Page 188 of Dance of Madness

“Well, I apologize,” Levka sighs, smirking slightly. “I should have dragged you from your sick bed into a torture chamber four years ago.”

Marko’s eyes narrow.

“Tell me, Levka—why did we use mercenaries to go after the De Lucas?”

Levka shrugs. “As you always say, when you shoot at a king, you cannot miss.”

The room goes silent. Marko’s eyes spark.

“So,” he growls. “Theyweremercenaries.”

Levka frowns, realizing he’s fucked.

“They—they were Oleg Panachev’s men,” he says hastily. “Again, as you say, we wouldn't want to use our men in case?—”

“Oleg Panachev, who has since moved operations back to Russia,” Marko says.

Levka’s jaw works. “Well…yes.”

“I thought you were agreeing with me before that they were mercenaries,” Marko growls.

His brother sucks his teeth, his brow furrowing. “I was—confused,” he sighs after a few seconds, blowing air through his lips. “It’s been a long week, Marko, what with Milena being taken by this piece of shit…”

He turns and kicks me hard in the shin.

“Stop it!”Milena hisses, taking a step toward me.

Levka sighs. “Andthe warehouse attack by that snake Debolsky.” He tsks again. “My head is in many places, brother.”

There's a dramatic shift in the room. Suddenly, Marko is no longer questioning what I already know. I think he’s just realized his suspicion is entirely correct.

“Rurik,” Marko says quietly. “Who knows about what happened tonight with Debolsky and our warehouse?”

“Just you, your daughter, and me,” Rurik grunts. “No one else.”

Levka scowls. “Of course I know too!” he snaps. “My men texted me while you were all upstairs!”

Marko’s nostrils flare. “There’s no service down here, brother. That's intentional. Rurik didn’t even hear about the warehouse until he came up to find me and check in on Milena and got service again.”

Everything goes quiet.

There’s a moment right before a storm breaks over the world. A frozen second in time as the clouds roil and surge, as the electrons gather and ignite. A tick of absolute stillness right before the thunder clap and the crack of lightning that splits heaven in half.

That’s what the next three seconds are: a frozen, still moment.

And then comes the storm, like hell unleashed.

Everything explodes at once.

Levka draws his weapon, and swings the barrel of the gun right to my face in slow motion.

The rest of the room is pure chaos as literally everyone else except Milena and I draw guns and start screaming at each other.

But I’m not looking at any of that. I’m not even looking at Levka.

I’m looking at Milena.

I’m looking at the woman I love, because if this is the end, I want her face to be the last goddamn thing I see on this Earth.

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