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"Iam pakhan now," Vlad snaps, "and I won't tolerate dissent. Papa is gone, so do what I fucking say."
Arman raises his hands. "I can find out if anyone knows him. But what about the guy trying to find out who killed Hektor? Which is the priority here?"
My voice trembles as I speak. "Vladi, you never told me about that. Does Hektor have a boss? Is he after you?"
"It's none of your business, Morgana."
"You killed him because he was my pimp, so itismy business."
The men stare at me in shock.
"You were a hooker?" Sasha asks.
Vlad socks Sasha in the jaw. The blow catches him off guard, and Vlad swings again, his knuckles connecting with his brother's temple. Sasha raises his knees and kicks Vlad in the chest with both feet.
"Break it up!" Avel cries, leaping in between them. He jabs a finger at Vlad. "You and Sasha have never got into a fistfight before. What thefuckare you doing? Our asshole father is dead and gone, but right now, it feels like he's still here."
Vlad looks from Sasha to me and back again. He seems suddenly exhausted.
"Sasha,neverdisrespect my wife again. Do you understand?"
"No, I fucking don't." Sasha stands, flexing his jaw. "You thinkI'mthe unstable one?" He points at me. "Morgana was completely innocent of this savage world we live in. You dragged her into it, then went on a happy little murder spree on her behalf with no regard for the consequences. We'd know if Hektor belonged to any of our rivals, so you've picked a fight with someone from out of town. Someone who may be stronger than us. So don't talk to me about your fucking responsibility untilyoulearn the meaning of the word."
After a sickeningly tense silence, Vlad leaves the room without a word. The front door opens, then closes again.
I'm afraid.
Vlad's attention dazzled me, but I must accept the harsh reality of being with him. The Kislev wealth is dirty money, every cent, and their lives are steeped in death to a degree I am just beginning to comprehend. Yet as Vlad takes the role he has been preparing for his whole life, he's thinking ofme, putting my safety before that of his bratva. What does his family think of that?
I can't run to my parents or Josie. I'm Hektor's ex-employee—they could get to him through me or hurt the people I love.
"I'm sorry, Morgana," Sasha says. "Don't worry. He'll be back."
I nod. "Okay. I'll get out of everyone's way."
* * *
I jar awake, sitting bolt upright in bed. I don't know what stirred me from sleep, but it's dark, and Vlad isn't beside me. My pillow is still damp from my tears.
I fear for my husband. He hated his father, sure, but that doesn't mean Sergey's death means nothing.
Some say the opposite of love is hate, but there's not much to separate the two. Both involve powerful feelings and obsession. Indifference is the counter-point.
Obligations burden Vlad. To his family, his bratva. And tome. Am I just making everything more complicated for him? He just needed a wife so he could inherit his dues, but things weren't going the way he expected. Why does he feel a visceral need to protect me? He doesn't need to make his life more complicated by looking for my ex when he has more significant problems.
A faint sound coming from below. The piano. Why is Lili playing in the middle of the night?
Thatsong again. The song Vlad sang to me as we danced just hours ago. The rhythm is different, a little slower, more halting. I pull on a robe and head downstairs, stopping on the mezzanine above the foyer.
Vlad is at the piano, his back to me. He presses the keys carefully so as not to make them clatter, and the music warms me.
I'm light on my feet as I approach the piano. "So you can play. Why didn't you tell me?"
My husband looks careworn. "I didn't think I'd want to share it with you," he says, still playing. "But things have a way of changing."
He takes his right hand off the keys and reaches it around me, pulling me to sit on his knee. I wrap my arm around his shoulder, and he rests his head on my collarbone. My fingers stroke the fine silver hair above his ear.
"I can read music," he says. "Not as well as Lili, but well enough. I know this song by heart, though. Mama loved it."
