12. Interview
When Jolie got home, she couldn”t force herself out of the doorway. Her back pressed against the wall as she looked around. Her home was a square box. Where had the man hidden? In the bathroom? On the fire escape? Could they be out there now?
Her cats meowed at her feet. They had wisely stayed hidden during the attack, and Jolie thanked God for their fear of strangers. She should have realized when they hadn”t greeted her the moment she came back from the gym that something was wrong. She hugged them and cried into their skin, but they were hungry, and Jolie forced herself out of misery and into action. Caring for someone else and ignoring every fear in her body was easy. Her cats needed her.
Once her cats were eating, Jolie could feel the terror creep up inside her again. There was no one else to care for, to take her mind off the horrible intrusion. With shaking hands, she called her mom, Heather.
”Hey, baby, I was just thinking about you.”
Tears sprung to her eyes, and her lip trembled, but she didn”t want her mom to worry. ”Hey, how was your day?”
With her voice sputtering random things, Jolie approached her bathroom. There were broken pieces of the door and charred remains on the wood. Everything was left where she had dropped it.
”—and he thought it was so funny. He”s lucky I don”t have other options right now.”
”Mom,” Jolie chastised. ”You”d be lost without Derek.” Her mother liked to talk a big game, but Jolie”s stepdad was her foundation. They had married when Jolie was five. Derek was the only father she remembered, while her biological father had been killed in a car accident.
Jolie attempted to clean. She turned to her broken coffee table, pieces shattered from where she landed. The pain in her ribs amplified, as if it knew what had happened.
”I might make it on my own,” Heather responded. ”Think of how much time I”d save not picking up the towels off the bathroom floor every day. Or cleaning his coffee mug every morning. Or not having him ramble on about the stock market. I could have a whole garden by now.”
Jolie got a garbage bag from under the sink, waving it open. Her movements were slow. Her body didn”t want to move, and yet, she couldn”t leave all the broken pieces lying on the floor, reminding her of what happened.
”Did you get to work out this morning? It”s so good for you. My yoga class is amazing, and I”ll never miss a day.”
On and on, she went, saying things she”d already said earlier this week, but that was the thing about her mom. Whenever Jolie talked to her, Heather never made her feel like she didn”t have time or that she was busy. Jolie felt wanted, and the fear began to fade away. She rested her burdens in her mom”s hands even though she didn”t know it.
”I”m going out tonight,” Jolie cut in.
”With who?”
”A guy I met at the gym.”
”A guy you met? Why am I just hearing about this now?”
”Because it just happened. And it”s not what you think. He wants me to tutor his daughter.”
”Well, that”s a new one.”
Jolie rolled her eyes. ”How can you hate him already? You know absolutely nothing.”
The protective mother in her faded, and she said, ”Okay, you”re right. Tell me about him. What”s his name?”
”Well, um—” Jolie contemplated, needing to be very selective with her words. ”Adrik. He”s very nice. Well-mannered. Married,” she stressed to relieve her. ”So this isn”t a date. It”s an interview, I guess.”
”Uh-huh. Will his wife be there?”
”Well, no…”
”Can you admit that you are a little gullible? I mean, Vincent was able to convince you—”
”I don”t want to talk about Vincent. I was a teenager!” Jolie exasperated. ”Can I get some leeway, please?”
”You are smart, and you still fell for his charms.”
Jolie bitterly fought back with, ”I”m a grown woman now.”
”With minimal experience. I”m just saying thousands of men out there will treat you well, and they have no agenda and aren”t married.”
”This isn”t a date!” She winced, holding her ribs. Water stung the back of her eyes, and she fell on the couch with little energy. The noise didn”t go unnoticed, and Jolie was quick to assure her. ”I hurt myself at the gym. I”m fine.”
”Okay, I”ll back off. It”s just going to dinner with a nice, well-mannered married man. Nothing wrong with that.”
Jolie dropped her head on the couch. ”You know, sometimes you are more cynical than I like.”
”A personal flaw, but you love me anyway.”
Jolie fidgeted in her seat in the limo. She was in pain. Every breath she took was like a sledgehammer to her ribcage, and it didn”t seem to matter how she sat; nothing eased it. But she had to pretend. She wasn”t a hundred percent sure that Adrik wasn”t to blame for her attack, but it didn”t make sense. He wanted her to befriend him.
Mally said it was Adrik”s enemies, and if that were the case, if Adrik found out, would he want to retaliate? She couldn”t have any blood on her hands. The police were doing their job, and she trusted in the process. She”d have to hide it from him and pray he never found out.
