Page 62 of Embracing the Dark Side

“Were you dating Alexei”—she paused, watching Jolie’s face—“or Adrik?”

Jolie swallowed, and answered, “Adrik.”

Tatianna nodded. “Some truth, finally.” She dabbed her eyes, sniffing. Tatianna stared at a distant photo, reliving the moment she took it. There was always death in the Mafia, but Yakov had always protected their children, even when he failed to protect them from himself. She yearned for him now. He’d know how to fix this. How to heal her broken heart. It was ironic that he was good at healing, considering he was usually the one to break it. “I never understood why my husband hated you so much. I protected you from him when the whole time his instincts were right. I betrayed him for you and now look at my family. Adrik’s lost his father, two brothers, and his daughter. A girl he trusted betrayed him. There isn’t much more he can lose, and do you know what a man becomes when he has nothing to lose?” Tatianna waited for her to answer. “He becomes a monster.”

Jolie stared out ahead of her. This was a warning. She didn't know Adrik as well as his mother. She had only seen glimpses of his temper. But Adrik had assured Jolie that he would never treat her the way he treated Katia. She'd acknowledge that he'll be upset with her, but she wasn't going to fear Adrik. If she wanted to be at his side, then she needed to brave the storm.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Jolie shook her head. "I'm sorry. That's all I can say. My intentions were never to hurt anyone. I hate what I've done. It's not who I am. I'm terrible, I know."

Tatianna stared at the young girl for too long. She saw every daughter in her. Every time they broke down,begging her for help. Tatianna always thought she was a good mother. But she wasn't sure they would all think the same. "I believe in forgiveness. I believe in second chances. And despite how you may see yourself, you have earned it.” Jolie popped her head up. A soft trembling smile was on Tatianna’s lips. “I know what you did for my granddaughter. Once more, you put her before all else, and it tells me that your intentions are still well-placed.”

Jolie dropped her face to her knees. The forgiveness she wanted was given too quickly. Jolie needed to suffer. She needed to be punished. Her silent despair wasn’t enough. She wanted Tatianna to lash out at her, to hurt her, or to hit her. The couch beside her sunk, and soon, two thin arms wrapped her up, and the waterfall of tears only increased. It was something she’d been wanting, the warm arms of a mother to take her in and comfort her. She leaned into it, basking in it.

Tatianna’s fingers ran through her hair, and she waited till the worst of it was over. “You remind me of myself when I was your age. So blind to what I was stepping into. Constantly between wanting to stay and trying to leave. We all make mistakes in the beginning, not knowing who to trust. But if you truly want to be with him, then the only person you need on your side is Adrik. At all times, he is your North Star.”

Jolie nodded, too exhausted to speak. Tears dripped as she stared at nothing, lost in unconscious thought. She felt like a deflated balloon, something that should be tossed in the trash.

“Adrik will not forgive easily. But if you love him like I think you do, fight for him.”

Chapter twenty-eight

Rage

Adrik stood in the warehouse, watching his men gather people he had considered friends. These were his kingpins, those who made him the most money. Three were his father’s cousins, and two were great-uncles, nearly eighty and the last two of his grandfather’s brothers that had made it to old age. They were also the ones who had fractured from his family while he had been incarcerated. These were the ones who would become examples.

There were a handful of others, one was the man that stopped Adrik from going for Alexei, others were guards from the jail. Killing them was for only one reason.

Because he could.

Their sobs echoed in this empty space. It was in the middle of a boatyard, far from anyone listening. Construction workers kept up their drills while dock workers secured the surrounding perimeter. There would be no evidence of what went on here today. In fact, after he left here, he’d forget it ever happened.

Adrik took the shot glass from Filip’s outstretched hand and downed the shot of vodka, letting it burn his throat and chest. The liquor was building over the last hour, and without anything in his stomach, it was hitting him hard. He steadied himself, latching onto Filip’s shoulder as theworld spun around him. He was surrounded by soldiers, by men who needed to see him take a hit and keep going. There was no being weak here.

“Please, Mr. Morozov. We had no choice.”

Over and over again, the pleas came, like buzzing flies. They were nothing more to him than garbage that would be lost in the ocean after today. He would listen to none of their prayers, because God didn’t listen to any of his. He would hurt God the same way God had hurt him.

It was equal justice.

Such justice was typically taken out by his soldiers to keep the vile killing off his hands. He knew at a young age that death didn’t affect him as it affected others. He could kill and not be bothered by it. But it was a slippery slope, one he was warned about by his mother. Yakov, however, felt differently about it.‘Death by your hands is an honor. Don’t give such a gift lightly.’

Adrik pulled a knife from one of his men’s sheaths and approached the first person.“You’re making a mistake, boy.”Adrik waited for the man to continue, wanting to hear the reasoning.“My son will come after you.”

Was that the best he could come up with? What the fuck did Adrik care if anyone’s son came for him? Let them. He’d welcome it. The world Yakov created was now his. Adrik would develop new alliances and new friends to last him through the years, ones he could actually trust. Yakov’s way of life was no longer acceptable. Adrik was going to mold the mafia around him like a glove.

Adrik shoved the blade into his chest, gritting his teeth. The shockwave soaked into his skin, and for a moment, the grief wasn’t as terrible. He yanked it out, but before the man could fall over, Adrik gripped his hair, pullinghis head back to expose his neck, and ran the blade slowly across the man’s jugular. He gurgled, and blood squirted like a water gun. The body fell, like Alexei’s body had fallen, face down.

Adrik took a step back. He clenched his eyes tight, trying to force it out of his memory. Over and over again, he saw his brother’s body fall. Adrik turned to the next one, and even as they screamed “Please!” he didn’t hear it. This one had been the guard in the jail, Jose. The one that put a noose around his neck. “I had no choice! They were going to come for my family.” Adrik stabbed the man in the face. When he went to pull it out, it got stuck in a bone, and Adrik put his foot against the man’s chest and yanked hard. There were no screams. The man was already dead, but the blood painted the ground, and the air smelled like copper.

“Sir,” Filip called from behind as Adrik stepped to the next person. She was shivering, her head down, her hair covering her face. He wanted it to be Katia. This was where he wanted her to be, on her knees, knowing she was about to die. Instead, Katia was hiding with his daughter, like a coward.

Filip touched Adrik’s shoulder, and whispered, “Let us do this for you.”

Adrik dropped to his knee before the woman, leaning down to catch her eyes. Tears rolled down her cheeks. He resented her tears and her pleas. Had she been crying when she handed Vincent her gang, sacrificing three of the men who spoke against her? He shoved the knife up through the bottom of her jaw, and he could see the blade through her open mouth. The look of pain and shock was a Band-Aid to his grief. The blood was a blanket to his rage.

“Sir,” Filip interrupted again, but this time more forcefully. “He’s ready.”

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