Page 64 of Embracing the Dark Side

“Yakov’s older brother.” Tatianna leaned around to look. “He wants Adrik’s place.”

“How come he didn’t try while Adrik was in jail?”

“He did. Or his son did. But they failed, and now he’s kissing ass. He can’t seem to take a hint.” Tatianna took one last pull before pressing the cigarette tip against the wall, putting it out, and stuffing it in her purse. She blew the smoke out, waving it away. “One day, I can tell you all about our family. Maybe it will help you understand Adrik a little.”

“I’d love that.”

“Two things you should know and understand by now are: one, we are a very big family.”

Tatianna pointed to a pew in the front, an area dedicated only to immediate blood-related members of the Morozov line. Within the first five pews, there were five men with five wives. It was a mix of their sons and daughters, all in their 20s, with little babies and toddlers. She could see a subtle resemblance between them. The Morozov gene was more prominent than she could have imagined.

“This is only a third. Most of us remain in Russia. Adrik’s sisters couldn’t attend. They will throw their own service when the bodies arrive tomorrow.”

Jolie was amazed by this. She had only the love of her parents, but to have dozens of influential people protect you would make anyone feel like a god. It was no wonder Adrik had such an ego.

It told her that Adrik wouldn’t come for her. Jolie would have to go to him. And though she was terrified, she couldn’t stretch out their silence any longer. She feared it would cause too much damage. Tomorrow, she’d make an effort.

With Tatianna’s hand slipping into Jolie’s arm, she said, “And two, we are loyal as long as it serves our needs.”

They moved toward the front. Jolie felt entirely out of place. She was just a tutor, only recently joining the family. Surely, there was someone else Tatianna wanted to sit beside her, and yet the woman didn’t let her go, and she sat in the front pew with the immediate family.

Only when they were seconds away from starting did Adrik come out of some back room. He had black sunglasses on and wore a black tux. He unbuttoned his coat as he sat on the other side of his mother. Jolie watched him, begging for some recognition, but she knew it was selfish of her.

The two white caskets sat on a pillow of multicolored flowers, with the family sigil engraved on the front. Their images sat beside them. Jolie paid no attention to Yakov. He had only been a monster to her, and she felt nothing for his loss. It was Alexei she stared at, and memories surfaced, unrestrained. All the laughter they shared, the conversations they had, brought nostalgia that made her ache. So quickly, he had become her best friend.

Alexei’s kiss was not forgotten, but it was something Jolie would never share. And though it was once more a secret, it was a secret she didn’t feel guilty for keeping. Alexei was loyal to his brother to the very end, and that was all anyone would ever know. She would never tarnish his memory.

The stories of Alexei were endless. Some of them were too personal. Some were too raunchy that his mother gaped and hid her face through the light laughter. Sonya, the woman who came to Adrik’s birthday party, gladly stood on the pew, clearly in grief, and yet spoke of her sexual encounters. “He fucked like he wanted to conquer the world.”

Not too long after, she was escorted off the stage and kicked out.

Alexei had lived a full life, even in the shadow of his brother. There was some solace in that.

Near the end, a strange woman walked up to Alexei’s casket. Jolie nudged Tatianna, but she didn’t seem to know who it was. When the woman turned away, with a tissue against her cheeks, Jolie recognized her. It was the image of Helina’s favorite author.

Melissa.Jolie pressed a hand against her lips. Her heart ached for Alexei then. He had only loved one woman, he told her once. And here she was, mourning him. Tears came harshly then. Alexei’s death was unfair and too soon.

Jolie’s attention returned when Adrik got up. With his hands in his pockets, he took the stairs to the podium and stood before it. He was a stick figure with no emotion passing through him. For a moment, she didn’t know if he was going to talk. Everyone was quiet, waiting with bated breath.

Adrik raised his head and removed his sunglasses. How he managed to appear unfazed astonished Jolie. He was every bit a mafia leader: authoritative, emotionless, and reserved. She wondered how much it took out of him to remain so stalwart. She hurt for him, because she knew that inside, he was dying. “I won’t stand here and tell a story about my brother. He hated fucking funerals. Instead, I am going to give you a warning.”

A wave of uneasiness flowed through the room. Jolie clenched tight to Tatianna’s hand, but she seemed unperturbed by the threat.

“Revenge is coming. And it will be a tidal wave. If you are not on my ship, you will drown, and the sharks will feast on your flesh. Along with your sons and daughters. Your wives and whores. Your dogs and your fucking cats.”

Adrik slipped his glasses back on and jotted down the stairs and out of the doors.

There was a wave of outrage, but in the section of the blood-related Morozov line, it was quiet and still. The solidarity would separate friends and lifelong relationships. Adrik was putting a line in the sand, and anyone not on his side would be encased in flame.

Now Jolie knew why Tatianna kept her close. There would be no mistaking her allegiance. She was on Adrik’s ship, and there was no getting off.

Chapter thirty

Half Alive

Adrik stayed distant as they wheeled his brother’s casket into the bottom of the family plane. His father’s casket followed behind. Five days before Alexei turned twenty-nine, he was headed for Russia. In their final days in jail, Alexei planned to visit their sisters.

And now he was.

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