Page 108 of Dance of Defiance

She laughs, rolling her eyes.

“Signed eight-by-ten glossy?”

Brooklyn snorts loudly.

“Lap dance?”

“Hey. Don’t push it.”

I chuckle at her immediate scowl. “Okay, how about I haveyougive BDE a lap dance for me.”

Her scowl turns to a grin. “That, I can do.”

“When do you think you’ll be back at the theater?” Evelina says gently, her brow furrowing. “And will you be getting physical therapy?”

Only if it’s your brother giving it…

I shake my head. “Nah. I’ll do some extra weight training on my right leg to strengthen the stabilizers there, since that’s where I got hit. But I should be back in about two weeks.” My brow furrows. “Forget me, though. How’s your father?”

She lifts a shoulder. “He’s…okay, I guess. He wasn’t hurt, thankfully, and neither was Bane’s dad. But…” Her mouth twists. “He’s been extra grouchy and mean lately. And his temper is even worse…”

I put my hand on hers. “Sorry, Evie.”

Brooklyn sighs. “Hey, I’m going to grab a latte. The VIP floor coffee shop isamazing. You guys want anything?”

I shake my head. So does Evie.

“Be right back.”

Evelina watches Brooklyn leave. When the door closes, she turns back to me, her brows knit.

“You okay?” I ask gently.

She hesitates, looking like she’s trying to find the right words, or deciding if she should even speak at all.

“Evie—”

“I heard my father talking with his number two Stepan last night,” she suddenly blurts, still not meeting my eyes. “About the explosion.” Her lip pulls between her teeth. “Your…” She pauses and swallows.

“Hey.” I sit up and take her hand. “You can tell me anything. Seriously.”

“I know there’s something…notgreatbetween my father and your brother. Some kind of business thing, I think?”

She means the Sangrini connection, and that Dasha Lukashova was once engaged to Vaughn.

“Yeah, I don’t….” I shake my head. “I try not to get involved with Vaughn’s business stuff. But what’s up?”

She takes a shaky breath and finally drags her worried eyes to mine. “My father… He thinks your brother and the Syndicate are behind the attack.”

A cold chill drags up my spine. Not at the accusation, but because my first reaction isn’t to deny it and say “Vaughn would never do that”.

He one hundred percentwould.

I’m still getting to know my older brother, and we have a lifetime of catching up to do. But I’ve learned a few concrete truths about him these past few months. One is that the Syndicate comes first. Period. It and its interests are paramount, and everything else—including a long lost younger brother—is second tier.

But would my brother actually try toassassinatesomeone if it was in his and the Obsidian Syndicate’s interests?

Magic eight ball says “probably”, which brings me to point number two, with a bullet, that I’ve learned about him in these last few months: