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

38. Dark Side

Adrik could feel the weight of his brother”s stare as he looked out the window. His leg bobbed with such force it vibrated the car. Every stop sign and light was a nick at his already disintegrating patience.

When the car turned on his driveway, Adrik reached in the vest of his suit and unclipped the holster, pulling out his silver-and-gold 9mm Glock. He checked the magazine, slapped it back into place, and then pulled on the barrel to ensure a bullet was ready to go in the chamber. He rested the gun on his lap and waited for the car to weave its way along.

”Adrik.”

”Don”t defend him.”

”I”m not,” Alexei quickly stated. ”But this isn”t the way to do it.”

Did it matter how it was done as long as it was? Adrik thought his father would step down and let him take control of the family when he was ready, but here he was, stronger, better, smarter than his father ever was, and the man continued to lead. If Yakov wasn”t going to abdicate his role, then the only choice Adrik had was to physically remove him. It would cause riots. It would destroy so much of Adrik”s work, but without considerable risk, there was no just reward. If Adrik got rid of his father, he could continue with expansion plans. He could dominate the west coast, from the peninsula to the Florida Keys. There was money to be made, yet his father was content with crumbs. There were so many little cartels that Adrik could take into his regime and have one of the largest families in America.

More importantly, Adrik could pursue Jolie without hesitation. He wouldn”t care if Katia had a problem. He would flaunt it till she filed for divorce, and then their contract would be void. He would lose nothing, since she had violated their marriage first; everything would become his.

Adrik squeezed his eyes shut, imagining Jolie, terrified and trembling on her knees in her panda pajamas in front of his father. What damage had he done? Would Adrik be able to repair it, or would Jolie use this as a nail to their coffin? It was already cracking ice beneath their feet before his father dropped a hammer. Was it too late? Had she packed and left without saying goodbye?

As soon as the car slowed, Adrik shoved open the door even as the tires still moved. Alexei was right on his heels, and a dozen personal guards bounced out of the cars, chasing after him. The doors spread wide for him, and he pounded through the hallway. The sounds of all their footsteps rolled like thunder. Servants scattered out of their way, running for cover.

Adrik found them all sitting at the breakfast table. But he knew how forced it was, how amicable his father wanted it to feel. Adrik had been at this table enough times, compelled to play a role.

Katia put her fork down as they entered, satisfied by his presence. Jolie was wide-eyed, her hair twisted in a bun with a few strands against her cheek. The sight of her unharmed relieved him, but it also fueled him.

Yakov put down his newspaper and grinned. ”That was a quick trip.”

Adrik clenched the gun at his side. ”Katia, take the tutor upstairs.”

She got Jolie up on her feet, bringing them by him. He grabbed Katia”s arm and turned his head toward the woman. ”Did he hurt you?”

Katia could see the swift glance toward Jolie. Though it made her sick, it appeared he was more in over his head than she first realized. She subtly replied in Russian, ”We are both fine, Adrik.”

The words stuck out, and he caught her eye, seeing the suppressed twitch of her lip.

She knows.

Adrik released her and stepped to the dinner table, standing on the opposite end to face his father head-on. He listened till the girls” footsteps were up the stairs before he raised the gun.

Adrik”s guards copied his movement, turning their rifles, pistols, and revolvers on Yakov.

But Yakov was far from alone. His guards came through as if they had been waiting for this moment. Fifteen of them filed around Yakov, with his special fighter Li-Choy over his left shoulder.

Yakov picked up his fork. ”I don”t know why you are so upset. I found a listening device. I needed to figure out who it belonged to.” He took a bite.

”Don”t,” Adrik bit. ”You know the protocol for something like that. You do not take my wife and subject her to your bullshit! You put her on her knees next to the servants. You disrespected her, and you disrespected me.”

Yakov put up a hand. ”You are right. I apologize. So, can we move on from this? Your mother will be waking any moment.”

