Page 217 of Dance of Defiance
Stepan moves toward us. “Pakhan?—”
“Be silent.”
Papa’s still looking right at me as he holds up a finger to silence his number two. He stares at me a long moment.
“Well, well,” he finally hisses. “There’s still fight in you. Maybe you haven’t lostallyour manhood, boy.”
He turns to level a vicious look at Val. Slowly, a dark smile creeps over my father’s face.
“You want to lead this brotherhood, Roman?” he murmurs. His eyes drag back to mine. “Prove it.” He slaps me hard in the chest. “Prove to me you’re still a man. Prove to me that you haven’t grown a fucking pussy between your legs, that you still have a cock and balls.”
“Oh, trust me,” Val snickers. “He’s gotplentyof cock and?—”
I snarl when Papa backhands Val across the mouth. My father turns back to me, his dark, lined face full of malice and hatred.
“Let me give you a lesson in what it means to bepakhan, boy,” he snarls.
He pulls a gun from his jacket, his eyes locked with mine.
“It means one's duty is to lead the brotherhood. That comes before anything else.” His eyes narrow. “For me, that includesyou.”
It’s nothing I didn’t already know, but it still cuts like a blade to hear it.
“I’m going to make this easy.” He cocks the gun, chambering a round. “You might be my blood, Roman, but right now?” He shakes his head. “Right now, you are no son of mine. Which means…”
“NO!” Val roars, slamming against his binds as my father places the gun to my forehead.
“PAVEL!” Stepan bellows, trying to rush my father. But Gunner shoves him back, leveling his pistol at my father’s number two.
My pulse jackhammers and my throat works as I meet my father’s gaze down the barrel of a gun.
“Two things can happen right now, boy,” Papa growls. “I can shoot you in the head and spray your brains all over your little boyfriend’s face. Or?” He smiles cruelly. “You can prove to me that you still have it in you to bepakhan. To be a fuckingman!” He pulls the gun away from my forehead and aims it at Val. “Prove it to me, Roman,” he snarls. “Kill this fucking cockroach.”
He looks back at me.
“With your fists.”
My blood turns to cement and my heart stops as my eyes lock with Val’s.
I don’t see anything but a person who loves me.
A person thatI lovewith all my heart.
A man who sees me for who I am, and makes me want tobewho I am.
A man I’d give my last fucking breath for.
“No.”
The word falls rasping from my lips as I lock eyes with Val.
“I won't?—”
“Roman!”
Val chokes out my name, and I freeze when I feel my father’s gun pressed to the back of my head.
“Hit him,” he says quietly. “Right now, or I swear to you, boy, I will splatter your blood all over his face, and Iwill notmourn you after I do.”
