t care if the rest of the brotherhood found out what you did?”

“I don’t care. Papa is already punishing me, so if there’s another one I have to take, I will. Yes, I stole from V Corp, but only so I could protect my babushka. She raised me and gave me the affection no one else did, so I wasn’t going to abandon her at her old age.”

Something flickers in his eyes—a brightness, a recognition, or maybe it’s an understanding. Now that I think about it, Vladimir once told me that Adrian had a better relationship with his stepmother than his birth mother when he was young.

So he must know what it feels like to have that sort of a bond with someone not related to you by blood. Instead of taking the aggressive route, I force my body to relax. “Adrian…please don’t do this.”

“Do what?”

“Let a sexual predator get away with his crimes. Even if Matt is of business value, he still committed a crime that he needs to be punished for.”

“It’s not proven yet.”

“It can and will be. All I’m asking is for you to stop interfering and you’ll see justice take its course.”

“You still believe in that empty concept?”

“It’s not empty.”

“Yes, it is. You’re a hopeless dreamer, Anastasia, and I have a piece of advice for you. Crush those vain dreams or they’ll eventually crush you. There’s no room for them in this world.”

“You don’t believe that, or you wouldn’t have married Lia.”

A muscle works in his jaw at the mention of his wife, but I don’t stop. “She is a dreamer, too, right? And you liked that about her, or you wouldn’t have gone against everyone and chosen her.”

“Stop,” he grinds out. “Bringing my wife into the conversation won’t give you any extra points. If anything, it’ll deduct them.”

“Fine. Take it as if I’m begging you and stop meddling, Adrian. Please.”

“Let’s say I agree to that. Do you think your father will let this slide? He doesn’t believe in justice any more than I do.”

“Yes, he does. He killed my stepfather because he killed my mother.”

“That was not justice. It was cold-blooded revenge.” He pauses. “But here’s the thing, if you convince Sergei to cut off Matt, I’ll back off.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I can also forget about the whole mess you made by stealing from V Corp if you do another thing for me.”

My throat is suddenly dry, but I ask anyway, “What type of thing?”

“I don’t have anything in mind right now, but if I need your hacking services in the future, you’ll provide them. No questions asked.”

That can range from a mild operation to something absolutely dangerous, but I don’t care. At least Adrian would be by my side, and he’s one of the best allies I could ever have. He might as well be the deadliest around here and I have to be smart about siding with him.

“Deal.” I offer my hand.

He shakes it with a slight twitch to his lips. “Good luck convincing Sergei.”

“I thought you don’t believe in luck.”

“I don’t, but if there’s such a thing, you’ll need lots of it.”

He’s right, I will.