Embracing the Dark Side (Morozov Mafia #2)

1. Morning After

Chapter one

Morning After

Jolie was sleeping when Adrik’s hand snuck around her belly, slipping like a snake between her thighs. “Open your legs,” he whispered, kissing the back of her neck.

“It hurts,” she murmured, and yet found herself inching her thighs apart, allowing his long thick fingers to cup her vagina. His middle finger pressed against her clit, gently, teasing like a feather, forcing her to buck her hips, encouraging him for more.

“That’s a good girl,” he groaned, pushing his hard cock against her ass cheeks. Adrik fingered her, fiddling with her clit as if it were a toggle on a game controller. Her breathing picked up, increasing as the minutes passed, and her arousal heightened.

He lifted her leg and pushed his dick into her wet pussy. Their groans mimicked each other’s. Jolie turned her head, searching for his lips in the dark, and he gladly met her, their tongues twisting with every slow thrust.

“You like being fucked, don’t you?” He increased his pace, his fingers digging into the fat of her thigh, holding her leg higher. “Tell me,” he ordered, but all he got were moans.

Adrik pulled out, sitting up on his knees. Spreading her legs apart, he pushed his cock back inside her hard and powerful. She gasped, her body arching in pleasure. He ran a hand up her stomach, over her breast, rising further to wrap his fingers around her throat and squeezing. Excitement filled her until he squeezed even tighter. “You’ve been lying to me—”

Jolie snapped awake in a panic, her eyes flicking around the room. A hand pressed against her face, rubbing the sweat from her forehead. She lay naked in the twisted sheets, with the sun shining through the floor-to-ceiling windows of her bedroom at the Morozov residence, and noticing her safely curled on her bed, Jolie sank into the sheets. She ignored her heart’s frantic beating. It was a trick of the brain, a deep, dark fear that she repeatedly pushed down.

Jolie had been dating Adrik, an heir in the Russian Mafia, for only a couple of weeks. She had seen enough violence to understand she was in over her head. She was the girl who lay in the grass and watched trees sway in the wind. Not someone who sat on a thirty-million-dollar yacht with murderers. Yet, here she was, fully invested in dating a man who was wanted by the FBI.

And I was helping them. It was this fact that led to such a dream. Her fears were creeping into her subconscious. Her lies were going to catch up to her if she didn't come clean soon. All the signs that their relationship was doomed to fail were present. Logically, she should never have given it a chance. But it was too late to undo what was done.

And she didn’t want to.

Adrik may be a monster to some, but to her, he was a beautiful soul that only needed care. She wanted to save him from the disaster around him. She wanted to be the light in his life when he was surrounded by so much darkness. She didn’t care if no one understood her. Jolie knew what she felt; she knew what she wanted. And though there would be plenty of judgment, she was ready to face it. Adrik was the path she chose.

And he chose me.

Jolie wasn’t the only one faced with scrutiny. Adrik would be criticized for his choice of a partner simply because she was an American. They were a tight-knit family that believed Russian blood was superior. He was bound to lose some friendships over something so trivial.

And then, on top of that, was Adrik’s wife. He was married but in an unhappy relationship, ready to leave it if he could. The mafia life controlled that, too.

Jolie knew their situation looked bleak, but the reward for success was more significant than the risk—the reward was falling in love and embarking on an adventure that no one could possibly imagine.

Jolie sat up, wincing. Her body was sore from overuse. Long hours of lovemaking had bruised her in places she didn’t want to think about. She curled her legs to her chest, smiling, recalling every intense session of his passion. It was everything she ever wanted and more. She bit her lip, and the heat came to her cheeks. He spoke words she’d never heard of, and she squealed with every memory.

‘I love the taste of your pussy. ’

‘Suck my cock.’

‘I want to see you filled with cum.’

Jolie smashed her face into the pillow.

Her dream came back to her then. The sudden fear she felt upon waking was a bucket of ice water trailing down her spine, causing shivers. She couldn’t keep her secret any longer. She needed to tell Adrik about the FBI before he found out.

And he would, wouldn’t he?

He had a power she could never imagine and couldn’t fight against. He’ll be mad, true, but he’ll forgive her eventually.

Won’t he?

A knock came from outside the door that connected her to Adrik’s daughter, Helina. Adrik typically snuck into her room this way, and she wrapped the blanket around herself, suppressing a smirk as she opened it with excitement.

Only to find five-year-old Helina with tears in her eyes.

Jolie dropped to the floor. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

Helina’s words were in Russian, and Jolie couldn’t understand most of them except for ‘Mama.’