Jolie was sure what she was wearing wasn”t good enough: a Friends T-shirt and jeans with flip-flops. But when she asked the odd person on the phone what she should wear, they replied with “casual,” and this was her casual. Her lack of pretty dresses with sleeves showed she had lived in Florida her whole life. Wearing anything sleeveless wasn”t currently an option, because of the massive welt on her bicep. Even now, it threatened to poke through under her shirt, but she couldn”t find an excuse to wear a sweater. The heat was near a hundred, and the humidity made the air barely breathable.
It”s not like I”m dressing to impress anyway.
Jolie had standards, and Adrik didn”t fit those guidelines despite how gorgeous he was and how he looked at her with promises of a long night of porn-rated lovemaking.
Love making, she belittled herself for the romantic in her. That”s not what he does.
Jolie repositioned herself for the fifth time. ”How much longer?” she asked the driver. It had taken her some time to get into the car, but they all insisted they drive her. With the pen in her purse and a silly pocketknife, she felt that there was some defense against him if something were to go wrong.
These guards tried to take her cell phone, but she refused that request. There was no way in hell she would journey into hell without a phone.
She texted her mom. ”The driver is about five foot ten. Russian. With a beard. A fat nose.” She was relaying everything that was happening, and it helped ease her fear. But she had still gotten in the car.
Why? Why am I risking my life?
Her mother texted back. ”Pull out a piece of hair and put it under one of the seats.”
Jolie giggled at the absurdity. But found herself rubbing her hands through her hair.
Beneath the fear, there lay the excitement she was trying to suppress. The wonderment of what”s gonna happen next. And the very plain fact that she”ll be able to talk to Adrik again, because despite how much she didn”t want to, she really, really enjoyed listening to him talk. His accent was like butter on a cinnamon roll. It”s not everyone”s taste, but she couldn”t get enough of it.
The car stopped, and the driver got out. Jolie sat there and took a deep breath, wincing, blowing out regretfully.
You”re fine. You”re going to do something for your country. They”ll write about you in history books. You”ll write an autobiography for your kids that will be worth reading.
The door opened.
If you ever have kids, and don”t die a horrible and utterly preventable death.
Jolie got out and deflated at the sign: TGI Fridays. She looked at the driver and watched him lead her to the front door, where he held it open for her. She was still unsure even as she peeked her head inside like it would be radically transformed into expensive dining.
Adrik sat at a barstool and smiled wide, waving her in.
She approached cautiously, and he got up to greet her, moving in to kiss her cheek. ”Sit. Sit. What would you like to drink?” He guided her to a booth, and Jolie had to think about how she would sit without pain showing on her face. And then a great excuse came to her lips as she sat, taking huge breaths. He watched her, and she quickly answered his unasked question. ”The gym. I think I hurt my ribs somehow.”
”You need a proper spot.”
When the waitress popped up, Jolie asked for a Coke.
Adrik chided, sitting across from her. ”Come on. You are out, and you don”t need to drive. Have a drink with me.”
”No, I”m good.” Aside from her not liking any liquor, mixing it with painkillers didn”t sound like a good idea.
He conceded, ordering a beer. ”I”m happy you came.”
”Me too. I love TGI Fridays.” She propped her purse beside her, sticking her hand in to flick the pen on. It kick-started the fear in her heart. She was grateful when the server brought her drink. She took a long gulp of it and then ended up burping. She covered her mouth in embarrassment and quickly sipped her soda to stuff it down.
Adrik pointed to her shirt. ”I know Friends. Chandler”s my favorite.”
”Phoebe”s mine.”
”I know why you like her.”
”Oh?”
”She”s odd. Like you.”
”Excuse me, I”m not odd.”
”It is good to be odd.”
Food was brought over by the server, surprising Jolie. It was a ton of appetizers, from wings to quesadillas to mini burgers. Adrik watched her. ”I didn”t know what you liked.”
Jolie nodded. ”So you ordered everything instead of waiting. Makes sense.”
He popped a fry in his mouth as he chuckled. ”I like to impress.”
Jolie suppressed a laugh, a hand to her rib cage as she fought it.
”If you came to my gym, you wouldn”t be hurting.”
”Which one is yours?”
”My house.” He smirked.
Jolie rolled her eyes, sinking into his charm like a dinosaur in tar. She hated how good he was at making her forget he was a mafia member. TGI Fridays didn”t help either.
He”s not an ordinary man,she reminded herself. Average men don”t kill people.
