Page 37 of Shark Bait

“That’s the oldest brother,” Alessio says.

“How do you know?”

“He’s generously sharing his chips.” Alessio gives me a look, daring me to question his guess based on bias.

Denver sits on the other side of her. He hums, then drums his fingers on his thighs, and I guess that’s a cue for Levi and Troy to pick up their guitars again. The two play her song while Denver sings.

There are hours and hours of videos like this one. The last video shows Troy being sent off to college, where she will study music. She was barely eighteen.

Alessio leans toward the screen and points at the date of the last video. “Late August of last year.”

“Clueless freshman,” I say. “Small-town girl looking for fame.” An easy target.

We scroll through the comments and see one from only a few months ago.I miss you,it says. It’s from a business account called Hazed, which Alessio clicks. We’re taken to a profile of a band named Hazed with hundreds of thousands of followers.

This is bad.

Alessio’s jaw tightens as he scrolls and finds a video of grown-up Denver singing the song Troy wrote many years ago. He adapted parts of it to fit his brand of music, which sounds as if an alternative rock band and a country band had a baby. The chorus is about his sister and how badly he wants her to come home.

Although touching given their circumstances, that’s not what gets our attention. Troy’s brother is playing the song in front of a dark hall full of people holding up lighter flames.

“An arena full of people,” Alessio says.

I know what he’s saying without saying it. A band that plays to thousands means Troy is a high-profile kidnapping victim, and we are at an alarming risk of exposure. For our family to remain functioning in the underground world of wealth and power, secrecy is essential.

Alessio looks up, and even though I’m the one hovering over him while he’s researching Troy, something I normally do for him, I feel pinned. Or maybe stabbed in the jugular. I imagine he’d enjoy stabbing me right about now.

“You know you are a hitman and I’m your employer and we operate in secrecy, right?” he asks. “Emphasis on secrecy.”

“Mmhm.” I’m staring at the screen. That’s a damn good song.

“You know you’re one of the most wanted hitmen in the universe?”

We’ve moved from most wanted in the world to most wanted in the universe.

“I like the idea of universe. Multiverse.” Spread my arms. “Even bigger.”

Alessio is quietly simmering. It’s just a matter of time before he punches me in the face.

“Miroslav,” he says, unamused. “I’m running out of ideas on how I want to end you.”

“You want to borrow some of mine?”

Alessio reaches into his pocket, digging for the key to the drawer he locked his gun in.

I dangle the key in front of him.

He swipes at it, but I snatch my hand away. “Give me a few days. I’ll come up with something.” I toss the key on his desk and rise to stretch. My neck cracks. I groan and crack it again. Much better.

“I consider her an existential threat to our family.”

I throw up my hands. “I didn’t know her brother was a rising pop star.”

Alessio closes the computer with slight force. Not slamming it, but close enough. “Now you do. What are we doing about it?”

“I’ll think in the shower.”

“You do that.” He rises. “Meanwhile, Valerina will order Troy a wedding dress.”

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