Adrik”s arm shook, fighting the desire to end it, to put a bullet through his father”s head and stop any of his manipulations. He felt his power constantly being sucked away by the old man. If he was a leech, Adrik would have no problem ripping it off and squeezing it till it popped. Why couldn”t he do the same thing to his father?

Alexei stepped beside Adrik, and whispered, ”Come on. Not now.”

Adrik ground his teeth. If not now, when? He didn”t know how much longer he could live under his father”s shoe, allowing it to constantly press down on his neck and pretending he wasn”t strong enough to get him off. He felt his manhood being tarnished in front of his men, in front of his family. He couldn”t allow it to continue if these people were to be under his control.

”You will never touch my wife again. Or that tutor. She doesn”t understand your games, and I don”t need trouble with the police.”

Yakov instantly pacified with, ”Of course.”

”I am reinstating all the changes I made when you were away. They work better. The numbers don”t lie, and I don”t care if your pride cannot handle it. I will give you six months to handle your affairs. Then, you will return to Russia, and I will not see you again.”

Yakov fiddled with a fork, straightening his plate and looking elsewhere as he thought of Adrik”s demands. Yakov waved to his soldiers, and they lowered their weapons. ”Alright. Perhaps I am holding on for too long, but it is not because I don”t believe in you. It is because you are still so young. Only age gives you the knowledge that you need. But if you think you”re ready—”

”I”m ready.”

A smile pushed on his father”s lips. ”Look at you.” Yakov laughed with admiration. ”My son! Tough. Protects his wife and his family. This is my heir. Do you see?”

Adrik clenched his teeth. Yakov tried so hard to appease, but it came out as belittling. He held out chocolate-covered poison and looked confused when it made others sick.

Alexei put a hand on his brother”s arm. ”No one wants this more than me, but not like this.”

Adrik fired. Li-Choy”s body fell backward from the jolt, and he hit the floor with a loud thud.

The silence that followed broadened the space between them. Adrik dared Yakov to say something. To move, to smile, to flinch—he didn”t care what, but he waited. He waited for his father to say anything to make killing him easier. But Yakov only looked down at his dead soldier, shrugged, and went back to eating.

Adrik walked out of the room. He hit the stairs and paused against the wall, gripping the railing and digging his nails into the wood. Part of him wanted to go back and finish it. The mafia in him couldn”t handle the disrespect; the line Yakov crossed could not be forgiven. Yakov disregarded every warning because he believed himself superior. It was time for that to change. Yakov needed to learn his place.

Adrik looked up the stairs. He had to calm down if he was going to face Jolie. She”d never seen this side of him, and he wasn”t ready for her to see it. She would question the gunshot. She would have to acknowledge that he killed someone. Though he dreaded Jolie”s response, he needed to know how she would react. This could be her first test to see if she could ever become a wife to a mafia boss.

Adrik took the stairs two at a time, slipping the gun into its holster and fixing his jacket around it so it wasn”t visible. His hands shook, full of suppressed rage. The death of Li-Choy wasn”t enough. He wanted to punish Yakov, but he restrained himself. Alexei always held him back, pulling him out of fights he wanted to finish, taking his gun when he wasn”t done shooting, and standing in front of him when all he wanted was vengeance. Ever since they were teenagers. How much damage would Adrik have caused throughout their lifetime if Alexei hadn”t been there?

He”d probably be in prison.

Adrik wanted to head straight to Jolie, but he knew the impossibility of it. There were still cameras, and his father”s spies were always watching, waiting for him to slip up.

Against his desire, he knocked once on Katia”s door before stepping in.

Jolie stood up from the bed.

He was frozen upon seeing her. She wore a jumper with tropical flowers and sandals. It was something casual you could wear to the thrift store, but it looked amazing on her. Her curled hair hung over her shoulder, and she played with the tips in nervousness.

Adrik shut the door behind him, putting out a hand to stop her from approaching. He needed to face Katia first.

The witch stepped out of the bathroom with her arms crossed, smug and proud. ”My hero,” Katia mocked. ”Did you do it?” she asked in Russian. ”Did you finally kill him?”