On crutches, the man she met at the shootout came toward them. Adrik shifted over to let him sit, and he groaned, stretching out his leg as he propped the crutches against the table. Gil held his hand to her in greeting. ”Miss Bell.”
”Gil, right?”
Gil had acne scars on his face and messy blond hair. He was skinny, like Adrik, but not as fit. Compared to Adrik, he looked homely, even in a suit.
Gil kept a bright, obviously fake smile even as he mumbled toward Adrik in Russian. Jolie knew he was talking about her and watched them in a vain effort to figure out what they were saying.
Adrik didn”t like what Gil said, picking at the fries on the table like a chastised child. Jolie could feel the tension and nervously shifted in her seat, groaning as her ribs burned intensely. She didn”t know how much longer she could sit. And she didn”t think she could eat either. She was too nervous with the pen recording their conversation. How far away were the Feds? Were they close enough to stop Adrik from killing her if he caught on to what she was doing?
That”s when the guilt trickled in.
Why does he have to be nice? Show me your mean side.
Jolie forced a bite of food. ”You guys are brothers, right?”
”It”s questionable,” Adrik bit.
”Yes,” Gil answered, nudging him. ”I was orphaned at four, and Adrik”s parents adopted me.”
Boy, was she a sucker for adorable stories like that. ”That”s really sweet.”
”Yes”—Gil glanced at Adrik—”sweet.”
She felt like he was making fun of her, but she wasn”t ashamed of being a softy. She enjoyed that about herself. There weren”t many people left that cried at romcoms anymore.
Gil spoke in Russian again, more annoyance in the sound of his voice.
She watched Adrik and met his aggravated gaze, slightly hoping to see the madman beneath, to stop herself from liking him. But she also prayed he continued to show this version of himself—a controlled, level-headed, sweet man. Maybe instead of Agent Mally trying to go after Adrik, she could convince her that Adrik was innocent and everyone around him was the terror.
”Khvatit,”Adrik hissed in Russian, turning his head to Gil. There was a staring contest that made her nervous. She hugged her purse, as if the touch would warn the FBI.
Gil slapped a hand on Adrik”s neck, squeezing slightly, and laughed as he said something else.
”Forgive him,” Adrik said, returning his attention to Jolie. ”He isn”t around Americans often. He forgets it”s rude to speak in another language.”
Gil held up a hand. ”Yes, Miss Bell, I apologize.”
Jolie shook her head. ”Well, I”m twenty percent Russian if that makes you feel better.” She was hoping to ease the tension. Adrik appreciated it as he smiled at her.
Gil nodded in approval. ”Blood is critical in our family. Our DNA makes us who we are. And who we are loyal to.”
Adrik chewed the inside of his lip, staring out the window. There was discouragement on his face, but he said nothing, and Jolie sipped on her drink, unsure what to do now.
Thankfully, Jolie”s phone rang. ”Sorry. It”s my mother.” She clicked it off.
”How do you know without looking at it?”
”Because she”s waiting to make sure I haven”t been murdered or sold.”
Adrik laughed, and Gil sneered, shaking his head.
”You are very close with your parents,” Adrik pointed out. ”I am, too. Close with my mother and father.”
”I think it”s family that makes us who we are. Not our blood.”
”Yes.” Adrik proudly nodded. ”Yes, good point.”
Gil was gonna reply, but Adrik”s phone rang. He took it from the inside of his coat pocket. Gil cut himself off to watch Adrik, confused about who was calling. ”Morgan.” He glanced at Gil, as if it was a surprise. He put it to his ear. ”Go.”
Jolie watched with interest, wondering if he”d give himself away. She didn”t know if the listening device could hear the conversation. But she hoped the agent got everything she needed because Jolie didn”t think she could do this again. She could barely swallow her drink because of the amount of worry in her throat.
Adrik”s gaze flicked up to her, and Jolie went cold.
He murmured something in Russian.
Jolie felt her body begin to tremble.
He passed the phone to Gil and simply sat and stared at her.
She couldn”t take her gaze away from him. He found out about the listening device. She should have known he”d have people to check her over. She should have never thought she could get away with something like this. He”s been in the mafia world since he was born. He was too observant, too calculating.
Jolie couldn”t remember how far she was from the door. Where were the guards? There were always guards.
Adrik sat back. ”You lied to me.”
How did she fight her case? Did she try, or should she simply run?
”Adrik—”
”Show me.”
Tears burned in her eyes. He wouldn”t understand. He wouldn”t see the position he had put her in. She wanted a future for the children at her school. She put so much time and effort into their well-being, and to know that so many of them would be snatched away had gotten to her.
