22. Touch
The Toxins had called a truce. Adrik stared at the picture on his phone. On the screen was the man who attacked Jolie. He was handcuffed, with a gag in his mouth. He was bleeding in several places. Under the picture was a text message. ‘ At the dock. Though we weren’t aware that girl was part of your family, we apologize. Let this rectify our disagreement.’
Adrik bit his lip as he clicked off his phone and tossed it on the table. ‘Weren’t aware the girl was yours,’ he repeated. If the Toxins hadn’t gone after her because of Adrik, why did they target her?
Was it simply a hit-and-run?
Had he gone there to rape her?
Adrik shifted uncomfortably as a roll of hot rage spiraled down into his stomach.
“What is it?”Gil wondered, sitting on the other side of Adrik’s desk. He played with a squishy, tossing it up in the air and then squeezing till the beads nearly broke through the skin.
Adrik leaned back in his chair, gesturing to the phone, and Gil took it up to look. He smiled and nodded. “Good stuff.”
“Why did they go after her?”
He shrugged. “Young girl, living alone, new to town. Perfect pickings.”
“The Toxins don’t deal in human trafficking.”
Gil paused, racking his brain. But one thing about Gil, he didn’t like to think. “Don’t know. Have you asked her?”
Adrik looked around his office. The room was three floors up on the opposite end of the house, furthest from his father’s. He liked the sunlight and had glass walls leading to the rooftop terrace that overlooked the pool. There were three men in here, two of them playing pool. ‘Friends,’ they would call themselves, but Adrik kept everyone at arm’s length. A friend had tried to murder him three years ago. The scar on his back was covered by a Grim Reaper tattoo.
Adrik stood, and Gil nearly dropped the ball as he watched him. “Where you going?”
“To ask her.”
Gil jumped to his feet, cursing, nearly falling before he snatched his crutches off the floor. He used every muscle to sway his body forward as fast as possible to catch up. “You know that’s not a good idea. You need to stay away.”
“Avoiding her like the plague is just as obvious as pursuing her.”Adrik stood before the elevator doors, glaring at his reflection. “Meanwhile, my brother is moving in on her.”
“Then, let him.”Gil snatched Adrik’s arm. “Adrik, think about this.”
Adrik fisted his hands on his side, and calmly said, “I am simply going to ask her questions. I’m not going to fuck her.”
Gil scoffed. “You think I don’t know you? You need to stay away from her.”
Adrik stared at the open elevator. He knew he should listen, but he didn’t want to. He stepped into the elevator, and Gil was shaking his head.
“Try not to get caught.”
Adrik could at least follow that advice. He shut off his phone, unsure if he was being tracked or not. He fixed the collar of his shirt in the reflection of the elevator doors, flicking some black hair back into place. He cursed himself for doing something so trite. He actually felt nervous.
It’s just questions,he reminded himself, but he knew going to her bedroom always ignited a flame of hope for something more.
Adrik had kept as busy as possible this past week. He packed his schedule with the stupidest shit, hoping to avoid Jolie at all costs. And the one day he gave himself to relax and regroup, he found himself heading to her door. It was pathetic. But it didn’t seem to stop him.
Adrik dived into his daughter’s room. Helina was at her desk, writing while Jolie stood behind her. She still wore the maxi dress from this morning that amplified all her curves with insane accuracy. He could see the outline of her ‘grandma’ panties, and it did nothing to cripple his attraction.
Adrik cleared his throat and spoke in Russian. “It’s time for a break. Go find Esfir.”
“Yes!”Helina squealed, darting out the door.
Jolie crossed her arms. “We still have twenty minutes left. Where did she go?”
Adrik shut the door behind him, and he met her eyes. “You shouldn’t come to breakfast.”
Jolie leaned back on the table. “I learned that on my first day. But your father requested it. Should I ignore it?”
Adrik slipped his hands into his pockets to keep him from approaching her. Distance was his friend. “Why?”
