The Dark Side: A Mafia Romance Thriller (Morozov Mafia Series Book 1)

35. Acting

Jolie was exhausted, spending most of the night tossing and turning, thinking about Adrik. She was trying to decide if her idea to wait was because of something she wanted or something her mother had constantly spewed into her head. She was twenty-three, and getting pregnant in high school was no longer a worry. But still, she hadn”t been on birth control since Vincent was taken to jail. And her experience with condoms was always odd and uncomfortable. She was typically too dry, and it hurt when he would shove into her.

Just thinking about it eased some of the intense passion she was feeling. Jolie ended up giving herself two orgasms through the night, and it still wasn”t enough to stop the intruding thoughts of Adrik licking her nipple.

Or maybe I”m waiting because I”m a piece of shit.Jolie had to face the fact that she was lying to Adrik. She was working for the FBI, and if she kept going down this path and gave information to Mally, there would be no reconciliation. Adrik would see it as a betrayal. He”d abandon her.

A knock on her door provoked her out of her room. Katia stood on the other side.

”Good morning. Would you walk with me to breakfast?”

Jolie looked down at her pajamas.

”Oh, you”re not ready?” Katia mocked. ”I”ll wait.”

Jolie almost slammed the door in her face. Sometimes, she thought Katia was sweet, and then she”d reveal herself in broad daylight. It reminded her of Adrik”s warnings. Still, Jolie was desperate enough for a friend that she”d take the insults with a smile.

When Jolie exited, Katia was leaning against the wall in jeans and a T-shirt. And the look on her face said, ”Not much better.”

”Did you enjoy yourself last night?” Katia wondered casually.

Jolie”s eyes widened, and though she knew the woman wasn”t talking about her self-care, it was still embarrassing. ”Yeah, it was fun.”

”I don”t think I”ve seen Alexei laugh so much. It was a nice change.”

It was surprising to hear because Alexei seemed to be the funniest of the group.

”You were certainly the talk of the night. Even in that dress.”

Jolie knew she was going to bring it up. ”Yeah, I”m sorry. I just didn”t feel comfortable in the one you chose.”

”Now, everyone calls you the ”thrift shop girl.” I guess it is better than being called ”the American.””

Horror doused her. ”They do?”

”Oh, yes. Among other things. How you could possibly think what you wore was more appropriate than the five-thousand-dollar designer dress we picked out, I can”t understand. Perhaps, next time, you will follow my advice. If you are invited next time, that is.”

They entered the dining room. It was raining outside, so the dining table was set up exquisitely. Thunder rumbled beneath their feet. They were the first to arrive, and Katia excused herself, diving down a hallway to the workers” quarters. Jolie didn”t question it. She sat stiff, watching the rain pour into the pool.

Jolie hadn”t intended to embarrass herself as severely as she did. It wasn”t a good way to wiggle herself into Adrik”s family. She would need to let some of her old tendencies go if she wanted to be in his life. And that meant following Katia”s advice.

Adrik and Alexei came into the room. The smell of their colognes preceded them, snapping her head to the doorway as they walked in. They wore the same suit, nearly identical to their gelled black hair, collars open to expose the barest of their chests, and shining black dress shoes. And though they looked alike, Adrik gained all of her attention. The tattoo on the side of his neck, the necklace that rested against his collarbone, the way he touched his cuff before resting his hands on the back of his chair—his mannerisms were enough to make her fall to her knees.

”Good morning,” he greeted, stiffly scanning the room for privacy.

Jolie dropped her gaze to the food in front of her. She had forgotten for a moment that she wasn”t allowed to look at him. Especially with the amount of awe she was feeling.

Alexei sat in the chair next to her. ”Hey, you come here often?” Jolie grinned, giggling.

Adrik wasn”t going to withstand any of that shit today. He snapped in Russian, ”Enough with the teacher.”

Alexei flicked his rebellious blue eyes up, replying, ”Do you have something to say, brother?”

Adrik met Alexei”s gaze, a warning that he didn”t want to give. ”Your infatuation is obvious.”

Alexei sneered. ”My infatuation? I am doing this for you. To take father”s eyes off of you.”

A servant came in and stopped their conversation. Adrik sat, unbuttoned his black coat, and waited for the servant to fill his mug before he sipped his steaming coffee.

Jolie questioned, ”Is everything okay?”

”Fine,” Adrik bit.

Alexei wasn”t about to let it go so quickly. He waited till the servant left the room. ”My brother is jealous because he has no sense of humor.”

