Page 219 of Dance of Defiance

I raise the gun in my hand and point it right at my father's face.

“Or you’llwhat, Papa,” I hiss. “I’m not shooting him, or hitting him, or hurting him in any way. Ilove him,” I snarl. “What you’re asking me to do is to cut out my own heart, and I can’t and won’t do that. So…” I feel power roar through me as my muscle clench. “This is done. All of it. I’m walking out of here with him, and you and I will never speak again.”

He smirks. “Ahh, such a big man now, eh? Calling the shots?” He leers at me. “You think this is the first time I’ve had a gun pointed at me? You think?—”

“No, I don’t.”

My father’s eyes bulge as I pull the gun away from his head…

…and point it at my own.

“Roman!” Stepan hisses. “What thefuckare you?—”

“I’m his only son,” I say, my teeth clenched. “Without me, hehasno future empire,” I snarl at my father. “I'm the last of your bloodline, Papa. This is me holding hostageyour only chanceof seeing our forefathers' legacy continue. And now he and I,” I say, jabbing a finger in Val's direction as I level a cold glare at my father, “are going to walk the fuck out of?—”

Pain explodes through my head, my vision shattering into fireworks as I go crashing sideways. The gun is wrenched from my hand as I stumble to one knee. When I look up, I see Gunner standing over me, holding my weapon and the one he just used to pistol-whip me.

The room goes silent, the full weight of what I just did hitting me.

“Pavel…” Stepan says calmly. “This has gone far enough. Let’s?—”

“Myonlychance at a legacy?” Pavel grunts, laughing bitterly. “I have news for you, boy. I am still virile. I’llmakeanother fucking heir, with a whore if need be.”

My heart drops.

“Tie him to the chair.” My father’s voice is devoid of emotion as he turns to nod at two of Gunner’s men. “Do it. Now.”

“Pavel!” Stepan shouts, shooting looks at the two other Nikitin men, who look equally uncomfortable.

I grit my teeth as Gunner’s goons shove me back into the wooden chair. Val is yelling at them to go fuck themselves as my arms are yanked behind me and bound at the wrists.

“Wire it up, Gunner,” my father says tightly.

I frown, not understanding. Then one of the mercenaries unzips a duffle bag and pulls out a brick of plastic explosive with a control switch attached to it.

“What thefuckis this?!” Stepan yells. “Pavel!!”

“This, Stepan,” my father says quietly, “is what happens when my fuckingblooddecides to point a gun at me.” When he turnsto look at me, I don’t see any shred of a father, or love of any kind.

Just dead, black emptiness, tinged with hate and disgust.

“It’s no secret that I use the club upstairs for meetings from time to time, is it, Stepan.” He smiles icily, not waiting for an answer. “We’ll say that this one”…he points at Val…“came here tonight to try and sabotage this place by setting another Obsidian Syndicate bomb, as directed by his brother.”

The color drains from my face.

“And that my brave son, Roman, tried to stop this little maggot from trying to kill me. Alas…” His smile turns cold and vicious, his eyes blackening as they stab into me, without a single speck of love.

“Alas, in their fight, the bomb went off.”

The full weight of what he’s saying slam into me. I knew my father was cold and calculating, but I suppose the fact that I havehumanityin me stopped me from ever seeing him go this far..

I’m going to die here tonight, along with Val.

My father will get sympathy from allies and neutral parties alike at the tragic loss of his son and heir. He’ll also hit Vaughn hard, by taking his only family.

It’s…brilliant, in a way.

And monstrous.