38. Bianca

"Do I look okay?" I look in the mirror, adjusting the hem of my dress. It"s a black cocktail dress with a cinched waist, reminiscent of 50"s-style dresses and a flaring skirt. I"d left my hair hanging down my shoulders and kept my makeup light, only applying some mascara and red lipstick.

"Of course, little goddess," Vlad replies almost mechanically from his seat on the chair. He"s swirling bourbon in a glass, not really paying attention to me.

"Vlad!" I turn to him and wait to get his attention.

"What?" He finally snaps out of whatever trance he"s been in.

"Never mind." I shake my head and lift my skirt to reveal a pair of biker shorts. I proceed to sheath the obsidian knives I"d reluctantly accepted instead of a 3D-printed pistol. I had to be smart with this, so I sheathed one right on my inner thigh. We"d also decided to place the bugs in my cleavage since it was the least likely spot to be searched. For my bag, I"d chosen a small clutch that had a camera within the bag logo. While Vlad hadn"t been too particular about that, he hadn"t denied being curious about who Enzo would invite.

"I don"t remember you mentioning a conflict with Enzo before," I add. I"ve been wondering about that since yesterday"s meeting.

"It"s not exactly a conflict as much as it is a mutual understanding to not get in each other"s way."

"But? There"s more. He did come to you with an offer. So, spill."

"He only came to me out of necessity and because I"m already established in the city. Our problems stem from years back when he first got married. We used to be friendly before that, but he accused me of sleeping with his wife of all things. We got into a fight, didn"t end up very pretty."

"Did you?"

"Hell no. You"ve met the bitch. She"s the sleaziest piece of shit I"ve ever met. She came onto me so many times and then told him I was the instigator." He shakes his head in disgust. "Truly vile." I"d never heard Vlad speak that way of a woman. For him to call her a bitch… But I"d met the woman… and she"s sleeping with Martin now. Really, what did I expect?

"He didn"t believe you."

"Nope. They"d just had a kid and accused me of taking advantage of her emotional state and whatnot."

"I"m surprised he didn"t pursue it further. He seems the type."

"He did, for a while. But he quickly realized he"d have to fight the entire city. It"s not a secret now that his wife sleeps with anything that walks. On that note, I"d keep your husband away from her. She doesn"t take no for an answer."

"If he knows she"s like that, why didn"t you reconcile?"

"By then, pride got in the way. And he already got involved with people I don"t particularly care for or approve of. And there"s also that vendetta of his against the Lastras. Safe to say we have conflicting interests."

"I see. I"ll take note of that."

"Just don"t be too obvious. Enzo is many things, but a fool he is not. Make sure he can"t see through your facade."

"Don"t worry. I"ve had enough practice." I smooth over my skirt, and Vlad lets me know Theo is already outside. Or should I call him Adrian now? I think it might take me some getting used to. At least now, I can make sense of where all those repressed control issues come from.

"Break a leg." Vlad winks at me before heading to his study. Since I"ve been staying with him for a few days now, I can"t help but notice that something might be wrong with him. There are moments when he seems lost in his head, but it"s more than daydreaming. It"s like he"s in a trance. His good humor also seems more strained than usual.

Heading out of the house, I put my concerns out of my mind, focusing on the mission first.

Exiting, I see Adrian, black tuxedo on, leaning on his car and waiting for me. When he looks up and sees me coming towards him, his expression changes ever so slightly, and I know he likes what he"s seeing. I have to be incredibly careful, though. This will be our first real interaction with all cards on the table. I have to show him how good it can be between us—the real us.

"Let"s go!" he says, and I get in the car—one step at a time.

"I envy you." I start by trying to find some common ground. He seems surprised, so I just continue, "You can kill with your bare hands. I wish I could do that." When he hears that, he frowns, his mouth changing shape as if he wants to say something but just shakes his head.

"You envy that," he asks as if not quite believing my words.

I must try harder.

"Yes. You have the advantage of strength. My punches can barely do any damage. I usually bank on speed, though," I say, proud of myself for also inserting a small praise. He must see that I don"t hold his past against him. It"s actually very attractive.

