Page 112 of The Dark Side

"And this is how you repay me?"

"I shouldn't have to repay you if you really saw me as a brother."

Adrik fastened on him, gripping his shirt."You ungrateful piece of shit."

"How long am I supposed to be grateful?"

Adrik couldn't stop it; he punched Gil in the cheek, sending him back against the door. Alexei once more interrupted, pushing Adrik back into the living room. The pain in his knuckles was like a rush of adrenaline, drowning him in satisfaction. He wanted to do it again.

Gil touched the blood on his lip."You want to act like I'm part of this family, but I'm not, Adrik. Yakov killed my parents and kept me as a consolation prize. I have always been unwanted."

"You betrayed me, and you want me to feel sorry for you? I have no time to hear your sob story. Go find a whore to cry to."

Gil ground his teeth and nodded, quickly diving out the front door and slamming it shut.

Chapter forty-one

Problems

Joliefeltlikeatrain sat on her. The pounding in her head was equivalent to a hammer on her brain. She didn't want to move, but the disgust in her mouth and the tacky feeling of her tongue forced her to open her eyes. The room was dark still, with only a ray of sunlight sneaking through the sides of the blackout curtains. She was in a hotel room, a beautiful one at that.

Jolie rolled to her side, groaning, wanting to cry. She clenched her hair, apologizing to her body for doing this to it. She was better than this, she knew. Regret was piling into her as she sat up.

"You're awake."

Jolie snapped her head up, clenching her fist against her pounding temple. Katia stood from a recliner and sauntered over to the curtains. Before Jolie could protest, she slapped open the sheet, and like a vampire caught in sunlight, Jolie shrieked and threw the blanket over herself.

"Here."

Jolie peeked out to see Katia handing her Tylenol. Squinting, she sat up, holding out her hand. Katia gripped her wrist and pinned it to the bed with her knee against Jolie's forearm. She cried out in surprise until she saw a knife in Katia's hand. The woman pressed it against Jolie's palm.

"What are you doing?" she screeched, trying to get away, but Katia pressed her knee harder, cutting off the blood supply to Jolie's arm.

"Did you tell Adrik about me and Gil?"

Jolie pulled and pulled, slapping at her, but Katia pressed the point of the knife into her skin, and all her fighting stalled. "Wait, wait, stop, stop."

"Did you tell Adrik about me and Gil?" Katia asked calmly once more.

"No," Jolie whimpered. She looked up at Katia's face. "No."

"How did he find out?"

"I don't know."

Katia pressed harder, and blood puddled in her palm. She ignored Jolie's little groans.

"I don't know."

"You know what he would do to you if he found out you work for the FBI?" Katia met her eyes. "He'd do what he did to my fiancé: skin you alive. Cut you up into little pieces while you are still awake. He'd start with your toes. Then your fingers."

Jolie squeezed her eyes, slapping a hand over her face.

"This is the man you love, Jolie. You better learn to fucking accept it."

She shook her head. Disbelief was the only way to keep moving.

"Did you tell Adrik about us?"

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