He clenched his teeth, eyeing her, daring her to make a snide comment to his silence. He didn”t want to hear her bullshit right now.

She snickered. ”Of course. How foolish of me.”

Adrik clenched his fist at his side, his eyes blindly ahead as he bit, ”What do you want?”

”What makes you think I want anything?”

”Cut the shit, Katia. What do you want?”

Katia shrugged, swaying over to Jolie and slipping an arm through hers. In English, she replied, ”We are going to the beach. We deserve an extravagant day after our night, don”t you think? We might even stay at the Don.”

Adrik didn”t want Jolie out of sight, but he knew if he wasn”t careful, someone else might spot his unnecessary attention toward her. It was better to let her go, but it was like gnawing his fingers off with his teeth.

In Russian, Katia added, ”I”ll have my list of demands ready for you by tomorrow.” She let Jolie go and grabbed her travel bag off the bed. ”You”re babysitting,” she threw out as she bypassed him, opening the door.

Adrik snatched the handle before she could close it, turning just enough to see her face. ”I found him.”

The smile slipped from her lips. It was a delicious sight to see. Just when Katia thought she had won, thought she held power over him, he kicked her legs out from under her and reminded her just who he was. With her brother in his hands, her control was limited.

”Be very clear with your ”demands.””Adrik shut the door, the sense of victory dying as he felt Jolie”s gaze on him. It was stupid what he was feeling at this moment. He was a man who could stand in front of drug lords and kingpins and not cower. He had a gun pressed against his head a dozen times and still had no fear.

But facing Jolie was going to be challenging. Would she hate him? Blame him? Discard him?

Then her arms surrounded him, and her face pressed into his chest. All the tension in his shoulders drained, and he wrapped her in his arms, squeezing to assure himself she was here, she hadn”t been hurt, and she still wanted to be with him.

”Are you alright?” Jolie nodded but didn”t pull away. She kept her face hidden as she breathed in his cologne. ”It will never happen again. I swear it.”

Jolie”s brows knitted. She wasn”t sure he was able to promise something like that. Since she got involved in his life, she”s experienced a shootout and a home invasion. More horrible things were happening to her now than ever before in her life. ”I heard a gunshot,” she whimpered. ”Are you okay?”

He could tell her a body was being cleaned off the living room floor, but her fragility kept him silent. He was far from okay. Something in him was changing. He wanted more power, more strength, to protect her from the world he lived in. Adrik pulled back, cupping her cheek, forcing her gaze on him. Tears dripped down her face, and she tried to ignore his eyes, but he waited. ”If he would have hurt you, I would have killed him.”

She shook her head. If he thought that was a comfort to her, he was mistaken.

Adrik had to get her to understand. There was no peace in this life. She had to either accept it or leave. ”It”s fine. I”m fine,” she whimpered, trying to pull away, but he wouldn”t let her go.

”Jolie”—Adrik pulled her back into him—”I”m serious. I protect what”s mine.”

Tears built in her eyes, and her lip trembled. ”He beat a man.” Jolie wanted to say more and tell him it was all her fault, and she didn”t know how she would ever forgive herself for saying nothing and doing nothing. What kind of person was she becoming? She didn”t want to lose herself here, but the fear had been so incredible that it still left her nauseous.

Adrik gripped her, cursing his father for the damage he”d done. Jolie was as innocent as Helina. She didn”t deserve what he exposed her to. But it was going to happen eventually, wasn”t it? Like Helina being exposed to his world, Jolie would be, too. There was no stopping it. He could only lessen the blow. It”s how the Mafia conditioned their children. Small exposures to violence over time. Was that what he had to do for Jolie?

Jolie wiped her face. She didn”t want to be this mess of a girl. She wanted to show her strength, even if she wasn”t sure she had any. Jolie pulled herself back, pulling back her misery. ”Katia found out about us.”

The change of subject was noticed, but he allowed it. Whatever she needed to do to handle the trauma of last night was on her. ”I”ll deal with Katia.” He rubbed the wetness off her face, kissing her lips and resting his forehead against her. ”My father and I came to an agreement. He will be leaving in six months.”

