Page 97 of The Dark Side

"You doubt me?"

"I've been through this before."

"Do not compare me to your childish romance from years ago. It's insulting."

Jolie stayed quiet. Her doubts were continuous, but she knew it was a personal issue. She wasn't confident in their relationship. It was one of the reasons why she decided to wait. She didn't want to struggle with trust when trust is one of the fundamentals of a strong relationship.

"Do you think I would risk my reputation to ruin this with you? I do not waste my time, it is too precious to me. If you know anything else about me, believe in that."

Jolie nodded, but she couldn't erase all the emotions so quickly. The dread in her stomach was receding, leaving an emptiness in her gut. She was exhausted, and a headache formed in the aftermath of grief.

"Did you use my gift last night?"

"Tsk." A flush of anger and disgust spread through her, killing her sadness. "No!"

His chuckle filled her ears, warming her from the inside. It relaxed her, and now all she wanted was to curl into his arms.

Adrik sighed. "There will be many things that will question your trust in me. But being with another woman will not be one of them."

She was sucked back in with such little effort.

"Will you send me something?"

Her brows knitted. "What?"

"A picture of your tits."

Jolie slapped a hand on her face. "Goodbye."

He laughed adoringly. "See you,krasivyy."

Beautiful.

Jolie pressed the phone to her chest, her smile bright and wide.

And then she remembered she had clicked the pen. She pulled it out, staring at it in her palm. Quickly, she went through their conversation, trying to pinpoint anything she could have said to alert the agent about what she was doing. Here she was, accusing Adrik of betraying her when she was doing something worse to him. Cheating would only hurt her. Trying to bring down Yakov would destroy Adrik's life. What she was doing wasn't right.

I have to pick a side.But she had already chosen, hadn't she? Jolie just needed to cross the line where she could no longer turn back.

Jolie rubbed her fingerprints from the casing and wrapped it in a fabric napkin before putting it into a thin metal garbage can by the door. She turned to leave but squeezed back into the doorway, hiding, slapping a hand on her mouth.

Katia and Gil were in the hallway.

Making out.

"Oh, crap," she cursed.

Chapter thirty-six

Discovered

Joliehidinherroom. She had seen Gil and Katia making out, and now she didn't know what to do. There was no doubt in her mind that Adrik didn't know his brother was moving in on his wife. But was it her place to say anything? Would Adrik believe her?

For hours, she held the phone in her hands, pacing till the exhaustion of the night before pulled her to the bed. Knowing that Katia and Gil were betraying him while she was working for the FBI felt too much for one person.

Jolie was so ready to point out Adrik's flaws, calling him Ted Bundy and recognizing all his alpha male tendencies, because she didn't want to face hers. She had lied to him. She was partnered with the FBI and didn't know how to escape it. What was she going to say to him? Because eventually, she was gonna have to tell him. There was no way around it.

I'll lose him.