Page 89 of Embracing the Dark Side

Adrik motioned, and the four of them drifted behind the car, placing their guns on the hood. The path was free now. Free for her to escape with all the evidence she ever needed.

Mally shifted against the wall. One inch at a time, keeping a tight hold on Jolie. Jolie whimpered, trying to keep Mally's arm from cutting off her air supply. “Adrik,” Jolie whispered, begging. She couldn’t believe he just gave away his deepest secrets for Mally to use against him. There would be no getting out of jail now. He gave himself life in prison to save her. “I’m sorry. I love you. I hate that I do, but I love you.”

“It’s alright.” Adrik assured, clenching his teeth. He didn’t know how to save her, except to let her go. That was the answer all along, wasn’t it? For Jolie to remain the wholesome woman he loved, he needed to let her go. He was poison to her, and he was slowly killing her. As he watched Mally take another step, he told himself it was better this way, even if every part of him urged him forward.

The door popped open. “Jolie—”

Mally flinched when Heather came out, moving the gun toward Jolie’s mother in reckless fear. Jolie grabbed the gun instinctively. Weeks of captivity, of living in survival mode, ignited a fight in Jolie that couldn’t be subdued. She twisted Mally’s wrist, pulling the woman’s arm toward her. The gun fired at the ground, but it did nothing to stop Jolie from twisting, fighting the womanwith feral desire. It was her life, and Jolie wasn’t going to die today. She hadn’t fought against Vincent and Santiago for anyone to take her out before she was ready. Any weakness in her was devoured, and now she used that strength to wrestle the gun out of Mally’s hand, shoving her down to the ground.

The gun went off again and all of Mally’s fight froze.

Jolie panted, staring down at her. A coldness drowned her, and she struggled to understand. But there was no mistake as Mally collapsed and blood poured from her stomach. “Oh, God,” she whimpered. Jolie fell to her knees, pressing her hands against the wound, digging into the warm liquid. Mally gasped and whimpered, staring at the sky. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Jolie screamed, “Help! Help!” But as she pressed harder, begged harder, prayed harder, Mally’s breath got erratic, fast and frightening.

And then she breathed out and didn’t breathe again.

Jolie sat frozen, with her hands in a puddle of blood, watching, hoping life would spring back into Mally’s eyes, but after witnessing so many people dying, Jolie knew the inevitability of it. There was no revival. There was nothing but cold and dark death.

“Jolie?” her mother whispered, pressed against the wall, too terrified to move. “What did you do?”

Adrik’s shoes came into her peripheral. Jolie lifted her head to see him staring down at her. His hand was out, waiting, letting her decide. She could stay, face the judgment, live with the guilt, and let it destroy her from the inside out. Or she could go with him, ignore the pain, pretend it didn’t exist, and become part of the darkness.

Jolie took his hand.

Chapter forty-three

Epilogue

Tatianna’s fingers danced across a photo frame. It was the last family picture they had taken, nearly a year ago at their home in Russia. Everyone had made it, a rare occasion for their busy family. Her four daughters and three sons were all smiling and pretending. She knew that some would never be fully happy. There were scars that ran too deep. But Tatianna hoped at least they were trying to be. Because what was the point of life, if not for the attempt at happiness?

The knock on the door was expected, and she stared at it, willing it to be her imagination. But then it struck again, and she knew it was time.

Her past sins have caught up with her.

Tatianna took a packed bag off the bed and strolled out. Her guard, Ryan, was waiting and gently grasped the handles, taking the bag from her. She kept her back straight, refusing to look back, refusing to go grab that photo and keep it with her. There was no reminiscing where she was going. “Did Gil get on the plane?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Tatianna nodded, relieved. Though he was still healing from his attempt at death, she had to risk flying him to Russia. Protecting her children was all she knew how todo, and though it might be too late, she wasn’t going to stop fighting.

In the foyer, she stopped and placed her phone, her keys, and a small note on a table. She lingered, wondering if there was any way to change her fate, but she didn’t know if she wanted to. She had lived long enough, and she did deserve what was coming to her. The years of guilt would agree with her.

“We don’t have much time, Mrs. Morozov.” Ryan gestured to the door.

She nodded and turned toward the door at the back of the house, the one that led to darkness. There weren’t many steps, but she clenched the rail, her knees wobbling as the cold came up and twisted around every limb. She took a deep breath, wondering if she was able to go back in time and change things, would she? Her heels clipped against the stone, a sound that reverberated and played memories off the walls as she passed. She could hear the screams, the crashing glass, the slammed doors. So much that used to affect her, but now it was more like a whisper, barely causing a single doubt. Tatianna was a proud woman. She had made mistakes, sure, what person hadn’t? It was all part of the game, wasn’t it?

Because that’s what the Mafia was. A strategic game. And whoever was smarter, quicker, trickier won.

There were six guards in the hall, three of which Tatianna had wrapped around her finger. It was a fun pastime, finding their weaknesses. She couldn’t pay them; she hadn’t had a dime to her name in four decades. But she could manipulate, bargain, and steal. It had taken years to do so. But Tatianna had always been a good chess player.

“Adrik wants everyone to meet him in the living room.”It was a simple lie, but the three men on her chessboardimmediately left their posts, and like sheep, the only three lingering, unsure, were quickly convinced to follow. It wouldn’t give her much time before they realized they’d been tricked, but she didn’t need much of it.

From beneath her dress, she pulled out keys. She handed it to Ryan, and he went about opening the door and letting her in. The smell nearly knocked her back. She wrapped a hand around her mouth, pushing forward, finding Vincent, a carcass half-dead. Ryan dropped her bag on his legs, unlocked the wheels of the gurney, and pushed the bed out the door.

Quickly down the hall and out the backdoor, they were in the service area. She looked up to a camera, knowing at some point Adrik was going to look at the feed and see her. He’d be betrayed. He’d be angry. But if he could see past all that, he’d know she did everything for family. And though he might see this as something donetohim, it was onlyforhim.

A van awaited, and the doors burst open. Men in white suits didn’t acknowledge her, snatching the gurney. Once the doors were shut, they hopped in the van and drove away.

Tatianna stood there, staring at a man leaned up against a black SUV. Fedor Utkins smirked behind his thick beard. She slowly approached.

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