Jolie pulled back in surprise.

”Then I will be head of this family. I will divorce Katia and deal with the consequences.”

She shook her head. ”You said that your marriage keeps people from dying.”

”It does, but already her brother betrayed me. How do I know her parents aren”t doing the same? How do I know Katia isn”t?”

Jolie”s heart pounded in her chest. Katia was betraying him by sleeping with his brother. If he found out and confronted Katia, would Katia throw her under the bus to take the spotlight off her? ”Katia would never put her daughter at risk.”

”I”m not suggesting she did. But Katia hates me, hates my family. She has no incentive to be loyal. She is a risk not worth having. My father doesn”t see this, because he sees only money. The harbor will be mine when I am through, and her family will be displaced.”

Jolie shifted out of his arms, putting space between them. ”Can we talk about something else?”

”No.” Adrik planted his feet. ”This is my life. The Mafia is my life. You will be involved in terrible things just by knowing me. Being ignorant doesn”t save you.” He watched her and observed the emotions she was trying to suppress. Her fingers pressed against her lips and neck until she drifted further from him, reaching for the bed. He waited till she sat and stepped up to her. ”I”ve never done anything so stupid and reckless as being with you. My brother made me fully aware, and I cannot deny it.” Adrik knelt before her. ”And I have no intention of stopping. But if you can”t go on, you need to tell me now.” A hand slipped into her fingers, desperate to feel her. ”Do you want to end this?”

Jolie”s eyes were wild, flicking over his face, desperate for a path to follow. Adrik pulled her to her feet. Her hands rested on his chest as she avoided his gaze. He wasn”t going to beg, but he sure as hell was gonna fight. He couldn”t lose her or let her give up so soon. And though he should take this as a sign that their relationship wouldn”t make it, he was too far gone to let go. He was doing shit he”s never done, saying shit he”s never said.

”I cannot change who I am, or the world I live in” he whispered. Adrik cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing her lip. The way the heat came to her cheeks told him that she was just as addicted as he was. ”But I”ve never wanted anything more than I want you.” He teased her, tracing her jaw, nose, and lips with his just enough to have her yearning. ”Come to the dark side with me.”

She shivered as those words slipped into her like a poison. It filled her lungs before it transformed into desire, settling between her legs. ”Why does that sound like I”m signing away my soul?”

”You are.” Adrik kissed the side of her mouth. ”To me.”

Jolie melted into such a declaration. She was forsaking her morals, humanity, and the goodness inside her. She was turning her back on God and her parents. All for him. She”d have to accept that he did horrible things and that she would one day witness it. But she refused to believe it was all bad. He had too much good in him to be as evil as he claimed. She could bring the goodness out of him, shine light into his dark world, and maybe, one day, all his power would be used to help the world instead of destroying it. She had to try because she was in too deep to get out now.

Jolie nodded, and Adrik captured her lips, devouring her. He pushed his tongue into her mouth, twirling hers in chaotic force as he laid her down on the bed, slipping between her legs. He parted from her lips to kiss down her jaw and neck to nuzzle the fat of her breast beneath her clothes.

”Adrik,” Jolie moaned. He jerked his hips against her, letting her feel his desire pressed against her apex. Her gasp was a reward, making him smile as his teeth pinched her taut nipple through her shirt. ”Please,” she whimpered. There was no more waiting. She had decided, and now there was nothing left to do but give Adrik all of her.

Adrik kissed his way back to her lips. ”Two weeks.”

”What?” She arched, blindly begging for more.

Adrik loved it. She blinked at the realization that he was stopping, actually pulling away. She gripped his shirt to keep him there.

“Two weeks,” he repeated now that she was paying attention. ”When I first have you, it will not be a two-minute desperate attempt. It will be a well-executed procedure, taking hours and hours of our day till you are fulfilled in every way you have never been. Be prepared; your two weeks are fading.”