Page 68 of Embracing the Dark Side

“Where’s Jolie?”

“Miss Bell was brought back to the house. Should I bring her to the party?”

Adrik stared at the floor. It was another situation where he had to dedicate a bit of time. Jolie was wisely stayingout of his way. She knew she fucked up. Now he had to gauge the justice she deserved.

From the servants’ confessions, Vincent had given Jolie permission to leave, but she had chosen to stay for Helina. She even tried to escape with his daughter in her arms. Adrik wanted her selfless actions to erase her work with the FBI, but it didn’t.

His fingers twisted his brother’s ring, now hanging from a new necklace, and Adrik could hear Alexei in those final days in jail.‘Stupid would be to let this girl go because of a goddamn rumor!’

It was no longer a rumor, so what would Alexei’s advice be? Adrik already knew the answer. Alexei was in love with Jolie. He’d forgive her in a heartbeat.

What did that mean for Adrik? Was he not in love? Or was he not in love at the level Alexei was? How could he subject himself to a future full of bullshit for a girl he wasn’t entirely in love with?

Adrik nodded. “Let her come. Let her see.”

Maybe he wouldn’t have to choose. Maybe she’ll run away and take the decision out of his hands. It wasn’t his way, but controlling everything was becoming exhausting. He didn’t have the strength he had before.

He didn’t have anything he had before.

‘You want to fucking control everything and everyone. And when we don’t bend to your command, you make our lives fucking miserable. You’re just like Papa.’

Alexei wanted him to be less controlling, so that’s what Adrik would be. Maybe then, something in his life would go right.

The house was surrounded by dozens of cars. The music vibrated the ground as Adrik stepped out. He thought he could make it back to his room and change, but itlooked like he’d have to go straight into it. First, he had to come up with some excuse why Gil wasn't at the funeral. No one needed to know Gil was Alexei's killer. Someone would take it upon themselves to seek their revenge, and no one had more of a right to harm Gil than Adrik did.

Alexei’s photo was the first thing he saw when he walked in. They had put up a massive 50-foot poster of Alexei’s face and drank about it, cheering and saluting every time they passed by. It was annoying, and Adrik walked by without acknowledging it. He found a table full of his cousins, and they all tried to put a drink into his hand. He let them. He needed to numb the pressure in his chest.

“How was jail?” Trevor asked. The kid was eighteen and only beginning his training to take over for his father. They owned several laundromats where they laundered money.

“Want to go?” Adrik offered, making a few of the cousins laugh.

The boy shrugged. “I ain’t afraid.”

Adrik swallowed the rest of the liquor and found it quickly replaced. He looked around. Surrounded by more sons of his business, he realized something. They were all vying for Alexei’s and Gil’s positions. Adrik would need lackeys, a person to handle the personnel, do the hiring and firing and scheduling, manage customer problems and punishments—things Alexei always took care of. And then he’d need someone to deal with internal conflicts. When gangs would fight, Gil was the first to try to soothe the problem. He was the easiest and friendliest of them.

Adrik sat back. This was where he could take and not have to give back. Every single one of them wanted tobe used so Adrik could see their worth and make them important. In the next coming weeks, he’d use them, push them, and try to get them to burn out. The ones that stayed would become his trusted 'sidekicks,' ones that would die for him.

War against the Stephanovs would require sacrifices. Better them than him.

“Would you all leave him alone?” A woman stepped in between the circle, wearing six-inch heels and a sparkling gold dress that ended high on her thighs. Five more women, all dressed in revealing skirts and outfits, wiggled their way through. The lead girl gently pushed Trevor out of her way. “He was in jail for weeks, and you think he wants to look atmoremen?”

Her confidence was commendable, but he found her only irritating when she sat on his lap, smiling at him. “Hi, I’m Marsha. The youngest daughter of Oleg Moskal.”

It explained her extreme level of ego. Moskal was one of the ten Russian Families here in Florida and his most loyal. They had defied Katia and Vincent, so he owed them a reward for their loyalty.

And now that Adrik was a free man, women would come from the far reaches of his empire to forge a partnership. It didn’t matter to them that the time and place was his brother’s funeral. A chance for them to get Adrik’s attention was all that mattered.

Adrik took an inhale of a joint before he blew it in her face. Marsha inhaled through her nose and moaned. He smirked. She was definitely the type of woman he used to take to his bed. They were always confident in the beginning, but after being tied up and fucked, they surrendered within seconds.

Was this a way to get revenge against Jolie? Was it not equal justice to betray her? Or was fucking another woman too far, even for him?

Adrik shifted and helped her off his lap. He couldn’t think rationally and wasn’t about to fuck up. Marsha sat on the armrest, a hand on his shoulder, exposing her fat thighs and excessive tits. She should be enough to erase Jolie, and Adrik did want to erase her. Bitterness swelled up inside him. A girl like Jolie was typically a small blip on his radar, easily overlooked. There were a dozen women within eyesight that would be better suited for him, a part of his world, and not such a fantastic fucking liar.

Adrik wanted to face Jolie. After so many days apart, he was ready to deal with her. Besides, if today was one of the most horrible days of his life, what were the odds it could get worse?

Adrik slipped out of the group. His actions were ignored. He was considered grieving and believed to be so high and drunk, so nothing he did at this party would be held against him. He searched the area for Jolie. He found her still in the tight black dress, sitting on the couch, completely uncomfortable. She sipped a drink and looked around like a lost sheep. There was a group of women making fun of her in the corner, but Jolie was oblivious.

When her eyes landed on him, her movements froze.

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