Page 50 of The Dark Side

"It's too late. It would be too obvious."

Jolie nearly broke. "I don't care! It's scary there."

"Jolie, all you have to do is get Adrik to say he killed someone. That's it."

"That's harder than you think. He watches what he says all the time."

Mally leaned against the counter, and casually said, "Maybe find a way to make him relax."

The insinuation wasn't lost, and Jolie's mouth dropped open. "I'm not a freaking hooker."

"He likes you, and you like him. Nothing wrong with getting to know each other better."

Jolie couldn't believe her audacity. She wasn't at all what she perceived FBI agents to be. She thought they would be all for protecting people like Jolie. Not trying to get her into terrible danger.

"I'm not doing this. I want out. I want protection."

Mally crossed her arms, "You aren't getting it. You haven't done anything for us. If you want protection, then get Adrik to talk. Get Yakov to talk. Get Alexei to talk."

Jolie had never wanted to punch anyone in the face, but the more Mally spoke, the more Jolie could feel her fist ball up. Jolie asked, "What about breakfast?"

"Nothing we can use. Alexei spoke about killing you."

Her shock pierced through her throat. "He what?"

"These aren't normal people, Jolie. It's what I'm trying to show you. They get by because they start off nice. They start off by handing out money or gifts. They lure you in, and by the time you realize what's wrong, it's too late to get out. Thousands and thousands of people fall prey to them every year."

Alexei apologized for putting a gun to her head and then talked about killing her in another language. How much of him was real? She'd have to be careful around him. He was easy to talk to and came off like a friend, but he was far from it. It was disappointing to learn. But it helped Jolie solidify her role. She needed to get Adrik to admit to something so she could get out.

"I don't know how to flirt," Jolie admitted. "I haven't had much practice."

"YouTube has got everything nowadays. I'm sure you can find a way. And be careful with that pen. If they find it on you, I don't know if I'll be able to help."

Jolie's mouth fell open at the admittance. Mally told her from the first day that she could protect her, and now she's claiming she can't. How was Mally any different from Alexei?

Jolie leaned against the counter after Mally left. She'd dug herself into a hole she didn't know how to escape. She felt just as trapped as she did when she was a teenager. She had gone to her parents and relied on them to guide her. But here, she knew that wasn't possible. Her parents couldn't help her now. She was a big girl. She'd have to figure it out on her own.

As Jolie finished her late morning jog, she returned to the front gates, only to find it overrun by men in black suits. They were searching for someone.

This is for me, isn’t it?

Mally's warning about the pen was fresh in her mind, and she dug into her bra, removing it. But she didn't know what to do with it. There was a bush beside her, and in a moment of terror, she flung it into the trees. Then regretted it. She was about to reach for it when one of the guards noticed her, and she heard their Russian call. "Crap," she cursed as they approached.

The beast of a man spoke into a walkie-talkie before he greeted her in a harsh accent, "Miss Bell, please follow me."

"Am I in trouble?"

He took ahold of her bicep roughly, and she stumbled beside him, intimidated by his strength. There was a bunch of people walking around, teenagers and adults alike. They glared at her as they passed, murmuring in their rough language and spitting at the floor.

The man brought her into the house and down a hallway. Stepping from white marble flooring onto dark mahogany wood floors made her heart drop. She felt like she was descending into hell. "I'm sorry. I just went for a run," she pathetically whimpered as he pushed her toward double wooden doors. The soldier pushed them open and pulled her to the center of the room, only to abandon her there. The doors shutting vibrated in her chest.

Jolie hugged herself. The room was every bit of an office belonging to an ancient vampire king. It smelt of cigarettes and stale liquor. She wondered if he stowed bodies in the floor-to-ceiling wooden cabinets. Dead animals on the walls might as well be human carcasses. Her animal rights activist badge was burning against her chest. The terror transformed into anger.

What kind of man hurts these creatures just for the thrill?

Yakov came from a different door, greeting her with a pleasant enough smile. However, she couldn't take the ick off her lips as she watched him. He poured himself a drink, "Welcome back."

"I just went for a run."