𝟎𝟗 | 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 losses

"When I am silent, I talk with my pain..."

—unknown

SHE HATED HIM. He found himself repeating the words over and over again as he exited the hotel building.

"I hate you," he repeated, mocking her tone while opening the door to his vehicle. There was poison that dripped from every word, especially when it came from Avelina's mouth. It was suffocating his veins, sprinting on a straight path right to his heart where it slowly began to swell until it exploded.

"I thought you said that you love me," Adrik wished he had said. Instead, he told her goodnight, something that he picked up on when he read fictional novels. Goodnight was a term used affectionately, meaning that he wished Avelina well before her slumber. However, she took his kindness and molded it into ugliness before throwing it back at him. She hated him.

He stared at the hotel building, feeling an ache in his heart. The pain was worse than when Avelina didn't want him all those months ago. This time, she didn't want anything to do with him, she hated him, and there was no way he could ever change her mind.

He wished he could respect her wishes and just leave her alone, but she was pregnant with his child. Not only that, but there was a whole lot of trouble headed toward her. Vincent wasn't the only issue, there was also some strange woman named Camilla, Natasha, and Adrik's own enemies.

Once wind would get out that the woman carrying Adrik Zoltov's baby was unprotected in a hotel that seriously lacked security, people looking for revenge would flock to her like a bird. She'd have a bright red target on her back, and the last thing Adrik wanted was for her or his baby to get hurt.

Adrik's phone began to ring from his pocket as he sank into the seat of his car. The vibrations sent a wave of relief from his mind. He lifted it to see Anton's name.

Adrik put Anton in charge of finding Natasha. If he wanted to get Avelina back in his grasp, he had to also get Natasha. That way, Vincent would be without anyone to threaten Adrik with.

Maybe if Adrik played his cards right, he could do to Vincent what Vincent did to him.

Adrik answered the phone.

"I found Natasha. She actually wasn't too far from where Avelina resides. She's staying in a beat up motel and it looks like she is preparing to leave. You need to head there fast. I sent the location to your phone," Anton said. Just in time, Adrik's phone pinged with a message of where Natasha was staying.

He started up his vehicle and quickly drove down the street. He knew exactly where Natasha was. It was a motel they used to stay in when they were younger to escape their mother.

Natasha took care of Adrik. She did things for very bad people in order to make enough money to feed them, clothe them, and have a place for the both of them to stay in.

She was a mother figure when he lacked one. It never felt the same when she decided to leave in order to escape Vincent. Even when Adrik swore to protect her, she made the decision to leave.

Avelina and Natasha couldn't make the choice to leave anymore. Adrik could no longer leave that option on the table. They would live under his protection whether they liked it or not. The chances of their survival were a lot higher when Adrik was around. Without him, the chances took a very steep drop.

Anton was right. Natasha didn't stay too far from Avelina. It was about a five minute drive to her motel. The moment he got there, she was already walking down a flight of stairs with a suitcase trailing behind her.

Adrik parked his car, and watched as his sister's eyes widened. He quickly shut off the car and got out of it.

"Adrik?" Natasha asked.

She dropped her suitcase and ran over to him. There were tears in her eyes as she wrapped her arms around her younger brother.

"It's been years since I've last seen you. You've gotten so strong, брат!" Natasha exclaimed as she pulled away. Her blue eyes were staring into his silver ones. She quickly noticed the bags under his eyes and the exhaustion he couldn't keep away from his features. He looked almost as bad as Avelina did.

[ Russian translation : brother ]

"I was just about to leave. I was going to head back home to Russia this tim—"

"What are you doing here in New York, Natasha? I have been looking for you for months. And you hate New York. You once said, 'I hate this place. These men have trashy dicks and dick personalities.' Therefore, you must be here for a reason, and clearly it wasn't to see me," Adrik stated, staring at the suitcases she left behind. His attention then returned to her, noticing the red hair that blanketed the blonde strands she was born with.

She sighed. "I wanted to see Avelina for myself. I didn't expect to see, um, you know..."

"I do not know," Adrik said.

"She's pregnant with your baby. And she's really sad, Adrik. I'm not sure what you did to her, but she is so heartbroken. What exactly are you doing with her, брат?" she asked.

Adrik took in her words, his puzzlement suddenly disappearing. Natasha met Avelina. Natasha may have just made a terrible situation into a worse one.

"What did you say to her?" Adrik asked.

Natasha raised a brow as she watched her brother suspiciously. "I didn't tell her exactly who I was. We had a few conversations and she seemed really, really sweet. I can see why you chose her, but was it really smart to impregnate Vincent's little sister? Was that some revenge scheme?"

"I hired her because Vincent was going to kill you. I thought that if I had Avelina working for me, he would leave you alone. I did not expect..." he looked down at his hands. The need to play a song grew stronger as his fingers tingled in a search for his piano. He balled them up at his sides before looking at his sister.

"You didn't expect to fall in love with her, did you?" she questioned to which he nodded his head. "I told you before that I will come out of hiding if it means you can be happy. I will go to Vincent myself and end all of this. You shouldn't have to sacrifice your girl and your baby over a mistake I made as a child," she said.

Adrik quickly shook his head. "No. It can not happen. Vincent wants to kill you, and I will not let him. You will be living in the same house as me—under my protection—until I talk to Vincent."

Natasha sighed. "What about Avelina? He will take her from you."

"She's coming, too. Both of you are," Adrik said.

Natasha's brows rose before she hunched over in laughter. The sound of her laughs were enough to gain the attention of a couple exiting their motel room. Slowly it dialed down.

"For you to be so damn smart... you sure do make some really dumb decisions. First off, what makes you think that she will agree to live under the same roof as not just you but me?" she asked.

There was no choice. Adrik knew it wasn't the best decision for Avelina emotionally, but there was nothing else he could do. He only hoped that the extra stress wouldn't harm the baby.

"Oh! No! Adrik! No! You will leave that poor girl alone! I hope you are not planning to force her to live with you. Adrik, she's pregnant!" Natasha exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Have a seat in the car, Natasha. It is time for you to come out of hiding," Adrik said just before pulling a pair of sunglasses out of his suit jacket and placing them on his face.

Natasha groaned. "I hope you know what you're doing."

—

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