Embracing the Dark Side (Morozov Mafia #2)

24. Grenade

Chapter twenty-four

Grenade

Jolie stepped out of her room. She felt nothing, not the flats on her feet, the tightness of her borrowed dress, or the chill in the air. She was a ghost of herself, a shadow. Happiness didn’t exist in this realm, and the sunlight could not be felt.

A soldier walked behind her, keeping her from bolting. She almost thought if they shot her in the attempt, it would be better than any future she had now. The gun brought her unpleasant fantasies. If she had the prowess or the strength, she could rip it out of the man’s hand and shoot everyone in here. It was clear as day that even if she managed to kill Vincent, she’d have to go through his entire family.

Jolie scoffed at herself. She wasn’t a killer. She wasn’t a horrible person, despite the horrible thoughts. But hurting Vincent was beginning to make sense. And it was exciting picturing his death.

Jolie paused at the end of the hallway. A Christmas tree, decorated in an orange glow, sat in the corner. A big, fat, stuffed turkey sat on the tip of it like a star. Soft religious music played in the background, a far cry from the Spanish tempo they’ve been listening to .

Katia, Helina, Vincent, and Mr. Stephanov sat at the dinner table. It was a surreal vision, seeing her ex-boyfriend next to Katia. They were from two different worlds. Katia was champagne and caviar. And Vincent was cheap liquor and menthols.

Jolie didn’t know if she could go through with this. She couldn’t sit next to Katia and be friendly. She couldn’t watch Helina gush over a mother who tried to kill her. Her whole body refused to move another inch.

“Go on, Snow White.” Jolie hadn’t noticed him, but Gil stood against the wall, with a suit on and his hands clasped in front like a dutiful soldier.

Anger was a powerful force, and Jolie felt herself strengthened. Before she put herself through this torture, she wanted to make sure Gil knew how she felt. “You’re a piece of shit.”

A twitch of his lip suppressed a smile. He kept his eyes straight. “Such a dirty mouth for a woman of God.”

“I hope Adrik kills you,” she bit, stepping past him.

Gil grabbed her arm. “You and me are in the same boat, Snow White. If I’m a piece of shit, what does that make you?” Gil released her and went back to his statue-like pose .

Jolie bowed her head. He was right, of course. They were the same. She hated it, hated herself for listening to Agent Mally. She fed on Jolie’s naive and ignorant thoughts of the world, like a child listening to every word an adult spews.

“JoJo!” Helina squealed, running up and grabbing her hand. “Mama’s here! Mama’s here! Come.” She pulled her over to Katia .

Jolie ground her teeth, standing before the woman, and forced a pleasant, loving smile. “It’s so good to see you,” she said.

Katia blinked a few times, her brows knitting as she observed the woman. She knew Jolie was here, but looking at her after so long was a shock. Her appearance was dismal, at best. The black glasses were too big for her face. And without an ounce of make-up, Jolie lacked luster, and any beauty. Katia took the look to mean one thing: her innocence was gone, and for a moment, Katia actually felt sympathy for the schoolteacher. It was an odd feeling. She never wanted Jolie to get involved with their life, but the woman had been in love . She chose her risk.

Katia stood and played the role she knew too well. “You too,” she replied, resting a hand on her arm and kissing her cheek. “You were so kind to my daughter. I could never repay you.”

Jolie was dying inside. “No, of course not. Helina was a sweetheart. In fact, she was my only entertainment.” She swallowed harshly. The reality that Katia was here to take Helina away from her was building in her chest, and if she didn’t stop thinking about it, she was going to burst into sobs.

Thankfully, Vincent cut in. “Dinner’s served. Please, take your seats.”

Jolie wasn’t sure where her place was and waited until everyone sat. Thankfully, she was at the end of the table on the other side of Helina. She instinctively reached for Helina’s plate at the same time Katia did. It was a kick to the stomach, and Jolie backed down, bowing her head.

How was she supposed to let go? She couldn’t allow Helina to slip through her fingers. She needed the little girl to bring a smile to her in the morning. To remind her that love existed and there was more to life than what Vincent had planned. She needed Helina to stay sane.

Jolie took a deep breath and focused on their conversation. There might be something she could learn from it. It was odd to be at a dinner table with them speaking English so fluently. In Adrik’s household, Russian became the norm, to the point where it was more soothing than anything else.

