Page 112 of Dance of Ruin

My phone rings.

Fuck.

The moment passes as I glance down, and when I see the name flashing on the screen, my heart drops.

It’s my dad.

Dad, who hasn’t called me back, or even texted once in the weeks I’ve been trying to get a hold of him. Which means I’m pretty sure the timing of this call, given the tabloid story published this morning, is anythingbutcoincidence.

I hit the decline button and drag my eyes back to Bianca.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I?—”

Shit.

My momentary courage to tell her what happened, my ability to face that shame and darkness again, has evaporated.

I shake my head, forcing a smile. “So… Any more heartbeats I can listen to?”

Bianca lets a curious look linger on me. Then she shakes it away—either because she’s really shaking it off, or because she can tell Iwant herto shake it off.

Probably door number two.

“Yeah!” she beams, opening her phone. “They gave me another ultrasound yesterday. All good, super strong heartbeat. Kratos is convinced this kid is going to be a pro athlete.”

“Not a Spartan warrior?”

She rolls her eyes, grinning. “We’ll see.”

My phone buzzes in my lap.

I glance down.

Dad

We need to talk.

A cold shiver rips up my spine. I shove it away, forcing a smile to my face, leaning closer to Naomi’s phone to listen to the sound file of the baby’s heartbeat.

My phone buzzes again.

Dad:NOW, Naomi.

Shit.

23

NICO

The first bodyis slumped over a card table, face down in a pool of blood and scattered poker chips. The second is across from him, his face similarly planted in a red, wet pile of playing cards and money.

The third is slumped over sideways in the corner under a neon exit sign, like he just happened to bleed out mid-cigarette. The fourth is halfway out the back door, his bloodied hand still wrapped around a fistful of hundreds.

Nero is standing over the first guy, his sleeves up to his elbows, gloves on, half-unbuttoned shirt streaked with drying blood, a lit cigarette dangling from his lips.

Roman walks in behind me, nose wrinkling. “What thefuck, Nero?”

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