Page 20 of The Dark Side

Adrik looked back at her. "Because I don't let people say no to me." He lingered, letting it sink in that she had defied him and got away with it. Then he stepped out and shut the door.

Jolie stood there for several minutes, hoping—dreading—that he'd come back, but when he didn't, the last of her strength unraveled. She dropped to her butt, with her head in her hands. "Holy moly," she cursed, squeezing her head in disbelief.

Chapter eight

Intrusion

AdrikstoodoutsideJolie'sdoor, hoping—dreading—she'd open it. He didn't know what he was doing here. He wasn't allowed to date her. She's American, and he's married. Their lives were too different. It wouldn't be worth the effort. Nice women typically didn't exist in his world for a reason.

If his father even suspected he was stalking this girl, she'd be removed. He had to stay away from her or risk her life. She was wise to keep her distance.

Still, he was disappointed.

Adrik slipped his hood on and walked toward the elevator. Much to his disinclination, FBI agent Mally stood there waiting with a satisfied smirk on her face.

"Good evening, Agent," he greeted. Adrik glanced toward the corners of the hallway. He must have missed a camera somewhere.

There was no reason to run. Mally was alone, and he had three people with him who could detain her if he needed to escape. But the chance of her actually having anything on him so that she could arrest him was low.

"Surprise, surprise," she cackled. "How'd I know? Is she one of the lucky ladies forced to sleep with you?"

Adrik kept his hands in the pocket of his hoodie, digging his nails into his skin as he held a nonchalant expression over her unpleasant comment. It wasn't abnormal for ugly chicks to be bitter about who he slept with.

Mally stepped forward. "Funny thing. We went searching for one of the assailants from the car that shot up Salem's, and we can't find him."

"That is funny," he replied, tired of this conversation.

"I want to know what you know."

"I don't know anything."

"You think I'll believe that someone tries to murder your daughter, and you just sit back and do nothing?"

"Good thing what youbelievedoesn't hold up in court."

The slight unnerved her, and she bit, "Daddy had to come home, huh? You weren't doing a stand-up job. Does he know about the mess on Martin Luther King? How many of your drug dealers got arrested that night? Five? Six?"

Adrik smiled pleasantly. It did happen to be something he was keeping from his father, but not because he was ashamed. It was because it didn't matter. Drug dealers get caught. They were like front-line soldiers in a war. If they survived, it was luck, and they'd eventually get a raise. But not all soldiers would make it. Some needed to be sacrificed for the greater good.

"I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Who was it?" she asked with a hint of desperation. It was delicious to see, and Adrik basked in it. Despite how hard she tried, she'd never succeed in taking down his family.

"Fine," she sneered when she noticed his smirk. "I'll figure it out once the killing starts anyway. But let me warn you, if that girl isn't part of it already, stay away from her. She's a good girl and doesn't deserve to be destroyed like the thousands of others your family has ruined."

Adrik's amusement fell. He didn't like being told what to do, especially by people that didn't understand his life. No matter how much Mally knew about his family, she could never grasp it. And Adrik wondered if sometimes she wished she could. To have such power was godly. "Have a good night." He stepped around her, heading for the stairs.

Mally called after him, "Can I at least get back my bugs? They're expensive."

Adrik waved a hand before shoving the door open. One of his guards turned around and tossed it to her. The broken pieces sounded like a bag full of quarters, and he smiled as her curse followed him into the stairwell.

When Jolie finally collected herself, she grabbed the phone. She was getting in way over her head, and her mother would have good advice on how to get out of it.

A knock flung her around, and her phone flew through the air, smacking against the refrigerator. "Gosh, darn it," she cursed. She hated how afraid she was. Maybe it was time to follow her mother's advice and join kickboxing classes.

Jolie yanked open the door. "I thought we—" She paused at the sight of Agent Mally.

"Can I come in?"