It wasn’t business initially, they spoke about the excellent food and the beautiful surroundings. Katia’s father looked just as powerful as Yakov had been, but he had leaned into plastic surgery. Botex kept him wrinkle free, but it also seemed to remove all emotion aside from constant surprise. Jolie couldn’t look at him long enough. He rested a hand on the table, heavy with bulky rings and a bejeweled watch. She searched for anything about him that was real or unaltered, but his hair was dyed, his teeth were bleached, and his skin was tanned. He looked like a sixty-year-old trying to be twenty.

Vincent laughed, a full-hearted fake-ass laugh that Jolie despised. She watched him and saw how he used his manners and spoke like a gentleman. But the tattoos on his face couldn’t be hidden and would always expose him for the ghetto dipshit he was.

Jolie looked down at the silverware. There was a steak knife in front of her, and the more she stared at it, the more it made sense to grab it. She wasn’t going to attack here, not with Helina present, but as much as Vincent hoped his words were assuring, they only induced fear. She didn’t know what he was capable of and wasn’t going to be a victim of his abuse. And if she couldn’t kill him, then she could at least use it on herself .

Jolie slipped the knife in the folds of her dress, but she didn’t know what else to do after that. She had no garter to hide it against her skin. The dress was already tight enough.

“Miss Bell.”

Jolie’s eyes popped up, wide, like a stupid child with her hand in the cookie jar. Mr. Stephanov met her gaze from across the table. His bright-blue eyes were captivating but held no charm. “How has your stay been?”

Jolie glanced at Vincent. He was relaxed in his chair, drinking a glass of wine. The lie came out perfectly. “It’s wonderful.”

“His men behaved?”

“Yes, of course. Helina and I have been safe.”

Katia smiled. “I told you, Papa. Vincent is a sweet man.” She rested a hand on Vincent’s arm. “I wouldn’t bring any man into Helina’s life I didn’t think was good enough.”

Mr. Stephanov sat, unconvinced. “Taking my granddaughter captive isn’t exactly the type of man I want in my family.”

Vincent quickly replied, “Unlike your last son-in-law, I have never ripped off any of your son’s body parts. I’d say I’m a bit higher on that totem pole, even with keeping Helina. I kept her safe. I kept her happy. And I want nothing but the best for her. That is why I kept her tutor on. She continued her studies and can now say a few sentences in English.”

Katia leaned in and told Helina to say what she knew.

Helina nervously licked her lips, and said, “Hi, my name is Helina Morozov. I am the daughter of Adrik Morozov. Please help. ”

Vincent cracked up laughing, and Jolie hung her head to hide her smile. She patted Helina on the shoulder and told her to say something else.

Helina once more concentrated, and with a heavy accent, she said, “I’m hungry. May I please have something to eat? I’m thirsty. May I please have something to drink?”

Jolie stopped her. “We were learning how to communicate with each other. She’s getting it, though.”

“Wonderful,” Mr. Stephanov praised her in Russian, making Helina glow with pride. “I take it the tutor will be coming with us?”

Jolie snapped up, hope like a bullet bursting through her chest. It may not be the best option, but staying here would be detrimental to her. Vincent had made too many passes at her to make her feel safe.

Vincent took a sip of his wine. “No. Not yet. I’ve learned some information and want to see how it pans out. When we are married, I will bring her with me.”

Katia turned her head to Jolie, watching the emotion spread over her face till she bowed her head, trying to hide it. She gripped Vincent’s hand. “Helina will be crushed. Please, let her come.”

He shook his head. “She’ll be fine for two months. They can call each other all they want. Unless, of course, you want an earlier wedding? Perhaps by Christmas.”

Katia stuttered, trying to recover. “I could never prepare in time. That’s six weeks away.”

Vincent leaned up, gently gripping her arm and pulling her in close. “Less of a wait for us,” he whispered, and Katia leaned into him, kissing him.

Then she pushed him away, laughing. “Not in front of my father. ”

Jolie shifted her eyes to the doorway where Gil stood. She watched his face as he stared sightlessly ahead, quiet and stone. He had been Adrik’s brother, given all the leeway a Morozov son was allowed, and now, in Katia’s care, he was a foot soldier, meaning nothing more than a random bodyguard.

He must love Katia more than Jolie could imagine. But how could he stand there and be so closed off as the woman he betrayed Adrik for takes another man? Jolie wondered what Katia promised Gil in the dark. Did he really think she would follow through with any of the things she said?

