Page 124 of The Heart of a Villain

“Nice try.” He grabs my elbow and pulls me to the living room, making me sit on the couch as he drops on the chair opposite it. “I gather the guy who’s sending all these flowers as if the entire nation has died is the same guy no one dares to speak of in this house?”

We stare at one another for a long while, and I just groan inwardly at even my little brother knowing about all my fuck-ups, and yet he hasn’t said a word in all this time. “Don’t tell Mom and Dad.”

He sighs dramatically. “Cannot believe you’d doubt me like that. I’m not a tattletale.” This much is true, at least. If our parents wanted to break someone, they usually broke me, as Levi never admits to any shit we pull.

“So… you know?” At his nod, I ask, “Do you know about Dad?”

A beat passes, and he nods again, and he must see the betrayal on my face. “I couldn’t tell you. These aren’t my secrets, and besides, can you even imagine that conversation?”

Logically, I understand, but at the same time, it sucks to be the only person in the dark in your family. “I don’t think even Mom and Dad know I know. Maybe they think I forgot about it, since I don’t talk about my past anymore.”

“Oh.” Then it hits me. “You were one of the kids they saved?’

“Yeah. Got captured on the streets and treated like shit while the bastards planned to kill me and sell my organs.”

A shudder rushes through me at the thought of all the evilness in this world.

“Then a psycho came in and wiped out the entire warehouse, leaving nothing but pools of blood in his wake.”

My brows furrow at how he describes Dad.

“Never seen anyone that angry or insane.”

“Well—”

“After that, all our uncles showed up and brought me to Dad. The rest is history.” He picks out a piece of candy from the bowl next to him and pops it into his mouth. “By the way, the psycho’s name was Rush. Sound familiar?”

Oh my God.

Rush saved Levi all those years ago? Worse, my brother actually saw him kill people?

“Judging by your disappointment and horror, I guessed right. And all this wooing is done by him too, correct?” He doesn’t wait for my reply as he tosses more candy into his mouth. “I have nothing personally against the guy because these men who kept me in a cage deserved to die, and fuck them all.” Unfamiliar notes ring in his voice, but he quickly covers them up with a grin. “Dad and Mom are coming back tomorrow in the morning. You have to make a choice.”

“It’s not about that.”

“It’s exactly about that. You might think you’re punishing the dude for whatever, or want him to prove his devotion to you, but the true reason for your hesitation lies in one simple fact. You’re a daddy’s girl.”

I cross my arms and glare at him. “You make that sound like an insult.”

“It’s not, though. You want a magician to come fix all this, where everyone is happy and you don’t feel guilty. Well, newsflash. You can’t please everybody.”

“Dad almost died.” I look down and tug on my skirt, playing with the edged of it. “You gave up football. Mom got sick. All because of me.”

“Let’s make something clear here. Mom got sick because who wouldn’t in her situation? I gave up football because I got an injury that already made it hard for me to run around the field.”

I glance at him in surprise.

“Hid that fact, but it was impossible to ignore. And Dad almost died because of some psycho who is dead now. So you had nothing to do with it. But I’m impressed with your ability to ignore the real issue by making up thousands of excuses for yourself.”

“I don’t think I appreciate your tone, Levi.” And why is he being so mean to me? I thought he’d always be on my side.

He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he holds my stare. “You have to make a choice. Either follow your heart, even if it means never getting our father’s approval, or be miserable but forever stay his little girl who makes no mistakes.”

I want to scream at him how wrong he is, but deep down, I know he’s right.

Despite what everyone says, it’s scary for a child to turn their back on loving parents and face the probability of being forever banished from their childhood home.

His words hang between us, and then he says, “I have to go now. Have fun with whatever surprises Rush prepared for you today.” He gets up and then kisses me on the forehead before tipping my chin up so our eyes meet. “I will always love you and be your brother. No matter what you choose, you’ll never lose me.”

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