"Sure… so you"ve never killed anyone barehanded?" he asks, not quite looking at me, but then again, he"s watching the road. I take this as a sign he"s willing to engage in conversation.

"Not really. I usually only use guns. Sometimes knives. Don"t like knives, though. Too messy," I answer immediately. The homeless man I"d killed a few days ago does come to mind, but is that kill even noteworthy? It was too one-sided.

"So, you don"t like blood?" he inquires, and for a moment, I panic. He was a fighter. That means blood. What if he likes blood? What if he will hold it against me that I don"t like blood? Well, not necessarily don"t like, but it"s sticky, and it stains and… A flash of brain matter smeared on my knuckles almost makes me want to gag.

"B, it was just a question," he says after a while, his eyes regarding me with concern. I realize I"d been fidgeting while I was debating in my head what the best answer was. Real. I have to be authentic. I let out a breath and tell him just that.

"Then why kill at all? If you don"t enjoy the blood? Why seek it?"

"It gives me a purpose."

"Purpose?" He frowns at my word choice. Yes, I have to be real. Why is it that now that I"m sober, my brain seems to respond to things differently?

It feels odd.

"Yes. You remember Drew, my bodyguard. After Jenna"s death, he taught me how to channel my anger in meaningful ways."

"Killing?"

"Well, yes. He knew I would probably do it again, so he did what he thought best at the time."

"Go on."

"Drew introduced me to the Russians, and then I got partnered with Vlad. Many of our assignments were strictly Bratva enemies, but I got to choose my targets after a while. So, I sought the vilest predators and took them out."

"Predators?"

"People who prey on children. On innocents. It was the only time I felt something. Yeah, I don"t care about blood and gore… much. But I do care that those people suffer. I"ve probably done my fair share of torture at some point. But usually, I prefer a neat kill."

"This isn"t a normal conversation." He smiles to himself.

"I"m not normal, I told you." And then I frown. "You"re not normal, either. For someone who claims to have empathy, how do you reconcile those deaths on your conscience?"

I don"t think much of the question, merely curiosity. But for him, it doesn"t seem to be. His expression immediately darkens.

"Why do you think I ever reconciled it?"

"You haven"t? Sorry, I just don"t really understand. I know how I function because I don"t really care. I don"t assign the same value to human life that other people do. Vlad is the same. You"re not… and yet? You must have killed a couple hundred in your time in the pits."

"That I did." He"s silent for a moment before continuing, "You have your purpose, and I have mine. And so whatever sacrifices I made along the road were for that purpose."

"Getting revenge on Jimenez?" He nods.

"What after then?"

The car stops at that exact moment, and I see we"ve arrived. Adrian turns to me and regards me for a while. I see in his eyes that he hasn"t considered the What then?

We exit the car after handing the keys to a valet. There is indeed a security check, and they are insanely thorough. Luckily, my dagger is on my inner thigh as they pat my outer. After we successfully pass security, I loop my arm through Adrian"s, and we proceed inside.

"Act natural," I tell him as I feel him stiffen. I don"t want to consider that he might actually be disgusted by me physically, so I push that thought away.

"There you are." Enzo comes up to us in the hallway, beaming. He shakes Adrian"s hand and kisses both my cheeks.

"You look spectacular as always, Bianca," Enzo praises me, and I have to remember to plaster on my social smile. I forcefully tug my lips upwards, and I see Adrian watching me, a smile playing on his lips. He"s learning my cues.

"Please enjoy yourselves."

He turns to leave, but I clear my throat and ask, "Where"s the birthday girl? We need to wish her a happy birthday. Right, darling?" I bat my eyelashes at Adrian, and he tightens his hold on me.

"Indeed. And where"s the special guest?" Adrian changes the topic, asking about Jimenez.

"Allegra is probably with your father around here, somewhere," he answers, and he doesn"t seem particularly put off by his wife"s blatant infidelity. "The special guest has failed to make an appearance. An intermediary has shown up, however." Enzo seems more disappointed at Jimenez"s absence than at his wife"s cuckolding him. Odd.

"Maybe we can all get together later on," Adrian suggests, and Enzo accepts before excusing himself to greet other guests.

"Let"s do this." I take his hand again, and we enter the ballroom.