Page 29 of The Dark Side

"No, he said—"

"I don't care what he said. Adrik doesn't date. He's not allowed. He and his estranged wife have a deal where they can live separate lives but aren't allowed lovers. His wife, Katia, was in love with her brother's best friend, Nikos. And they even were thinking of running away together. But when Katia got pregnant with Adrik's child, he found out what Katia and Nikos were planning. He murdered Nikos."

The word 'murder' doused her in dread.

"How do you know it was him?"

"No proof, but I know."

Jolie shook her head. "I can't do what you're asking."

"This position of being a tutor is huge. You'll earn his trust bit by bit."

"It's too dangerous."

"Only if you get caught."

"And what are your assurances that I won't? You're asking me to risk my life for this."

Mally stood, aggravated that Jolie couldn't see the importance of this position being brought to her like a piece of cake. Mally wanted this, and Jolie was only concerned aboutherlife. This could change the future. This could alter so many lives. Including Mally's. If she took down the Morozov empire, all her hard work would finally be worthwhile.

"I'm asking you to think of your students."

Jolie sneered. "That's not fair."

"Nothing in life is. But you have been given an important mission. Do you think heroes sit on the sidelines and wait for something bad to happen to swoop in and save the day? Real heroes, real-life heroes, are out there every day, putting their lives on the line to save yours. What do you think cops do? What do you think firefighters do?"

"I'm a teacher. Not exactly a risk taker."

Mally smirked as she crossed her arms. "I don't know about that."

How she said it unnerved Jolie. "What's that mean?"

A slight shrug. "I've been looking into you," she admits. "And that bank robbery."

Jolie's blood went cold.

A little giggle produced from her pink lips. "Your ex-boyfriend wasn't very smart. But you were, weren't you?"

An instant denial was on her lips. "I don't know what you mean."

"Is that so? I could look into it a bit more. If I can't get into this family, I'll have more time on my hands." The threat lingered as Mally backed up. "Let me know what you decide."

Chapter twelve

Interview

WhenJoliegothome,she couldn't force herself out of the doorway. Her back pressed against the wall as she looked around. Her home was a square box. Where had the man hidden? In the bathroom? On the fire escape? Could they be out there now?

Her cats meowed at her feet. They had wisely stayed hidden during the attack, and Jolie thanked God for their fear of strangers. She should have realized when they hadn't greeted her the moment she came back from the gym that something was wrong. She hugged them and cried into their skin, but they were hungry, and Jolie forced herself out of misery and into action. Caring for someone else and ignoring every fear in her body was easy. Her cats needed her.

Once her cats were eating, Jolie could feel the terror creep up inside her again. There was no one else to care for, to take her mind off the horrible intrusion. With shaking hands, she called her mom, Heather.

"Hey, baby, I was just thinking about you."

Tears sprung to her eyes, and her lip trembled, but she didn't want her mom to worry. "Hey, how was your day?"

With her voice sputtering random things, Jolie approached her bathroom. There were broken pieces of the door and charred remains on the wood. Everything was left where she had dropped it.