Page 54 of Embracing the Dark Side

A twitch of his lip suppressed a smile. He kept his eyes straight. “Such a dirty mouth for a woman of God.”

“I hope Adrik kills you,” she bit, stepping past him.

Gil grabbed her arm. “You and me are in the same boat, Snow White. If I’m a piece of shit, what does that make you?” Gil released her and went back to his statue-like pose.

Jolie bowed her head. He was right, of course. They were the same. She hated it, hated herself for listening to Agent Mally. She fed on Jolie’s naive and ignorant thoughts of the world, like a child listening to every word an adult spews.

“JoJo!” Helina squealed, running up and grabbing her hand. “Mama’s here! Mama’s here! Come.” She pulled her over to Katia.

Jolie ground her teeth, standing before the woman, and forced a pleasant, loving smile. “It’s so good to see you,” she said.

Katia blinked a few times, her brows knitting as she observed the woman. She knew Jolie was here, but looking at her after so long was a shock. Her appearance was dismal, at best. The black glasses were too big for her face. And without an ounce of make-up, Jolie lacked luster, and any beauty. Katia took the look to mean one thing: her innocence was gone, and for a moment, Katia actually felt sympathy for the schoolteacher. It was an odd feeling. She never wanted Jolie to get involved with their life, but the woman had beenin love. She chose her risk.

Katia stood and played the role she knew too well. “You too,” she replied, resting a hand on her arm and kissing her cheek. “You were so kind to my daughter. I could never repay you.”

Jolie was dying inside. “No, of course not. Helina was a sweetheart. In fact, she was my only entertainment.” She swallowed harshly. The reality that Katia was here to take Helina away from her was building in her chest, and if she didn’t stop thinking about it, she was going to burst into sobs.

Thankfully, Vincent cut in. “Dinner’s served. Please, take your seats.”

Jolie wasn’t sure where her place was and waited until everyone sat. Thankfully, she was at the end of the table on the other side of Helina. She instinctively reached for Helina’s plate at the same time Katia did. It was a kick to the stomach, and Jolie backed down, bowing her head.

How was she supposed to let go? She couldn’t allow Helina to slip through her fingers. She needed the little girl to bring a smile to her in the morning. To remindher that love existed and there was more to life than what Vincent had planned. She needed Helina to stay sane.

Jolie took a deep breath and focused on their conversation. There might be something she could learn from it. It was odd to be at a dinner table with them speaking English so fluently. In Adrik’s household, Russian became the norm, to the point where it was more soothing than anything else.

It wasn’t business initially, they spoke about the excellent food and the beautiful surroundings. Katia’s father looked just as powerful as Yakov had been, but he had leaned into plastic surgery. Botex kept him wrinkle free, but it also seemed to remove all emotion aside from constant surprise. Jolie couldn’t look at him long enough. He rested a hand on the table, heavy with bulky rings and a bejeweled watch. She searched for anything about him that was real or unaltered, but his hair was dyed, his teeth were bleached, and his skin was tanned. He looked like a sixty-year-old trying to be twenty.

Vincent laughed, a full-hearted fake-ass laugh that Jolie despised. She watched him and saw how he used his manners and spoke like a gentleman. But the tattoos on his face couldn’t be hidden and would always expose him for the ghetto dipshit he was.

Jolie looked down at the silverware. There was a steak knife in front of her, and the more she stared at it, the more it made sense to grab it. She wasn’t going to attack here, not with Helina present, but as much as Vincent hoped his words were assuring, they only induced fear. She didn’t know what he was capable of and wasn’t going to be a victim of his abuse. And if she couldn’t kill him, then she could at least use it on herself.

Jolie slipped the knife in the folds of her dress, but she didn’t know what else to do after that. She had no garter to hide it against her skin. The dress was already tight enough.

“Miss Bell.”

Jolie’s eyes popped up, wide, like a stupid child with her hand in the cookie jar. Mr. Stephanov met her gaze from across the table. His bright-blue eyes were captivating but held no charm. “How has your stay been?”

Jolie glanced at Vincent. He was relaxed in his chair, drinking a glass of wine. The lie came out perfectly. “It’s wonderful.”

“His men behaved?”

“Yes, of course. Helina and I have been safe.”

Katia smiled. “I told you, Papa. Vincent is a sweet man.” She rested a hand on Vincent’s arm. “I wouldn’t bring any man into Helina’s life I didn’t think was good enough.”

Mr. Stephanov sat, unconvinced. “Taking my granddaughter captive isn’t exactly the type of man I want in my family.”

Vincent quickly replied, “Unlike your last son-in-law, I have never ripped off any of your son’s body parts. I’d say I’m a bit higher on that totem pole, even with keeping Helina. I kept her safe. I kept her happy. And I want nothing but the best for her. That is why I kept her tutor on. She continued her studies and can now say a few sentences in English.”

Katia leaned in and told Helina to say what she knew.

Helina nervously licked her lips, and said, “Hi, my name is Helina Morozov. I am the daughter of Adrik Morozov. Please help.”

Vincent cracked up laughing, and Jolie hung her head to hide her smile. She patted Helina on the shoulder and told her to say something else.

Helina once more concentrated, and with a heavy accent, she said, “I’m hungry. May I please have something to eat? I’m thirsty. May I please have something to drink?”

Jolie stopped her. “We were learning how to communicate with each other. She’s getting it, though.”

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