“Mr. Ortez, I’m going to be honest with you,” Boris began. “Yakov Morozov was a friend of mine for many years. I’m still finding it so hard to believe that you managed to do what you did. I respect you for your tenacity, but at the end of the day, you are a low-level street rat. You are barely holding on to the power you’ve stolen. I could wait until you are devoured and take what is left over. So, I have to ask. Aside from harboring my granddaughter, what do you bring to the table?”

Jolie kept her face hidden behind her hair. There was a smile teasing her lips, a satisfaction at someone putting Vincent in his place. He constantly thought himself above the rest. She wanted him to feel like the cockroach he truly was.

Vincent took a slow sip of his drink before he answered. “My business—”

“Let me reiterate. I can take everything you have right now in seconds. So why should I let you live and, more importantly, marry my daughter?”

Vincent sucked on his teeth. “I know for a fact you are getting charged twice the rate for cocaine than I am.”

Mr. Stephanov snickered. “It is a flat rate from every distributor across the board.”

“Not for me.”

“And how much do you bring in? Five pounds? Fifteen? I bring in sixty thousand pounds a month. It requires more men and resources to bring in such an amount.”

“That’s true. I don’t bring in nearly close to that. But I promise you, I can get it for half as much.” Vincent sat back, smug, and took a sip of his wine before he added, “And there’s always the, ‘If I die, what do you think will happen to your granddaughter?’ problem.”

Katia interrupted, “Father, please. What is this talk? We’ve already agreed.”

Boris tapped on the table. “I hear you are talking to the Utkins.”

Vincent shrugged. “Always have a backup.”

Gil’s phone rang, breaking his frozen form. He clicked it on, and Jolie watched his whole face go white. His eyes widened, his mouth falling open. And then he dived for Mr. Stephanov and whispered into his ear. She strained to hear it, but it didn’t matter. He spoke in Russian.

Mr. Stephanov nodded and abruptly stood. “Something has come up. I’m sorry we must leave.”

Vincent got to his feet, surprised and fearful. “What happened?”

Boris ignored him. “Katia, let’s go.”

As Gil came around to help her out of the chair, she twisted out of his hand. “No. I’m not leaving Helina again.”

Her father eyed her from across the table and then snapped his fingers. Gil hesitated before he pulled out a manilla folder from inside his coat. He was slow, watching Katia as he handed it over. Mr. Stephanov pulled a pen from his pocket and slapped the folder on the table. He scribbled his name three times before he passed it to Vincent.

“Please, hurry. We have to go.”

“I hope everything is alright.” Vincent glanced at one of his soldiers, but the man only shook his head. Vincent signed his name and then pushed it to Katia. She quickly scribbled her signature, taking one sheet and handing the other to Gil, who tucked it back into the folder and slipped it into his coat again.

Vincent held his own pieces of the contract. He shook Boris' hand, thanking him, but her father was quick to disengage, grabbing Katia’s arm as Katia pulled on Helina’s hand.

Jolie got up in a panic. The knife fell to the floor, forgotten, and she raced after them. “Helina,” Jolie cried, dropping to her knees to hold on to the girl.

Helina patted the back of her head. “It’s okay. Mama will take care of me.” Jolie leaned back to memorize her face, every inch of her brow, her bright-blue eyes, and beautiful long curls. For a moment, the world stood still, and it was whole, and everything made sense.

Then Katia pulled her. “Let’s go!” And Helina slipped out of her fingers.

“I love you!” Jolie shouted after her. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

Katia didn’t let up, pulling her out the door, and Helina shouted over her shoulder. “ Love you, JoJo!”

A soldier shut the door, and Jolie was frozen in place. She stared blindly, shocked by the swiftness of her departure. She was left stranded on a deserted island, with only sharks in the water. All ships had sailed. No one was coming to her rescue. She would die here, with only her memories for comfort.

“What the fuck happened?” Vincent ranted behind her. “Find out!” he screamed at his soldiers, and a dozen of them burst into random directions, bumping into each other. Vincent paused when he saw Jolie on the floor. She looked so tragic; it unnerved him. He squatted down in front of her. Tears dripped off her chin and he almost reached out. How she could be so broken up by a kid was ridiculous, but it was just like her. She wasn't meant for this lifestyle and as soon as he was able, he was going find a way to get her out. “Want me to find your cats?”

“Vinny!” Santiago came rushing into the living room, and Vincent popped to his feet. “They were released. The Morozovs.”

Jolie’s head twisted up.

“What?” Vincent bit. “How the fuck did they do that?”

Gunfire started in the background. Jolie’s head snapped around, listening. There were shouts and screams, and a burst of a grenade.

Jolie smiled.

Adrik was coming.