Page 105 of The Dark Side

He could tell her a body was being cleaned off the living room floor, but her fragility kept him silent. He was far from okay. Something in him was changing. He wanted more power, more strength, to protect her from the world he lived in. Adrik pulled back, cupping her cheek, forcing her gaze on him. Tears dripped down her face, and she tried to ignore his eyes, but he waited. "If he would have hurt you, I would have killed him."

She shook her head. If he thought that was a comfort to her, he was mistaken.

Adrik had to get her to understand. There was no peace in this life. She had to either accept it or leave. "It's fine. I'm fine," she whimpered, trying to pull away, but he wouldn't let her go.

"Jolie"—Adrik pulled her back into him—"I'm serious. I protect what's mine."

Tears built in her eyes, and her lip trembled. "He beat a man." Jolie wanted to say more and tell him it was all her fault, and she didn't know how she would ever forgive herself for saying nothing and doing nothing. What kind of person was she becoming? She didn't want to lose herself here, but the fear had been so incredible that it still left her nauseous.

Adrik gripped her, cursing his father for the damage he'd done. Jolie was as innocent as Helina. She didn't deserve what he exposed her to. But it was going to happen eventually, wasn't it? Like Helina being exposed to his world, Jolie would be, too. There was no stopping it. He could only lessen the blow. It's how the Mafia conditioned their children. Small exposures to violence over time. Was that what he had to do for Jolie?

Jolie wiped her face. She didn't want to be this mess of a girl. She wanted to show her strength, even if she wasn't sure she had any. Jolie pulled herself back, pulling back her misery. "Katia found out about us."

The change of subject was noticed, but he allowed it. Whatever she needed to do to handle the trauma of last night was on her. "I'll deal with Katia." He rubbed the wetness off her face, kissing her lips and resting his forehead against her. "My father and I came to an agreement. He will be leaving in six months."

Jolie pulled back in surprise.

"Then I will be head of this family. I will divorce Katia and deal with the consequences."

She shook her head. "You said that your marriage keeps people from dying."

"It does, but already her brother betrayed me. How do I know her parents aren't doing the same? How do I know Katia isn't?"

Jolie's heart pounded in her chest. Katia was betraying him by sleeping with his brother. If he found out and confronted Katia, would Katia throw her under the bus to take the spotlight off her? "Katia would never put her daughter at risk."

"I'm not suggesting she did. But Katia hates me, hates my family. She has no incentive to be loyal. She is a risk not worth having. My father doesn't see this, because he sees only money. The harbor will be mine when I am through, and her family will be displaced."

Jolie shifted out of his arms, putting space between them. "Can we talk about something else?"

"No." Adrik planted his feet. "This is my life. The Mafia is my life. You will be involved in terrible things just by knowing me. Being ignorant doesn't save you." He watched her and observed the emotions she was trying to suppress. Her fingers pressed against her lips and neck until she drifted further from him, reaching for the bed. He waited till she sat and stepped up to her. "I've never done anything so stupid and reckless as being with you. My brother made me fully aware, and I cannot deny it." Adrik knelt before her. "And I have no intention of stopping. But if you can't go on, you need to tell me now." A hand slipped into her fingers, desperate to feel her. "Do you want to end this?"

Jolie's eyes were wild, flicking over his face, desperate for a path to follow. Adrik pulled her to her feet. Her hands rested on his chest as she avoided his gaze. He wasn't going to beg, but he sure as hell was gonna fight. He couldn't lose her or let her give up so soon. And though he should take this as a sign that their relationship wouldn't make it, he was too far gone to let go. He was doing shit he's never done, saying shit he's never said.

"I cannot change who I am, or the world I live in" he whispered. Adrik cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing her lip. The way the heat came to her cheeks told him that she was just as addicted as he was. "But I've never wanted anything more than I want you." He teased her, tracing her jaw, nose, and lips with his just enough to have her yearning. "Come to the dark side with me."

She shivered as those words slipped into her like a poison. It filled her lungs before it transformed into desire, settling between her legs. "Why does that sound like I'm signing away my soul?"

"You are." Adrik kissed the side of her mouth. "To me."

Jolie melted into such a declaration. She was forsaking her morals, humanity, and the goodness inside her. She was turning her back on God and her parents. All for him. She'd have to accept that he did horrible things and that she would one day witness it. But she refused to believe it was all bad. He had too much good in him to be as evil as he claimed. She could bring the goodness out of him, shine light into his dark world, and maybe, one day, all his power would be used to help the world instead of destroying it. She had to try because she was in too deep to get out now.

Jolie nodded, and Adrik captured her lips, devouring her. He pushed his tongue into her mouth, twirling hers in chaotic force as he laid her down on the bed, slipping between her legs. He parted from her lips to kiss down her jaw and neck to nuzzle the fat of her breast beneath her clothes.

"Adrik," Jolie moaned. He jerked his hips against her, letting her feel his desire pressed against her apex. Her gasp was a reward, making him smile as his teeth pinched her taut nipple through her shirt. "Please," she whimpered. There was no more waiting. She had decided, and now there was nothing left to do but give Adrik all of her.

Adrik kissed his way back to her lips. "Two weeks."

"What?" She arched, blindly begging for more.

Adrik loved it. She blinked at the realization that he was stopping, actually pulling away. She gripped his shirt to keep him there.

“Two weeks,” he repeated now that she was paying attention. "When I first have you, it will not be a two-minute desperate attempt. It will be a well-executed procedure, taking hours and hours of our day till you are fulfilled in every way you have never been. Be prepared; your two weeks are fading."

Chapter thirty-nine

Dance Party

Spendingthedayatthe beach with Katia wasn't as appetizing as hours of lovemaking, but it wasn't bad either. Katia was a ball of fun when she wanted to be. She knew how to spend money and didn't hesitate either. The Don was a massive hotel twenty levels high and a hundred rooms wide. They got the presidential suite overlooking the ocean. But for now, they laid out on the beach in a cabana, with a servant standing nearby, waiting to be called.