Page 187 of Dance of Madness

“NERO!” she screams.

Her eyes immediately go to me, and she starts to bolt past her father toward me.

Marko’s arm snaps out, stopping her instantly.

“Papa—!”

“Stay back,” he hisses.

Her eyes fly to mine.

Her eyes fly to mine.

I nod.

Stay.

She needs to stay where she is right now, because she has no idea how much danger she’s in justbeingin this room right now.

Marko’s face hardens as his eyes lock onto Levka.

“I’ve just seen a very interesting video, brother.”

Levka frowns. Then he smiles and cocks his head at his brother.

“Oh?” He turns back to me, twirling the knife in his hand. “You missed some of the fun we were having with?—”

“I told you to leave him alone until I got back,” Marko says quietly.

Levka turns to him with a shrug. “Come now, brother. You know how these things go. The blood, it gets heated!” He grins. “Remember that time in London, when we were fresh from Moscow? That Chechnyan motherfucker…what was his?—”

“What happened the night that Antonio and Natalia De Luca were killed,” Marko growls darkly, his eyes sliding to me. I expect fury and hatred in the eyes of the man who’s spent the better part of the day torturing me.

Instead, I see horror, remorse and sadness.

“What happened the night this man’s parents were taken from him,” he presses.

“What happened?” Levka snorts. “Vengeancehappened. Those fucking cockroaches had a sniper sitting outside this very house, ready to take you out, or God help us, my sweet niece, your daughter?—”

“Whathappenedto this sniper, Levka,” Marko continues.

Levka shrugs. “Tortured. Then killed. Then disposed of, in several pieces, to dishonor him in the same way he attempted to dishonor this family.”

“Why wasn’t I told about any of this?”

My eyes dart to Milena, and she turns, her eyes locking with mine.

I’m…not in good shape. I’m battered, broken, and I’ve lost a lot of blood. But when we look at each other?

I could get up right now and fucking dance.

“If you’ll recall,” Levka says cautiously, “you were sick and in bed. We even thought we might lose you back then.”

“So sick that I couldn’t be part of a conversation about the punishment for an attempt on my life? Worse, on Milena's?”

“Brother.” Levka sighs. “You put me in charge back then for areason. And as the head of the family?—”

“Actinghead,” Marko says tightly. “I wasn’t so sick that I couldn’t be included.”

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