Page 34 of Scattered Glitter

He can’t. And he knows it.

The plan Uncle Oscar had put together involved all of us—Ezra, Alaric, Sylus, Levi,andme. It was already set in motion whenshe had Uncle Oscar killed.

The fire in Levi’s eyes wavers. His shoulders tense, his breathing uneven. “I get it,” he finally says like the fight’s been knocked out of him. “You’re scared. Hell, I’m scared too. I don’t even know if we can win this. But if we don’t try…” His voice breaks completely, and he drags a hand through his hair. “If we don’t try, then what the hell did he die for?”

It’s not anger anymore. It’s grief. It’s guilt. As he looks back at me, his eyes searching mine, I see it clearly. The weight he’s been carrying, the fear of failing Oscar, of letting his death mean nothing.

And I can’t let him carry it alone, even if I hate this.

“You’re playing with fire,” I mutter, crossing my arms.

Levi flashes me a grin that doesn’t reach his eyes. “Fire’s the only thing that’ll burnherempire to the ground.”

She made it look like a heart attack—so perfectly staged, even I questioned it for a while. The stress, the pressure of the show made sense on the surface.

But then, at the funeral, I saw her. The way she looked at me, that satisfied glint in her eye. Like she knew she’d won. Like she waswaitingfor me to realize it. She’d even had the audacity to talk about mending things between ourfamilies, pretending as if it were some diplomatic tragedy instead of murder.

And that look?

That smug, knowing look?

It’s the only thing that’s kept me from believing her story. The only thing that keeps me from letting this go.

“I don’t know if we can win this,” I admit in a whisper. “But you’re right. We can’t simply stand by and let her get away with it.”

Levi’s eyes soften for a moment, then harden again with resolve. “We won’t let her win. Wecan’t.For him.”

I nod, but the weight of it all feels suffocating. Oscar’s plan was dangerous, reckless even. He knew it. And now we’re the ones standing at the edge of the same cliff he fell from, staring into the abyss she created.

If we jump, there’s no coming back.

Except standing still feels just as deadly.

Levi’s phone rings, pulling us out of the heavy air hanging over Oscar’s grave. He glances at the screen and grins, answering, “Hey, Ezy.”

“She went into a strip club called Euphoria. The way she got in, it looks like she’s working there. Should I go check or…”

Levi’s entire demeanor shifts, his eyes lighting up as he wipes away the last remnants of tears still clinging to his face. “A strip club, huh?” His grin is so wide I have to roll my eyes.

Of course, it’shiskind of place.

Why can’t she work in a five-star restaurant or something?

“Amazing.” Levi practically vibrates with excitement. “No, please don’t go have fun without me. Come get us. I want to talk to her myself.”

“All right, coming back.” Ezra’s sigh is audible over the line, but he doesn’t argue and hangs up.

“Why do you want to talk to her? It’smywatch.” Irritation creeps into my voice as we turn to leave, and I glance over my shoulder for one last look at Oscar’s grave.

Bye, Uncle Oscar, Rosie, Mom.

Levi shrugs, but there’s something sharper behind his usual carefree mask. “Remember how I said we needed evidence that she was behind the murder?”

“Yes,” I mutter. It’s all he’s been talking about since Uncle Oscar’s death. Without hard evidence, we can’t move forward with the plan. It’s not only about revenge. It’s about justice, and without proof, we’ve got nothing but theories.

“Well,” he says, a mischievous glint in his eye. “Our little stripper is going to get it for us.”

I stop dead in my tracks, frowning at him. “How the hell should she be able to get evidence? Not even Sylus could hack into the hotel security, and Alaric—”

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