Page 13 of The Dark Side

"How's the arm?"Adrik snatched a towel from a chair, wrapping it around his waist.

"It hurts,"he bit.

Adrik sat and pushed out a chair for Alexei."Drink with me."He poured a glass of bourbon and went to pour Alexei one, but the man pushed the glass away.

"I can't. I'm on pain pills. I'm barely conscious as it is."

"Why don't you take a nap?"

"Because my niece was almost killed."

Adrik hardened and pinned his gaze on his brother. It was the same look their father gave, but he didn't realize that. Adrik drowned the glass, swallowing, allowing the harshness to ease the bubbling dragon beneath.

Alexei only hesitated a minute before he broke, saying,"It's not that I know you don't care, but why aren't you pissed?"

"I am pissed. Don't assume to know how I feel. They tried to murder you, Gil, and my five-year-old daughter. There aren't words for what I feel."

"So, then, what is going on?"

"I want to know who to be pissed at. I want to know who I'm going to set on fire. I want to know whose screams are going to go unheard. I want to know who. So, do you have that answer?"

Alexei answered, depressed,"Not yet."

Adrik sat back."Not yet."

It would be so easy for him to storm through this house, stomping and shouting, but aside from scaring his daughter, what did that do for anyone? Everyone was working to find out who the fuck was stupid enough to do such a thing. So now, all he had to do was wait. And that was torture, but the answer would come. The answers always came.

"Did you stop production?"Adrik asked.

"Yes. Twenty minutes ago. There are a dozen phone calls already. I'm having the warehouse take the calls, since they're out of work for the moment."

"Father said less than two hours. Then, brother, you will see my rage."

Helina escaped the hands of her nanny."Uncle!"she squealed, running into him. He kept his arm up, saving it from harm."How's your arm?"She reached for it, touching the cast.

"It's okay, sweet girl."

"Can I have a cast like yours?"

"Yeah, I can make you one."

Helina ran her hands along it, envious."Hey, can we visit that lady with the cats? She was really nice, and she had so many stuffed animals. I don't even have that much."

Adrik smirked. Now that he recalled, it was an obscene amount of pandas.

"No, baby girl,"Alexei answered."She was a stranger. What do we say about strangers?"

"Don't trust anyone you don't know."

"And what do we say about people we know?"

"Don't trust anyone unless Daddy, Mommy, or you say it's okay."

Adrik looked out toward the sunset. The sky was a dark red, a promise that there would be bloodshed tonight. He curled his fist, containing his anger like a lid to an inferno. "Did the teacher talk?" he asked in English, knowing his daughter didn't understand.

"No. You were right."

Adrik knew people; it was his job to know when to push and back off. It's something Alexei never understood. Despite how sweet he was to his niece, he was a more violent man. It's why Alexei spent the most time building his strength.