Page 32 of The Dark Side

Food was brought over by the server, surprising Jolie. It was a ton of appetizers, from wings to quesadillas to mini burgers. Adrik watched her. "I didn't know what you liked."

Jolie nodded. "So you ordered everything instead of waiting. Makes sense."

He popped a fry in his mouth as he chuckled. "I like to impress."

Jolie suppressed a laugh, a hand to her rib cage as she fought it.

"If you came to my gym, you wouldn't be hurting."

"Which one is yours?"

"My house." He smirked.

Jolie rolled her eyes, sinking into his charm like a dinosaur in tar. She hated how good he was at making her forget he was a mafia member. TGI Fridays didn't help either.

He's not an ordinary man,she reminded herself.Average men don't kill people.

On crutches, the man she met at the shootout came toward them. Adrik shifted over to let him sit, and he groaned, stretching out his leg as he propped the crutches against the table. Gil held his hand to her in greeting. "Miss Bell."

"Gil, right?"

Gil had acne scars on his face and messy blond hair. He was skinny, like Adrik, but not as fit. Compared to Adrik, he looked homely, even in a suit.

Gil kept a bright, obviously fake smile even as he mumbled toward Adrik in Russian. Jolie knew he was talking about her and watched them in a vain effort to figure out what they were saying.

Adrik didn't like what Gil said, picking at the fries on the table like a chastised child. Jolie could feel the tension and nervously shifted in her seat, groaning as her ribs burned intensely. She didn't know how much longer she could sit. And she didn't think she could eat either. She was too nervous with the pen recording their conversation. How far away were the Feds? Were they close enough to stop Adrik from killing her if he caught on to what she was doing?

That's when the guilt trickled in.

Why does he have to be nice? Show me your mean side.

Jolie forced a bite of food. "You guys are brothers, right?"

"It's questionable," Adrik bit.

"Yes," Gil answered, nudging him. "I was orphaned at four, and Adrik's parents adopted me."

Boy, was she a sucker for adorable stories like that. "That's really sweet."

"Yes"—Gil glanced at Adrik—"sweet."

She felt like he was making fun of her, but she wasn't ashamed of being a softy. She enjoyed that about herself. There weren't many people left that cried at romcoms anymore.

Gil spoke in Russian again, more annoyance in the sound of his voice.

She watched Adrik and met his aggravated gaze, slightly hoping to see the madman beneath, to stop herself from liking him. But she also prayed he continued to show this version of himself—a controlled, level-headed, sweet man. Maybe instead of Agent Mally trying to go after Adrik, she could convince her that Adrik was innocent and everyone around him was the terror.

"Khvatit,"Adrik hissed in Russian, turning his head to Gil. There was a staring contest that made her nervous. She hugged her purse, as if the touch would warn the FBI.

Gil slapped a hand on Adrik's neck, squeezing slightly, and laughed as he said something else.

"Forgive him," Adrik said, returning his attention to Jolie. "He isn't around Americans often. He forgets it's rude to speak in another language."

Gil held up a hand. "Yes, Miss Bell, I apologize."

Jolie shook her head. "Well, I'm twenty percent Russian if that makes you feel better." She was hoping to ease the tension. Adrik appreciated it as he smiled at her.

Gil nodded in approval. "Blood is critical in our family. Our DNA makes us who we are. And who we are loyal to."

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