Adrik’s wife and mother to his child, Katia, wasn’t the most pleasant woman Jolie ever encountered, but like Adrik, she imagined the woman needed a friend more than another enemy. Jolie hurried to get dressed—loose sweatpants and a tank top to help with the ache in her body — and then took Helina’s hand. She journeyed across her fairytale bedroom and knocked on the adjoining door. There was no answer. Jolie tried to open it, but it was locked .

Jolie didn’t want to leave the confines of the bedrooms. Adrik had explicitly told her to stay here for a good reason. Adrik’s father had found out they were dating. Yakov was a mass murderer and wanted in five countries, and if that wasn’t enough to fear such a man, Jolie didn’t know what was.

With a deep breath, Jolie went out into the hallway. To her surprise, there was a soldier outside Katia’s door. “Excuse me,” she said as she went up to him. “Is Katia in? Helina wants to see her.”

The soldier looked down at Helina and responded in Russian. It annoyed Jolie, being ignored, but it was common in this household. Being American made her less than, and there was no changing their minds.

“Miss Bell.” Jolie jumped, spooked by the strange voice, and she whipped around to face him. This guard was tall and young, with an earpiece tucked behind long brown hair. “My name is Vargo. I’ve been assigned to look after you.”

“Look after me?” Jolie repeated, blinking in confusion. She never felt important enough to be protected like this, and it made her nervous. Adrik feared backlash from his father, but in his own house? In front of people? Would Yakov be so daring?

Bringing her attention back to Helina, Jolie took the little girl’s hand and went to the staircase, with her bodyguard only feet behind her. There was a chaotic feeling as servants rushed about, decorating the entire first floor. All the living room and dining room furniture had been removed and replaced with round tables adorned in black tablecloths with tall blue centerpieces. Lights strung down against the walls, and curtains were festooned in the perfect places, setting a beautiful design. On the back wall, against the fireplace, was a long table, and a cake already sat in the center—four tiers with blue roses climbing up the sides and the number 28 in gold letters sitting on the top.

It was Adrik’s birthday today, and the party was going on despite the week’s craziness.

They climbed down the stairs, and Helina’s sadness was quickly replaced with excitement. She bounced around the chairs, touching everything the servants didn’t want her to. They followed her around, wiping off her fingerprints. None of them chided her, treating her instead like the precious princess she was. Jolie called for her and took her hand, leading her out.

The amount of servants was intimidating. Jolie weaved out of their way, making it to the kitchen, hoping for some food, but it was more cluttered, and she diverted them outside. Thankfully, Esfir, Helina’s caretaker, came to their rescue. The setup continued as Jolie sat by the pool eating her sandwich. The extravagance continued with round high tops in long black tablecloths, with candles in the center. The pool had electric floating lights. It was a ball, and Jolie doubted she had anything acceptable to wear.

“Uncle!” Helina bounced out of the chair and ran to him.

Adrik’s brother Alexei lifted Helina into his arms. He wore a T-shirt and jeans, an uncommon outfit. It shaped him in ways Jolie had to ignore. Alexei and Adrik were similar in looks, with their bright-blue eyes, strong jaws, long necks, and muscles, but Alexei was thicker everywhere, like a bodybuilder, while Adrik remained thin, like a surfer .

Jolie smiled lightly, purposely reducing her happiness. Alexei liked her in a romantic way, and she didn’t want to do anything to encourage it. She watched them speak to each other in Russian, and she admired how much love poured out of him. Alexei cherished Helina as if she were his own. He approached the table, greeting Jolie with a soft smile. “You’re still here?”

Jolie bowed her head. Yesterday, she gave their father her resignation. She was supposed to leave this morning.

Hoping to change the subject, Jolie asked, “Is Katia okay? She’s locked in her room.”

Alexei didn’t answer her, speaking to Helina once more before she quickly ran off to do his bidding.

As Alexei sat, he noticed a soldier off to the side. He leaned back in the chair, confused by it, but a servant interrupted, asking if he was hungry. Alexei waved him off, moving on. “Katia and Adrik had a bit of a fight yesterday.”

Alexei put it mildly because he didn’t know how much Jolie was aware of, but she cleared the air. “Because of Zinof?”

His eyes widened, and he processed the information. “Yes.”

Alexei wasn’t sure if his brother was going to reveal how he murdered Zinof just two floors beneath her. And he couldn’t believe Jolie still stuck around. Jolie’s innocence attracted him to her, and he was sure it was why his brother was so enraptured by her. Exposing Jolie to their world was a quick way to destroy what they cherished about her. He didn’t want Jolie to know about the violence they lived in.

But it isn’t my place, is it? Alexei kept quiet, clenching his teeth .