She shrugged. It made him go over every moment of the last two weeks. There was no way his father would suspect anything. But it could be more about getting her and Katia together. “Do you plan to go dress shopping with Katia?”
“I don’t think I have a choice. I’m beginning to see why you guys walk on eggshells around him.”
The insult nearly choked him, and he nipped, “I don’t walk around on eggshells.”
She winced with a suppressed smile. “Sorry. I hit a soft spot.”
He sneered. “I can rule this family without him.”
“Okay!” she squeaked. “I’m sorry. You’re the man.” But her smile only got bigger.
Adrik realized then what she was doing. “You’re teasing me.”
She proudly smirked, her hands resting on the table. “A little payback.”
Adrik ground his teeth. It wasn’t anger he was feeling. It was something much more primal than he wanted to admit. He kept still and glared, because anything else would give away exactly what he was feeling.
Then a smile slipped on his lips. “I can see your nipples.”
With incredible speed, she slapped her arms over her chest. Her smug expression turned horrified. “You’re an ass.”
He chuckled deep in his throat. “Don’t play a game if you don’t want to be beaten.”
“Was there something you wanted?” Jolie left then, heading into her bedroom through the side door. He followed behind, quiet, observing. She dug into a drawer, pulled something out, and disappeared into the bathroom.
Adrik sat in the chair, hating how her bed was the most significant and noticeable thing in the room. “I wanted to warn you about Katia. She isn’t exactly trustworthy. Don’t believe what you hear.”
When Jolie came out again, she stood before him boldly, with her hands on her hips. It was almost a dare to look at her breasts, and he had no problem taking it. He flicked his eyes to her bosom but was disappointed that her nipples were no longer so prominent. As much as he enjoyed nipple pasties on a naked woman, it was discouraging that she took away one of her best features.
Jolie smiled, fake and forced, before she sat down. “She’s been super nice so far. And the only person that talks to me,” Jolie admitted, avoiding his gaze. She didn’t want to sound pathetic, but the truth was, living here was incredibly lonely. And this came from someone who had lived alone in a strange city for the past three months, with no friends. She felt unwanted and discarded. Mostly because Adrik had been completely avoiding her.
Jolie knew life here wouldn’t be easy, but she had never imagined it to be boring and depressing. The only purpose she had was to get up and teach Helina. After four o’clock, Jolie dived into her room and didn’t return until the following day. All her meals were brought to her. If she didn’t have something to read, she’d have gone insane by now. She felt too afraid to go for walks. She felt too intimidated to ask to go anywhere. If she needed anything from the store, she handed a list to Esfir, and the items would be delivered an hour later. She missed all the mundane chores that she used to hate, like cleaning and reorganizing. Everything was taken care of by someone else.
And on top of all of this, there was the stress of helping Agent Mally.
Jolie needed help figuring out how to get her the information she wanted. And she was afraid to try. She wasn’t used to this type of betrayal. She was a nice person, someone people trusted, and she didn’t know how to be a spy.
Jolie peeked at Adrik, but he was currently picking lint off his pants. What did a mafia ruler care about her living situation? She was quick to brighten herself up. “Helina’s so smart. She’s gonna be speaking English in no time.”
Adrik folded his hands in his lap. “Regardless, Katia is not your friend. Don’t be fooled.”
Her brows knitted. She felt like he wasn’t listening to a word she was saying. “Okay.”
“And my brother. He is not who you think he is.”
Jolie let her aggravation shine. “Yeah, none of you are; you’re mafia.” Jolie stood. “Like, what am I supposed to do? Not talk to anyone? I already have no one here. Stop trying to take away the only people that will talk to me.”
“I’m talking to you.”
“Yeah, the first time in days. And according to you, you’re the only person I can trust. Great.”
Adrik hated passive-aggressive attitudes. It was a pet peeve. “I’m not paying you to have friends.”
“I’m doing my job, but you can’t control how I live despite how hard you try.”
He paused, trying to figure out why that hurt him. “Is that what you think? I’m trying to control you?”
