Page 85 of The Broposal
At eleven, Jolie left her room, only to stop in her tracks. “Esfir?” The woman had a bunch of towels in her hands and was dressed in the same outfit she’s worn since Jolie has known her.
She was walking with a limp and had a massive bruise on her face, but she smiled, nonetheless, and took Jolie’s hand. “He come.”
Jolie nodded with a bright smile. “Yes. He did.” Her heart bloomed with love. Adrik was everything she knew him to be. And though he was distant and didn’t say much, he fixed everything that was broken with a wave of his hand. There was something about that kind of power that Jolie never wanted to be without.
She skipped down the stairs, wondering what surprises Adrik had in store.
Her breath caught in her throat as she caught sight of her mother’s hair through the window. Jolie held the wall, slowly moving forward till she made it outside by the pool. They were standing there, admiring the plants in the backyard. “Mommy?”
Heather turned around, and a hand slapped over her mouth. “Honey!” she cried. They ran for each other’s arms, and Jolie gripped her with all her strength. Her stepfather came next, with his lips on her temple. “Baby. You’re okay,” he cried.
Her knees weakened, but with their arms, she kept standing, crying into them.
Words spilled out of her like water, explaining everything she had been going through for the last six weeks. She had to start from the beginning when Vincent showed up at the party and killed Yakov. Then, shemoved on to the weeks she spent in her room with Helina, fearing every sound. She told them about her daring escape during a storm and her recapture.
Her mother and father were avid listeners, asking all the right questions and praising her for being so smart.
Adrik was coming from the garage, and he stopped and listened to the story of her six weeks in captivity. He rubbed the rawness of his knuckles, making more pain than necessary for every moment he wasn’t there when he should have been. Vincent’s blood was still dripping on the floor. His death would be slow, blood loss from the cuts of a serrated knife. Adrik left him there, staring at the dead bodies of his father and cousin, with all the illusions that his nieces and nephews would be punished along with him.
When Jolie finished with her story, and before she could talk about Alexei, Adrik came through the thick foliage. He knew her parents wouldn’t be happy to see him, but he hoped to get on their good side with the garden. “Mr. and Mrs. Bell,” he greeted. They all stood up as he approached, and he held out his hand to her stepfather. “Thank you for coming.”
Jolie noticed the hesitation, and she nudged him. Begrudgingly, her stepfather shook it. Her mother looked at him with disdain, but reluctantly, she grabbed his hand.
“It’s hot. Should we go inside?” Adrik could think of nothing else to say to break the tension.
“Yes!” Jolie latched onto it. “I’m sweating. Come on.”
Thankfully, the humongous picture of Alexei had been taken down, and the four of them sat in the living room. It was decorated nicely for Thanksgiving, orange and brown leaves hanging in every direction. The quiet was awkward, and Jolie shifted uncomfortably, glancingbetween her stiff and unhappy parents and Adrik, a man who sat like he hadn’t a care in the world.
Heather finally spoke. “I’m gonna just say it. I hate that my daughter is mixed up with you. She deserves better. She’s a good person, Mr. Morozov. And I’m sure you’re a good guy when you want to be. But you can’t promise me her safety, and you can’t promise me she’ll be happy. So, what do you want from me? Why am I here?”
Adrik crossed his legs and unbuttoned his jacket, shifting as dizziness rotated his world. It was a difficult thing to have, a normal conversation high on coke. There were a thousand things he needed to be doing, and placating parents wasn’t exactly a top priority.
Jolie wondered if her mom made him nervous, watching him with knitted brows. He couldn’t sit still, and it was unlike him.
“Who can promise these things?” Adrik finally managed, changing his leg position again. This seat was awfully uncomfortable. “Safety and happiness are both relative. I will protect her with every fiber of my being. Does God have other plans? Of course. I will do what I can to make her happy, but happiness is a fickle thing and comes and goes. What I want from you is support. I won’t have you constantly in her ear to convince her to leave. Because I can and I will cut you off.”
Jolie put a hand on his knee. “That’s not—” She shook her head. “Nope.”
Adrik twisted his neck and sighed. It was a reminder that these weren’t mafia members. They were parents. He needed a different strategy. Adrik grabbed her hand as he leaned up to put his elbows on his knees, holding her hand between his. He stared down at her bare, thin fingers. Her nails had been chewed to the point of bleeding. It wasanother sign of how ill-kept she had been. It made him want to rip off Vincent’s fingernails the next time he saw him. “I will give Jolie every tool she needs to do what she loves. She will never have to struggle. She will have the best doctors. She will want for nothing. That is a better offer than most men can provide.”
“And being shot at? Being held captive? Being hit?” She points to Jolie’s face. “Twice, this man has nearly ruined our daughter’s life, and I hear he can’t be found. What if he comes back to finish what he started? He’s clearly dangerously obsessed with her.”
“You don’t have to worry about him anymore.”
“Oh? I haven’t heard anything on the news—”
“Again,” Adrik interrupted, and met Heather’s gaze. “You don’t have to worry anymore.”
The silence hung in the air for half a minute before her mother sat back, speechless.
To break the tension, Adrik kissed Jolie’s hand, and announced, “I have to go. I wanted you to have the day together. The yacht is available or perhaps a helicopter ride over the bay. My servants will take care of all your needs.” He stood, letting her hand go. From inside his jacket, he dropped an envelope. “A gift.”
“I don’t want agift,” her mother nipped.
Adrik shrugged, buttoning his jacket. “It’s more of a perk. For having a daughter in the Mafia.” He leaned down to Jolie and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll be back late.” He waved to her parents and left.
Adrik’s departure was abrupt, and Jolie sat there with her mouth open, annoyed that he’d leave her with her parents. Their accusing eyes were hard to ignore, and her mother whispered, “I think he’s on drugs.”