Jolie glanced at Katia’s bedroom, but the windows were not see-through. “What’s going to happen?”

“I don’t know,” Alexei admitted.

“Do Katia’s parents know?” Alexei shook his head, and Jolie leaned back in her chair. “That’s why Katia is being kept in her room.” Her stomach filled with unease. Jolie had been somewhat friends with Katia, and knowing she was suffering brought a bout of sympathy.

Alexei leaned in. “Katia admitted to setting up the shootout.”

Jolie’s eyes popped up. Jolie had been involved in that shootout. It had been inside the gas station beneath her apartment building where she was getting ice cream and Tylenol. Everything changed when bullets raced through the building, shattering condiments on the top shelves. She dived for Helina, a stranger at the time, hugging her close till the firing stopped.

Jolie naively pointed out, “Her daughter was in that shootout.”

Alexei nodded, his gaze falling to his lap. “She’s not allowed to see Helina. It will be hard, but that’s what Adrik decided, and I’m not fighting him on that.”

“Yeah, of course.” A hand went to her lips and tears burned the back of her eyes. “Poor Helina.”

Alexei said nothing. He felt the same sadness for his niece. He never liked Katia, but Helina loved her, and that was enough. The poor little girl would now be separated from her mother for as long as Adrik could manage it.

Alexei changed the subject. “Did you quit? Are you moving out today?”

Jolie wiped the wetness from her cheeks. “No. I’m gonna stay on. ”

Alexei didn’t know if he was relieved or disappointed. “I’m surprised my father got you to stay.”

“He didn’t. Adrik did.”

Alexei directed his attention to the pool to hide the aggravation. What was his brother thinking? Keeping Jolie around was dangerous for too many reasons. If Yakov found out about them, he’d have her killed. He really wished his brother understood just how unhinged Yakov was.

With the soldier off to the side, maybe Adrik wasn’t as ignorant as he thought.

Alexei forced himself to move on. “God knows I’d rather you stay. I need some kind of fun at this party.”

Jolie was pleased he felt the same way about her that she did about him. Alexei was fun to be around. And if they could be friends, that would be awesome, but after he admitted his attraction to her, she didn’t think it was possible anymore.

Jolie leaned in. “Did Adrik tell you about Yakov? Setting up the attack on the yacht?”

Alexei put a finger to his lips, glancing around. Half the servants and soldiers worked for Yakov, while the others were loyal to Adrik. The tensions between the two groups had increased since Adrik killed one of Yakov’s men. A civil war in their home wasn’t something they needed today, although it was something he’d been looking forward to for a long time. He whispered back, “All the problems have been put on hold for the party.”

Her brows knitted. “What?”

“It’s the way we are. We have many people coming tonight, most of them allies but some enemies. We use parties to find weaknesses in each other’s families. If anyone even senses there is a problem, we will lose support. And if Adrik plans to take over, he’ll need all the help he can get.”

Jolie nodded, realizing now why Adrik didn’t want her at the party. She thought of leaving, staring at the lights in the pool. It wouldn’t help his case if the families found out he was dating an American. But if all she could do to support Adrik was stand on the side, pretending to be invisible, then that was what she was going to do.

A servant approached, carrying a tray. “Excuse me, Miss Bell. Mr. Morozov asked for this to be delivered to you as soon as you woke up.” He leaned down, showing a glass of water and a small white pill.

Alexei’s brows knitted, and he asked the servant in Russian, “What is that for?”

Jolie embarrassingly took them, trying to hide the redness of her cheeks. After downing the pill and water, she put the glass back on the tray. The curiosity in Alexei’s tone told her he wanted to know what it was. Jolie couldn’t find the will to say it. She wasn’t ashamed of having sex with Adrik, but now Alexei would know it happened.

“Do you need any pain relievers, Miss Bell? Mr. Morozov wanted to ensure you were comfortable.”

“Pain relievers?” Alexei questioned again. “What happened? Did—” He licked his lips before he asked, “Did Adrik hurt you?”

“No, no, Alexei. It—” She struggled to say it, her face now a terrible red. She waved the servant away, cursing him. Jolie looked away, and with a sudden bout of courage, she said, “It was a morning-after pill.”

Alexei sat quietly, and Jolie could only see him out of the corner of her eye. “Oh.” His body sagged against the chair. She hung her head, blaming Adrik for this terrible moment. Alexei stood. “I’ll see you at the party.”

Jolie whispered his name. She had to stop herself from reaching out as he went back inside. He walked with ease, as if nothing was wrong, but she had seen enough in his face before he turned away. Jolie sunk into her chair.