He continues to thrust in and out of me, making sure every drop is spent. A numbness spreads through my flesh as I stare at the sheets beneath me, wanting nothing more than for a black hole to open up and swallow me. It doesn’t matter what I do, Adrik will have whatever he wants from me. I didn’t have the self-control to stop myself from climaxing, and it’s beyond embarrassing.
Finally, he pulls out of me and then I feel him undoing the restraints on my legs. He removes them from my arms next and then grabs me around the waist, forcing me onto my back. “Keep your hips up and don’t let a drop escape. Do you understand?”
I glare at him through the dim light and then spit in his face.
His features turn furious as he wipes the spit from his face. And then he grabs my chin hard and yanks it at an unnatural angle. “You’ll learn from your mistakes. If you keep fighting, it will only make everything harder for you.” He releases me then and gets off the bed, walking toward the bathroom. “Sleep.” It’s all he says as he disappears through the door and then I hear the rush of water.
How can I sleep when there’s a monster mere yards from me?
Tears prickle my eyes, but I’m too exhausted to let them fall. Adrik wants to break me and somehow I’ve got to make sure that’s the last thing that happens, despite feeling on the edge of shattering into a million pieces already.
12
ADRIK
There’s an air of unease as I wait at the docks with Budimir and three of my best guys. We’ve got thirty men stationed around the drop site, but I can’t help but think Mexico handed me the crown a too easily.
Naturally, I’m an untrusting man. So, it’s only wise to plan for every eventuality. A SUV pulls up in front of us, its headlights almost blinding as I squint through the glare.
“This is them,” I murmur into the intercom. “Be alert.”
Santoro exits the vehicle flanked by four other men. “Evening, gentleman,” he says.
I narrow my eyes. “Evening. Do you have the drop?” The SUV is too small to hold the drugs they’re supposed to be delivering tonight, which only adds to my unease.
“Yes, it’s behind us in a truck.” Santoro runs a hand across the back of his neck. “I’ve come ahead to ensure you don’t intend to double-cross us.”
I shake my head. “Why the fuck would I do that?”
“Do you think we’re stupid, Adrik?”
I straighten at the tone of his voice. “No, but I don’t get your meaning.”
“You have these docks surrounded. Do you intend to steal the drugs?”
I clench my jaw, irritated that they detected my safety net. “No, I assure you that the men are merely for my protection. After all, I can’t imagine that Don Pablo is thrilled that a Russian has taken out his cousin and replaced him on the throne.”
“Thrilled. No, he’s not. However, a deal is a deal.” He speaks Spanish into a radio. “The truck is coming. Do you have the cash?”
I hold up a satchel of money, which has been counted three times to ensure it is all there. “Here.”
Santoro nods. “You’ll bring the cash forward for my men to count. Once we’ve confirmed it’s all there, we will leave the truck and keys.”
I shake my head. “I want to see the product first.”
“So untrusting, Adrik. Is this how our partnership is going to be?” He chuckles. “I don’t think Don Pablo would be too happy to hear that his new king of his North American outfit doesn’t trust him, do you?”
This bastard is getting on my nerves, but I get that he’s uneasy. Right now, thirty of my men have rifles aimed right at him. “Fair enough.” I step forward and carry the satchel of cash to him. “It’s all there.”
Santoro glares at me. “I’ll be the judge of that.” He speaks in Spanish to two of his men who come forward and take the satchel.
They open it and counts, which is insulting, but nothing I wouldn’t do. “The drugs?” I say.
He talks Spanish into the radio again and this is followed by the humming of a heavy engine filters through the air.
I take a few steps back to put some distance between me and the men in front of me, never once taking my eyes off of Santoro. I don’t like the guy. He’s too cocky.
The armored truck comes into view and drives up behind the SUV that Santoro and his men arrived in.