Page 55 of Dance of Deception

Ensnaring me.

My eyes widen as my hands fly to his arm, clawing, hitting, smacking at him. But there’s no fighting him. No overpowering him. And it hits me that if he wanted to kill me right the fuck now?

He could.

My mind blanks as his fingers tighten, pressing into the soft, vulnerable skin of my throat.

“What makes a psychopath truly dangerous isn’t just their capacity for violence…

They learn your vulnerabilities without you realizing it and may use those vulnerabilities to their advantage.”

My fingers claw and smack, fighting against the iron grip around my neck.

His eyes burn into mine, his expression calm, like he’s already decided how this ends.

I never had a choice at all.

Then his lips curl into a smirk, and he leans in, his tone low and final.

“This isn’t a game you get to quit, Lyra. You made your move. Now you have to deal with me.”

And then—he lets go.

I collapse onto the stage, gasping for air and choking roughly.

By the time I blink away the haze and look up, he’s already vanished into the shadows.

And I’m left there, clutching my bloodied necklace.

Firmly caught in his snare.

10

CARMINE

Pop looks good.

Toogood for a man who just had a fucking heart attack.

He’s kicked back in one of the heavy leather chairs in the study, legs stretched out, glass of whiskey in hand—becauseof coursehe does.

The flickering fire highlights the deep lines on his face, but his eyes are still sharp and bright, full of that devil-may-care energy that’s kept him alive for decades.

Not even his own body betraying him has slowed him down.

“Jesus, Pop,” I mutter, shaking my head. “You’re really sitting there like nothing happened?”

Vito half shrugs. “Somethingdidhappen, and then itstoppedhappening. So now I’m going to enjoy my fucking whiskey, thank you very much.”

I exhale a long sigh as Sinatra croons in the background.

“Youhad a heart attack?—”

“Which Isurvived,” he interrupts, grinning.

I scowl. “You’re not immortal, old man.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” he smirks, lifting his glass in a mock toast before taking a sip.

---