Page 15 of The Dark Side

Adrik reached out and grabbed the man's shattered leg. The blood was warm on his hand, like touching hot sand at the beach. "Did the man have a scar on his face?" He spoke louder in case it was hard to hear over his bitching.

"Yes!"

Adrik shot him in the head and stood as the body dropped back to the floor, thankfully quiet.

Chapter seven

Drive

Adrikstoodoverthebody on the floor. The spotlight was on him, casting him in shadows. Alexei stood just outside the light, waiting while the others were sent out.

Being betrayed by allies was one thing.

Being betrayed by family was another matter.

Adrik didn't know why he was surprised. In this business, anyone could betray you, but he had thought his in-laws were more intelligent than that.

"You want me to bring your wife in?"

Adrik didn't care for Katia. He'd been married to her for ten years, but no love existed between them. He imagined her trying to kill him, but to go after their daughter didn't seem right. She was cruel, not heartless.

"Not yet."

Alexei was unsatisfied with that answer. He liked swift justice. But the problem with it was that the level of justice needed to match the level of disrespect.

Adrik stared at the body beside him. The blood stopped spreading. He shifted his foot right beside it, nearly touching it.

"The Stephanovs own the dock."

"I know."

"If we lose them, we'll lose our port."

Adrik circled the body as if it held the answers in the mutilation of its corpse.

"Adrik," Alexei called, aggravated.

Adrik lifted his head."I think I know the implications, brother. I was forced to marry her at eighteen because of it."

"Let's tell Dad."

"If we tell him, he'll kill her."

"So? You don't give a shit about the bitch."

Adrik couldn't fight him on that point."She's the mother of my child."

Alexei sneered."Does that give her amnesty?"

Adrik kneeled beside the body, a finger stretching to touch the blood. It was cold now. He drew it across the ground, creating an unnatural line. He recalled the early morning when he had brought Helina back. His wife had been delirious, that much had been clear."As much as I hate her, I don't see her trying to kill her child."

This was a piece of a puzzle, and puzzles were his favorite pastime. He envisioned Tampa in the pool of blood; the unnatural line was the port that the Stephanov family owned. It showed they would lose the lower half of Tampa if he attacked, including the water levy, which would cut their import by a third.

But if he managed to overtake the Stephanovs, he'd gain much more.

Do I have that sort of power?

"How many men do we have on the ground?"