Adrik scoffed, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. But he found himself unable to reply because it was the annoying truth. He didn”t know how to make Jolie laugh like Alexei did, which bothered him severely. He was good at everything, but the only thing Alexei excelled at was jokes. And killing people.

Alexei took a bite of a bagel, and said in Russian, ”She is obsessed with you. Maybe because she hasn”t seen your dick yet.”

Adrik snorted, dropping his head, chuckling low.

Alexei smiled and winked at Jolie, assuring her their relationship remained intact.

”Aww, you guys are so cute,” Jolie gushed. ”Nothing is better than siblings that are best friends.”

Alexei agreed, ”He is my best friend. But he”s also the bane of my existence.”

When Yakov and Tatianna came through, the feeling of the table drifted to anxiety and annoyance. It was crazy how someone”s presence could do so much. Katia rejoined a moment after, greeting them with intense happiness that Jolie found awkward. The conversation was mainly about the party, with a contemptuous talk about Agent Mally in their midst. At least Jolie wasn”t the only one who didn”t like that woman.

Adrik and Alexei stood up.

”Where are you two off to?” Their father sat back, interested.

”Puerto Rico.”

”What for?” their mother asked.

”To check on merchandise.”

”And you both must go?” Adrik leaned over and kissed his mother”s cheek. She patted his face. ”Be safe.”

Katia got up, and Adrik straightened as she leaned in, kissing his cheek. He rested a hand on her hip, looking down at her. ”You enjoyed last night?” he whispered heavily in seduction.

Jolie”s eyes widened, her fork mindlessly touching the eggs. She could feel the dread pour into her like lava, suffocating her heart. The room went quiet, and she could only hear the pounding in her ears. Her body went stiff, hot, and unbearable.

”There”s nothing between Katia and I.”Adrik had assured her, yet here it was. Undeniable, unerasable. The image would stay with her for the rest of her life. How he looked at Katia had been how he looked at her last night. He used the same tone that could make her knees shutter and liquefy her insides.

Tears were pushing against her eyes, and her breath was coming in panicked pants, but she remembered she was at the table. She swallowed, shutting a door in her brain, clamping a lid on the ticking timebomb.

Jolie put a spoonful of egg in her mouth. It was tasteless, but thankfully, her body automatically knew to chew.

Katia giggled and buried her face into his neck. ”I don”t want you to go.”

”I”ll be back soon. Perhaps”—Adrik touched her stomach—”you will have a surprise for me.”

Jolie nearly gagged on her food. A baby? Were they trying to have a baby?

Katia held his hand, rolling her eyes playfully. ”Too soon, darling.” He kissed her temple, and they separated.

Adrik kissed his father”s cheek. ”We will text when we land.”

”Nothing dangerous, I hope?”

Alexei slapped a hand on Adrik”s back, ”Wouldn”t dream of putting your favorite in danger.”

Yakov chuckled, and reminded, ”A parent has no favorites. That being said, if you come back without him, you might as well not come back.”

Alexei laughed a dry and forced laugh. He glanced at Jolie and received a weak wave. ”I”ll call you,” he boldly stated, glancing at his father for a reaction but Yakov yanked up his newspaper and stayed quiet.

Jolie flinched when the door shut. Her hand fell numbly in her lap. Adrik was sleeping his wife. It shouldn’t sound so absurd or heartbreaking and yet, it was. She told herself it was a wake-up call. She needed to see it to fully realize what was going on. This was not a life she wanted for herself. Adrik was not husband material. He was not father material. There was nothing that could come from him but heartache.

Jolie slipped into her pocket and clicked the pen. This is why she came: to find a way to bring down this mafia family that had destroyed the lives of thousands of people. She would find something substantial that she could use so that by the time Adrik returned, she could leave.

Jolie focused her attention on Yakov. He had a scar on his chin, and the stubble refused to grow. He had a fat nose, long ears, and dark, cold eyes. Yakov read some papers, holding one up, inspecting it. He shoved food into his mouth, chewing grotesquely. All her hatred for Adrik bubbled up and directed toward him. Katia spoke in Russian, and they had a conversation that she couldn”t be a part of, but she continued to sit there, hoping something they said would be relevant.

Tatianna surprised her, calling her name, ”Miss Bell, you are a most wonderful girl. First, you saved my granddaughter, and now you make my son smile. We must get together and have some girl time.”

