Definitely.
But was he dangerous to me?
“No,” I said at last. “I still want Adrik and Timofey. I stand by my earlier request.”
Adrik’s shoulders relaxed, the tension easing out of him.
And somehow, I knew I’d made the right decision.
CHAPTER TEN
Adrik
As Tim and I hurried to the pool house to pack our bags, my mind spun.
When Annika had freaked out and wheeled her chair away from me, at first, I’d thought she’d somehow seen my face. Only to realize moments later that she had associated the meaning of my name—dark wolf—with her stalker.
Of course, I’d been offended. How could she think I would ever hurt her?
She doesn’t know you, man. You can’t blame her. She was attacked a few months ago, and now she’s got some crazy psychopath sending her creepy texts.
Dark wolf.
There’d once been a time when I’d been proud of my name and what it meant. There was something mysterious and mythical about a “dark wolf.” I’d even had a snarling wolf head tattooed on my left pec not long after I’d joined the Bratva. Tim and a few otherBoyevikshad gone with me that night, saying they’d all gotten tattoos as a symbol of acceptance into the brotherhood. Tim had suggested I get something representative of a beast, since that had become my nickname. So, I’d chosen the wolf. Neither Tim nor anyone else had connected the wolf image with my name, and none of them would understand what it meant to me. Wolves were wary, intelligent beasts. They had extreme endurance and tough resilience. I was a fighter. I’d suffered a lot of shit. I’d been through a hell so horrendous, so shameful that I’d never told anyone about it. But I hadn’t given up. I’dsurvived. I was a wolf through and through. To me, “dark wolf” was representative of all of that, even more so than the mere meaning of my name. I was a dark wolf, but not in the way Annika believed.Neverlike that.
Less than ten minutes later, Tim and I were sitting in the SUV, waiting for Annika to arrive. Tim volunteered to drive, and I didn’t argue. If I was in the front passenger’s seat, I could keep my face hidden from her. But if I was sitting in the driver’s seat, then Annika would be able to see my face in the rearview mirror.
The last thing I wanted was her seeing my ugly face. So, I was happy to let him drive. My body still hummed with awareness from my recent encounter with her. Everything about that girl set me on edge, leaving me anxious and twitchy.
Pavel, Alexei, and Efrem all approached the vehicle, Efrem pushing Annika in her wheelchair. I opened my door to help them, but Pavel lifted a hand, stopping me. “We got it. Stay put.”
Bowing my head, I closed my door and waited while Alexei opened the back door and spoke quietly to his daughter for a moment, before kissing her cheek and stepping back.
Annika climbed into the backseat and got situated while Efrem took her chair around the back and set it inside the cargo area along with her bags and the walker that she sometimes used to move around without her chair.
He came back around and knocked on my window while Pavel and Alexei said a few more words to Annika before closing the backdoor.
I rolled down my window and met Efrem’s gaze. “Please take care of her,” he ordered, not unkindly. “She’s been through enough as it is. If anything happened to her…” he trailed off and drew in a deep breath. One of the things I admired about the Popovs was their deep family bond. They were an affectionate, close-knit family, loyal and supportive to each other.
“I will protect her with mylife,” I vowed quietly. And I would. If anyone came after her, they would have to get through me first.
Efrem shook my hand. “I know you will, Adrik. I’m glad she picked you to watch over her. I trust you more than some of the others.”
My heart swelled, warmth spreading in my chest. “I won’t disappoint you.”
Pavel sent me a hard stare, the warning look in his mismatched eyes telling me loud and clear that I’d better not fail in this mission. He’d inherited his father’s heterochromia, so he also had two different-colored eyes that could be intimidating under a stern stare. I nodded at him, letting him know I wouldn’t let them down.
Then Alexei stepped up to my window while Pavel went around the other side to speak to Timofey. “She’s my only daughter,” Alexei reminded unnecessarily. “Please keep her safe.”
“I will,” I promised.
Alexei jerked his head in a nod, then stepped back, patting the hood.
Timofey put the car in “reverse,” and we backed out of the garage.
Annika was silent in the backseat, and I caught a glimpse of her in my side mirror. Her head was bent, and I spied white earbuds in her ears. She was listening to music. That explained why she hadn’t commented about the way we had all just talked about her as if she wasn’t there.
Moments later, we exited the property and headed out onto the main road. Tim and I both kept watch for a tail, but the night was dark and silent, no other vehicles in sight.