Page 35 of Embracing the Dark Side

“To a psycho. I’m sure he played the field.”

“Well, not with me.”

There was hesitation before he nodded. Disappointment was heavy, but he wasn’t surprised. “Remember the first time we skipped school?”

The subject change confused her, but she replied thoughtlessly, “You mean, the time you forced me to miss my class?”

Vincent gave a wicked grin and nodded. “The principal happened to catch us in the grocery store. You remember what you said?” When she shook her head, he answered his own question. “You told her we were there for a class project, for”—he tried to word it in her manner—“a collective analysis of the consumer and how it relates to their…” He threw his hand in the air, unable to remember.

Jolie finished, “To the societal norm.”

Vincent smiled at her and leaned into whisper. “I remember how good of a liar you are.”

Jolie’s momentary happiness drifted as she met his gaze. Fear made her swallow, and she murmured, “I’m not lying.”

Vincent wanted to believe her. He hoped she told the truth and giving her a phone wouldn’t be detrimental to his plans. But he worried what her parents would do if they didn’t hear from her soon. Vincent had no choice. He held up a phone between their limited space. “Here.”

“What’s this?”

“We’re gonna try to rebuild our trust. I’m giving you a phone soyou can onlyspeak to your parents. If the police show up at my door," he paused allowing her to think of all the terrible things he would do. "Don’t make me regret it.”

Jolie nodded and gently took the phone out of his hand, trying not to feel the weight of his stare. “Thank you.”

Vincent didn’t move away. There was so much of her that he remembered. All the moments he replayed in his head during his time away. And here she was, still appearing like the girl he fell in love with. His hand rose, and he was surprised to see her flinch. After so many days together, didn’t she feel anything that he did? His finger rested on her cheek, tracing down her jaw. “I went five years with only you in my head.”

She shook her head, but Vincent gripped her jaw, forcing her to stop. If Jolie would only let him back in, she’d feel the love she used to have for him.

“I tried to hate you. But I couldn’t.” He leaned down, kissing her with a harshness that nearly bruised her.

Jolie shoved him hard, horrified, as she backed away.

Vincent licked his lips and chuckled. There was no one around to see it, which made her lucky but still stupid, because all it did was verify that she was lying to him. If there was no one else on her mind, she would have been back in his arms by now. “I’m just playing with you,mami.” He stepped around her. “I don’t want no dry-ass hairy pussy.”

Jolie dived into the room and shut the door. She pressed the lock, and then her hands enveloped her face. The fear had turned into terror and then humiliation. He knew things about her that she could never erase. He could manipulate and use her and make her think there’s still a decent bone in his body. He was dangerous. If she didn’t harden herself against him, he’d derail her.

She fell to her butt, curling her legs into her chest, with the phone pressed against her heart. Helina and the cats came to her, and she held them tight. Her solace came from their love. She ran her fingers through Helina's hair, kissing her forehead. The comfort Helina provided was heavenly. They needed each other. "Let's do some schoolwork!"

Helina groaned.

Chapter seventeen

Reveal

Adrik leaned against the wall, smoking a joint. He watched with hooded eyes as Alexei fought two men. They were heavy hitters sent to kill by the current gang leader. Black and formidable they were, and Alexei was struggling. He hadn’t had to fight for his life in a while. This was street shit, peasant shit that they had gone through when they were young teens.

Alexei threw one over his shoulder, slamming him into the ground, grabbing his arm, and twisting. He could have broken it, but the other one swung with a knife. Alexei jumped back but got sliced across the chest.

Adrik stayed still, focusing on the smoke swirling in front of him. He couldn’t help, even as his body tensed to reach out. As the leader, there was no getting his hands dirty. He had to wait.

Joining the other inmates revealed to Adrik why they had been brought to Polk County Jail instead of Tampa. This place had a two-percent Russian populace, which was pitiable. It meant he’d have to gain followers organically instead of based on their race. It would be costly, and loyalty would be low, but he could do it, given time.

Time I don’t have.

Agent Mally had certainly done her research. To give him a warden who wouldn’t be bribed and to place him in jail where the Puerto Rican population was nearly half, she set him up for failure. The Toxins had twenty members here, and they were all as brutal as the next. Adrik hated street gangs. They focused more on violence and fear because they were too broke to barter.

The man with the knife swung again, and Alexei grabbed his wrist, twisting, and snatched the knife from his weak fingers. He slammed it into his opponent’s shoulder, immediately pulling it out again. The blood dripped from the blade as Alexei held it in front of him, daring them to approach.

Adrik glanced toward the guards watching through the barricade. The one on the left was one of the Warden’s bitches. Adrik made sure to remember their faces. When he won over this jail, they would be the first to know it.

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