Jolie met Yakov”s gaze. As dead as she felt inside, he still sparked a flame of fear, but she dared him now to make a threat so the police could use it. Instead, he smiled. ”Yes, I must say, it is a nice change.”

Jolie couldn”t stand the lie. Did Tatianna know how he had threatened her? How well did this woman know her husband?

Jolie’s phone rang, much to her surprise. It was eight in the morning on a Sunday. Her mother should be at church. Jolie took up the phone, finding the number private. She almost ignored it, but something told her to answer it.

”Hello.”

”Say ‘hi, Mom.’” It was Adrik, and the pain she had stuffed down nearly boiled over.

The words took a moment to process, and even then, she didn”t know how to make her voice sound the same. ”Hey, mom.”

”Excuse yourself from the table.”

After a moment to find a way to move, Jolie stood. ”Excuse me,” she whispered, and Yakov waved a hand.

”Go down the hall to the right.”

”No, I can talk,” Jolie said as she hastened for the exit.

”Keep going till you see the painting of Ivan the Terrible and his son.”

”Dad didn”t mean it.” She played along, her voice echoing.

”Turn left and go through the door.”

Jolie had never been down here because it was the ’servants’ quarters. She went through the door to another hallway, but it was empty. She found a storage closet and dived, leaning against the door. Tears were already in her eyes.

”You alone?”

Jolie struggled to keep any emotion from her voice. She didn”t want to talk. She didn”t want to hear what he had to say. It would be excuses and a bunch of bullcrap. She knew how cheaters manipulated and lied. She couldn”t count the times when she saw Vincent talking to another girl, and he made her feel stupid for thinking he”d cheat on her. She always ended up apologizing for thinking the worst.

”Yeah,” she murmured against her will.

”Listen to me and listen closely because I will not say it again. I did not fuck Katia.”

She rolled her eyes as tears fell down her cheek.

”Katia and I are pretending to appease my father. Katia hates me, Jolie, and I despise her.”

Jolie squeezed her eyes shut. Relief came so quickly, and she hated it. She believed him instantly, like an idiot. ”You seemed pretty comfortable.”

”You cannot fault me for being a good actor.” The cockiness made her want to hit him, and at the same time, a smile broke for a second on her lips before it fell. The pain of deception still lingered. Had she learned nothing from the years with a liar? They knew what to say and how to reel you back in like a fish for slaughter.

”You doubt me?”

”I”ve been through this before.”

”Do not compare me to your childish romance from years ago. It”s insulting.”

Jolie stayed quiet. Her doubts were continuous, but she knew it was a personal issue. She wasn”t confident in their relationship. It was one of the reasons why she decided to wait. She didn”t want to struggle with trust when trust is one of the fundamentals of a strong relationship.

”Do you think I would risk my reputation to ruin this with you? I do not waste my time, it is too precious to me. If you know anything else about me, believe in that.”

Jolie nodded, but she couldn”t erase all the emotions so quickly. The dread in her stomach was receding, leaving an emptiness in her gut. She was exhausted, and a headache formed in the aftermath of grief.

”Did you use my gift last night?”

”Tsk.” A flush of anger and disgust spread through her, killing her sadness. ”No!”

His chuckle filled her ears, warming her from the inside. It relaxed her, and now all she wanted was to curl into his arms.

Adrik sighed. ”There will be many things that will question your trust in me. But being with another woman will not be one of them.”

She was sucked back in with such little effort.

”Will you send me something?”

Her brows knitted. ”What?”

”A picture of your tits.”

Jolie slapped a hand on her face. ”Goodbye.”

He laughed adoringly. ”See you, krasivyy.”

Beautiful.

Jolie pressed the phone to her chest, her smile bright and wide.

And then she remembered she had clicked the pen. She pulled it out, staring at it in her palm. Quickly, she went through their conversation, trying to pinpoint anything she could have said to alert the agent about what she was doing. Here she was, accusing Adrik of betraying her when she was doing something worse to him. Cheating would only hurt her. Trying to bring down Yakov would destroy Adrik”s life. What she was doing wasn”t right.

I have to pick a side. But she had already chosen, hadn”t she? Jolie just needed to cross the line where she could no longer turn back.

Jolie rubbed her fingerprints from the casing and wrapped it in a fabric napkin before putting it into a thin metal garbage can by the door. She turned to leave but squeezed back into the doorway, hiding, slapping a hand on her mouth.

Katia and Gil were in the hallway.

Making out.

”Oh, crap,” she cursed.