“Yes,” she sighed.
Adrik looked out the window. This wasn’t the first time someone accused him of being controlling. It was a trait he had gotten from his father and one he was desperate to destroy.
But there was a reason he was the way he was. “Perhaps I am. But it’s for your safety.”
“Why? Am I too stupid—”
“Not stupid,” he cut her off, refusing to let her put words in his mouth. “But ignorant. Unless you’ve suddenly educated yourself on the culture of the Russian Mafia.” He stared at her and waited for a battle, but he knew he was right when she bowed her head. “I understand this life is an adjustment. But focus on the benefits.”
Jolie nodded, blinking back the tears. She didn’t know why she hoped he’d fix it, break this weird wall between them. She wanted the man who first came in with a smirk on his lips. Not this emotionless husk. “I am,” she murmured, if only to appear grateful. “I’ll be able to save. I can pay back my student loans. I can eventually send my parents some money, and they can get a new car. Maybe even get them to Disney; they’ve always wanted to be one of those old couples that go all the time. This is just a momentary sacrifice.” She sniffed, clearing her head, and pushed back all the sadness. She needed to focus on the ultimate goal of why she was doing this.
I’m not here for a relationship,she reminded herself. It doesn’t matter how he treats me. I’m a tutor. Nothing else.
Adrik suddenly changed the subject. “The police are having a hard time finding your attacker.”
Her smile drifted.
“I thought perhaps I could help.”
Her fingers reached for a chair. “He’s still out there?”
She didn’t know why she believed the police would have no trouble tracking down her intruder. It seemed like such an easy thing to do. She had given them a description of his face. She had done her part. So, why hadn’t they done theirs?
Jolie sat down, holding her ribs as if the pain suddenly escalated. It had been two weeks, and she was just now able to breathe without a problem. Her bruises were slowly fading, and the nightmares weren’t as intense. But it was under the belief that her attacker was off the streets.
“Can you think of any reason someone would attack you?”
She scoffed. “Aside from knowing you?”
“The Toxins had no reason to come after me.”
Her brows knitted, and she shook her head. Her thoughts were weaving all through her features, but she stayed silent, staring at the ground.
“He came from the window,” she suddenly began. She cleared her throat, forcing out the terrible emotions the memories stirred. “He could have shot me, but he didn’t. He wanted to hurt me. I ran to the bathroom, but he started beating the door down. I set his mask on fire with hairspray and a lighter.”
Adrik smirked and repeated, “You set his mask on fire?”
Jolie could see the humor in his face. It made her proud. “Yeah.”
“I’m impressed.” Adrik rested his elbows on his knees, two inches from her, and if he dared, he could reach out and touch her hand. “Maybe your thoughts on gun control—”
“Haven’t changed!”
He chuckled, his eyes light, and he admired the smile that graced her lips.
Even as the seconds ticked by, simply staring at her, Adrik felt no need to be anywhere else. In her presence was enough. He soaked her in like a wet dog in the sunlight. She warmed him to his core.
He tried so hard to remain distant, but he was losing the fight. He could only pretend not to care for so long until he broke. Now, Adrik found himself saying, “Go out with me tonight.” He didn’t regret it. He had spent weeks apart from her already. He needed a recharge before he forced himself to go any longer.
“Okay.”
A finger stretched, touching her knuckle. Adrik kept his eyes on hers, suddenly desperate to get her to understand how much he was hiding, how he was pretending. Her cheeks reddened, but the desire was very much in her eyes, and she swallowed, parched, as her heart rate escalated.
Adrik added a second finger, a feathery touch across her knuckles. He couldn’t believe such a small action would cause him to lose his breath. It was dangerous, but it was the kind that excited him. He wanted to feel her skin atop his, with her lips at his ear.
But a reminder came swiftly through the fantasy. If Katia or a servant came in right now, it would be over. She’d be taken from him.
Adrik sat up suddenly, breaking from her. “Wait for a text.” He dived out of the room, feeling like a fucking coward.