Adrik ground his teeth. ”You told me it was the gym.”
Her brows knitted, and then she realized he had found out about her attack. She didn”t know which was worse. Now, instead of her dying, would someone else be killed? How was that any better? A tear fell from her cheek, and she didn”t know if it was from relief or stress.
”Show me.”
With a shaking hand, Jolie lifted her shirt. The welt expanded across her ribs, black and purple, like someone tossed paint on her white skin.
He didn”t show any reaction, not that she could see.
Adrik nodded, chewing his lip and looking out the window before coming back to her. His blue eyes were dark in disappointment.
Jolie quickly fought. ”I didn”t want anyone to get hurt.”
”So you hurt me instead. Lies to me are like knife wounds. They are a reminder to trust no one. Is that how you want to start this off?”
Tears dripped down her cheeks. She hated how clear he was with his pain. She hadn”t expected that from him.
Adrik stood with Gil. He threw two hundred dollars on the table, refusing to look at her. ”Edik will take you home.”
With her purse over her shoulder, she shifted in the seat, wincing with every movement. Adrik hated it and clenched his fists as he watched her. She used the table more than she needed to. Unable to stop himself, he grabbed her arm to help her stand, but she squealed in pain, and he released her like he touched a hot pan. The guilt on her face made him reach for her sleeve. A bruised handprint marred her skin. It was another dose of lighter fluid to a building inferno.
Adrik turned away from her, no longer sure he could hide what was happening inside him. He approached Edik. ”Take her home. Inspect the house. Stay with her until I call.”
Adrik walked out of the restaurant even as he heard Jolie yell his name. The door to his car was already open, and Gil was on his way to the passenger seat.
”Adrik, please.” Jolie rushed to him, diving in front of him, with her hands on his chest. ”It doesn”t matter. I”m fine, I”m fine.”
He kept moving. ”You are not fine. Do not hurt yourself. Go with Edik.” He went to get in the car, but she grabbed his arm.
”Don”t kill anyone.” She wrapped her arms around him, and he stopped. ”Please, please. Don”t. I couldn”t live with myself.”
Adrik kept his hands at his side as he stared outwardly, unable to give in to her demands even while knowing if he didn”t, there was a chance she would never forgive him. It was too early in this budding ”friendship,” but how could he let anyone get away with hurting what belonged to him?
”Live with me,” Adrik found himself saying.
Jolie pulled back, tears ruining her eyeliner.
”Be a tutor for my daughter.”
The ultimatum was clear. Immerse herself in his life, or someone dies tonight. It wasn”t an option. There was no choice, because the latter was too much. She felt defeated that he had snagged her, like a fish that had been swimming along enjoying life when a net wrapped around them and yanked them from the water. She felt like that fish, struggling to gasp for air.
Jolie could only nod.
”Edik will take you home. Rest. Someone will come tomorrow.”
”And you promise, right? You aren”t going to hurt anyone.”
Adrik was hesitant, looking her over. He wasn”t a liar, but he learned to skirt around the truth long ago. ”I will leave it for the cops.”
What she didn”t understand was the police were in the palm of his hand.
The stress in her shoulders fell away, and she smiled. ”Thank you.”
Adrik dropped in the car and shut the door, watching as Edik directed her to the car. He didn”t want to let her go, but he had no place by her side. Not when he was trying to pass her off as a tutor. He would have to pretend he didn”t know her, if only to keep her safe.
Adrik waited until her car pulled away. ”Drive.”
Gil sat beside him. ”Am I calling Morgan?”
Morgan was their partner at the police station. ”Make sure they make it look like an accident.”
”And what should we do about the Toxins? Why did they go after your girl?”
The Toxins were a small 200-person group that dwelled between Orlando and Tampa. They had their own company, selling guns to pimps and drug lords.
Why was a good question. Perhaps they saw Adrik and Jolie talking outside by the gym. But as far as he knew, he hadn”t upset anyone in their gang, so why would they risk retribution?
”Interrupt their weapon distribution without looking obvious. A lost shipment or a missed payment. A turf war with the Garcias will kill them off.”
”And you can continue to pretend with this woman.”
Adrik curled his fist. ”I heard enough at dinner. I won”t hear anymore.”
”Be reasonable, Adrik. You know what you are risking.”
There would always be a risk. No matter what he did. But there was no reward without risk.
But what was the reward?
Being around a woman I cannot have.
It was stupid and childish, and yet it hadn”t stopped him.
He had gotten what he wanted.
As he always did.
Adrik picked at his lips to hide his smile.