Page 43 of Dance of Devils

“It’s fine, you?—”

“I’m not asking you, Brooklyn. I’mtellingyou.”

Her lips tighten, and I can see the tiniest flicker of defiance in her eyes. She doesn’t like being told what to do.

Interesting.

Or perhaps she just doesn’t like being told what to do by men who don’t knowhowto tell her.

“Family? A sick relative?” I take another step toward her, and her mouth opens slightly, her eyes widening. “You can tell me, or I can simply…find out.”

She swallows.

“My stepdad. He’s got these legal issues…he's charged with things I know he didn’t do. I’m trying to fight that.”

I lift a brow, trying to hide the bored amusement on my face.

The stepfather being charged for something he didn’t do.

Right.

Either she’s a compulsive liar, or naive enough to believe another liar.

“Hedidn’t,” she insists, her blue eyes blazing into mine.

I nod. “Go on.”

“His legal bills cost a fortune, so…” She looks away. “Sorry, overshare.”

“I asked you to.”

“I think youtoldme to.”

I smirk. “Touché. You understand that theBallet Imperiya Koronadoesn’t pay its apprentices?”

She swallows, her eyes dropping to the floor. “I do.”

“How would you continue to pay for your stepfather’s legal defense while you’re in another country, dancing for free?”

“I’ll figure it out,” she says firmly, a little too quickly.

“And if you’re unable to?—”

“I saidI’ll figure it out,” she says coldly.

I say nothing, just clasp my hands behind my back and let my eyes bore into her.

“Since we’re here,” I say evenly. “I’d like you to dance for me.”

Brooklyn’s brow furrows as her lip trembles.

“Excuse me?”

“You’re a dancer. We’re standing in a rehearsal studio at one of the finest ballet companies in the world. You’re considering pushing yourself to the absolute professional limit, not to mention the financial one, to travel halfway around the world to an even more brutal institution which won’t even pay you.”

She nods stiffly. “And?”

My eyes narrow. “AndI’d like you to dance for me, so I can tell you if this dream of yours even has a prayer of coming true.”