Page 106 of The Dark Side

It would be easy to forget that Jolie had joined the Mafia and was instead out with a friend, enjoying the sun and waves. But the five men in black suits, with guns hidden in their vests, were hard to ignore, especially in this heat. Sweat built on their faces, and a few kept a white cloth in their hand, rubbing the wetness before it dripped into their eyes. The only reprieve from the sun was the black glasses they had on their faces.

Jolie could only imagine how uncomfortable they were, but if Katia cared, Jolie couldn't tell. She embraced her role as a mafia wife with ease and the tiniest amount of awareness possible.

This is how I need to be.

Jolie dropped her head back against the bench, closing her eyes, forcing herself not to care. It was selfish, she knew, but all of this had been. Her disregarding the FBI, becoming Adrik's girlfriend, and watching as a man was dragged away to be whipped because of her silence were all selfish.

Her conscience was becoming a ghost she couldn't escape.

"Doesn't this feel a little selfish?" Jolie suddenly found herself asking.

Katia giggled before lifting her sunglasses to the top of her head. "I was wondering when you would crack. Carrying your bag yourself. Getting your own drinks. Putting on your own sunscreen. You are a peasant in the king's castle."

"I am not a peasant. I can do those things myself. So can you."

"Yes. But you don't understand the reason why I don't. These soldiers are paid for their job like everyone else, and their job is to make you comfortable, to please you so that you are pleased with them, so they get bonuses at the end of the year that will feed their family for months. If you were to go to the hospital, diagnose yourself, and operate on yourself, don't you think the doctors would be a little pissed? If you don't need them, they have no job. So, I let them do the little things so they are needed, paid, and can provide for their families." Katia returned her sunglasses and resettled. "So, who's being selfish here?"

Jolie sloughed, hating how right that sounded. Was she wrong?

Throughout the day, Jolie noticed herself give in, allowing a servant to carry her drink back to the hotel. They sat now at the bar, and Katia took this time to make fun of her liquor abstinence. Jolie had never liked drinking; she didn't see the point, because she never needed to feel out of control, but guilt was a constant depressant. She didn't want to feel guilty for liking a dangerous man, and if she had to drown in liquor to erase the ball in her gut, then maybe it was time to indulge.

The drink went to her head faster than she was ready for, and she was dying laughing. Katia was laughing with her. "Oh, you are so much more fun this way!" She wrapped an arm around Jolie. "You know, I think if we were not pitted against each other, and you weren't American, we could be friends."

Jolie grinned and agreed. "Ahh, totally. I actually don't have many friends." It was depressing, and yet Katia only laughed at this. With one more sip, Jolie announced loudly, "I got to pee!"

When she stood, the room swayed, and she held onto the table till it passed. Two drinks in, and she could feel the tingling in her fingers and toes. It was actually enjoyable.

When Jolie got to the bathroom, a guard in a black suit peeked his head in first before holding the door out for her. She didn't understand it. She was only going to the bathroom, and no one was out to kill her.

When finished, she stood in front of the mirror over the sink. The pleasant smile on her skin drifted when she noticed Agent Mally sitting on the toilet in an open stall. She was on her phone before she looked up with a forced tight smile. "How have you been?"

Jolie turned around to face her. "What are you doing here?"

"Checking in." Mally stood, dressed in a loose shirt over her two-piece bathing suit. Her flip-flops echoed in the bathroom. She went to the sink and checked her makeup. "Want to tell me what happened to have Adrik fly all the way back from Puerto Rico in such a hurry?"

Jolie didn't want to face her. The guilt was inches underneath, and it would take only a short dig to uncover it. "I have no idea."

Mally continued to smile before she reached into her purse and dropped a picture on the counter. "Zinof Stephanov is missing. Katia's brother. Know anything?"

Thankfully, Jolie had no idea. "No."

"There is a rumor that he was in charge of the attack at Salem's. Which means Adrik would want him. Last seen?" Mally smiled. "Puerto Rico."

Jolie's heart plummeted.

Mally folded her arms and leaned against the counter. The panic on Jolie's face was so evident it was humorous. Mally felt terrible for the girl but not bad enough. Jolie was risking her livelihood for dick. It was so pathetic.

"I have been after this family longer than you've been alive. I am so close. Do you know what you're doing? You're jumping onto a sinking ship. This family is going down, and you are so stupid to think it will be a happily ever after."

Jolie moved to go, but Mally grabbed her arm, spinning her back around. "Listen to me, Jolie. If you aren't with me, you're against me. I can't promise you won't be caught in the crossfire. Are you willing to die for this man you just met? Because that is a huge possibility."

The words were caught in Jolie's throat. She didn't want to die, but to leave Adrik wasn't in the cards. He was a drug, and she was addicted.

Mally moved in, whispering, "You are just another notch on his bedpost. He couldn’t care less about you."

Jolie stiffened her spine. She would have believed Mally before and perhaps even changed sides at this very moment. But the look on Adrik's face when she said she wanted to leave was still so fresh in her memory. He wanted her in his life, and despite how scary it was, as long as she held his hand, she could weather it.

"Leave me alone," Jolie ordered.

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