Page 75 of The Dark Side

"Yet you slept with him. I don't see you as the kind of woman to sleep with just anyone. And believe me, that is all the women I encounter in my world. You should see how they throw themselves at my husband. It is disgusting." Katia could have patted herself on the back for that little zing. She wanted this girl to realize Adrik was off-limits. Instinct was a woman's greatest defense, and she felt the need to get Jolie out of her life and Adrik's as quickly as possible.

Jolie stood as Miss Lacy brought in another dress. This one had more fabric to it. Katia closed the curtain so she could change.

"He was the first boy to look at me in high school. I wasn't exactly cheerleader material. I was a book nerd."

Katia rolled her eyes and mouthed the word, 'Shocking.'

"But he was sweet initially, and I kind of just went with it. He was the quarterback but a delinquent. You know, smoking, a skateboarder. I thought I could fix him. Get him on the right track."

"Did you manage it?"

"Not even close."

Jolie peeled the curtain back and stood before Katia, even more unsure than the last one. There was more fabric, but it sucked around every curve. It was a short long-sleeved black cocktail dress. There was no bending over in this.

Katia grinned. "Perfect. You can wear high heels, correct?"

"Yes. Just not Eiffel Tower heels. But this is too revealing."

"For our dinner, this is perfect. And you do want to fit in, yes?"

"Of course."

"Then, it is settled. Alexei will fall over when he sees you."

Jolie blushed. Not exactly the brother she was thinking of.

Katia nudged her with a smile. "Do you like Alexei? He has the heart of a kitten. You pet him, and he'll mew at your feet for a lifetime."

Jolie turned to the mirror to analyze her dress as she thought of that horrible comparison. What man would like to be compared to a cat? As much as Jolie adored cats, it didn't sound appealing.

"Alexei's nice."

Aside from the fact that he said he would kill me.

She would love to ask what happened with Alexei last night, but she wasn't supposed to know about it.

"You never told me your lover's name; what is it?"

"Vincent Ortez. I'm pretty sure he's still in prison."

"Prison?" Katia stood behind Jolie, fixing her stale long brown hair, trying to decide if she should curl it or just let it hang. But it was a distraction as she thought of the name. Ortez sounded too familiar. It wasn't a family name or Russian, but why would it spring out at her?

"He robbed a bank when we were together. I turned him in."

"Oh." Katia feigned heartache. "How brave."

And terribly stupid,Katia thought.Why would Adrik bring a narc into our world? Is it possible he doesn't know?

"I'll be back." Katia stepped out, leaving her alone.

Jolie needed help getting the dress off, and she wondered who was going to help her put it on for the party. She never understood why women dressed to the point of being uncomfortable. Feeling pretty was a state of mind and had nothing to do with the makeup or the outfits. She learned to love herself in high school even when others clearly didn't. She was made fun of by the girls with self-esteem issues, but their words didn't outweigh her own thoughts.

Jolie felt relieved to be back in her own clothes. She stepped out, finding Helina sitting on a couch, with a lollipop and her iPad. Jolie searched for Katia and heard the distant whispers of Russian. She peeked behind the wall and saw Katia and Gil arguing. It was intense and full of hand movements that expressed the vital upset. Gil reached out to her, touching her arm, but she snapped it away before turning around.

Jolie was too slow to hide, but she rushed over to sit next to Helina, her heart pounding as she heard the sharp clip of Katia's heels. The woman stomped toward them. "Let's go," she ordered.

"Is everything alright?"