Page 124 of Morally Corrupt

"See, I told you there was nothing to worry about."

"I still can't believe you can just bribe airport security." He shakes his head, but I catch a glimpse of a grimace.

"How's the pain?" I point at his chest, and he shrugs.

"I took some painkillers. It's fine now."

"Don't overdo it," I chastise him slightly.

The plane takes off, and I see Adrian close his eyes.

Okay… so he doesn't want to talk. Not that I blame him too much, considering everything that happened this week. I still can't believe the old man made his fortune through blackmail, although it's not surprising.

I'd never concerned myself with his business. And he was never concerned with mine.

The only times we interacted was when he notified me of an event or a dinner I needed to attend with him to present the perfect family image to the world.

The more I think about my childhood, the more I regret I wasn't the one to put a bullet between his eyes. It would have been so satisfying…

"What did Vlad mean?" My thoughts are interrupted when Adrian tilts his head and looks at me through hooded eyes.

"When?" I try to remember what instance he's talking about but can't.

"When he said he's seen you naked."

"Ah! I've seen him naked, too. It's not a big deal. We were often in such close quarters with each other, we didn't have any privacy. Especially during missions in remote areas." I hope he doesn't think there's anything between Vlad and me. I mean, we're basically siblings.

Adrian is silent for a moment.

"Was this before we were together?"

I try to think back, and maybe… I don't really remember.

"Mostly," I reply.

After Vlad became Pakhan, we rarely went on missions together, so in a sense, I'm not lying.

"I see…" Adrian replies and purses his lips. What's going on? Is that a goodI seeor a badI see?

"You must understand that nothing ever happened." I try to placate him further.

"How would you feel if I told you I had this close female friend, and we've both seen each other naked?"

A red mist covers my sight. My hand clutches at the armrest when I say, "I'd kill her."

"See?" He lifts an eyebrow at me.

"But…" I start, not seeing how these two situations compare.

"If this," he points towards me and then towards himself, "is going to work in any way, you'll have to try to put yourself in my shoes every now and then."

I grumble some type of acquiescence and drop the subject. How am I supposed to put myself in his shoes? I'll probably have to make a list of all the things he dislikes and memorize it. Would it be too much to askhimto make a list? One furtive glance at his stern features discourages me from voicing aloud that particular thought. He already thinks I'm a monster; I shouldn't add crazy to the mix.

Trying to salvage the time left on the flight, I change the topic and bring up something I'd been wondering for a long time.

"I've been meaning to ask you," I start, almost testing the waters. He turns ever so slightly towards me, so I continue, "How come Marcel is so involved in this Jimenez hunt?"

"He's my best friend," Adrian says automatically. "But to answer your question, Marcel found out that I was Adrian Barnett incredibly early in our friendship. I ended up telling him the entire history and why I was chasing after Jimenez. He's been helping me since, especially with his connections in the D.A. office."

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