Page 121 of Sweet Dominion

Dima pointed to the cat. “Her name is Barbara Whiskers.”

I frowned. “We’re talking about Rowe Street Mob, not the cat.”

“Viktor helped name her.”

That made me freeze.

My father had killed Viktor in Dima’s pursuit of finding out the truth and. . .I knew that Viktor’s death had torn a massive hole into Dima’s heart—one that he might never truly recover from.

Damn it, father.

Dima didn’t look my way. “When I go to Viktor’s grave, I bring Barbara with me and. . .”

I gazed at the two crows.

They chose that moment to fly away. As they took flight, those jet-black wings beat gracefully against the sky and part of me wanted to soar with them.

Dima lowered his voice. “I tell Viktor about my day and Barbara sniffs around his grave like she can hear him laughing or. . .talking back to me.”

My heart ached some more.

Dima lifted his view to me, and there was this deep sadness in his eyes along with pure rage—a rage I knew that he had difficulty keeping in. “Today, I watched Viktor’s killer have a cup of tea on my television screen.”

I put my gaze back on the sky but no longer saw those crows. “I am handling it.”

“When?”

“The battle with my father is tomorrow.”

“His death is overdue.”

“It is.”

“Additional people died in Glory. You think I didn’t know?”

“I figured you would find out.”

“Youshould have told me.”

“I was busy—”

“Falling in love—”

“Figuring my shit out—”

“And did you figure it out, Lei?”

“I believe so.”

“I gave you full reign to handle your father. You said, ‘the East handles business of the East.’”

I pursed my lips.

A deadly edge coated his next words. “Then,fuckinghandle it.”

“Tomorrow night, my father will be dead.”

“And if he isn’t?”

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