Sordid (Sordid 1)

“Someone explain right now,” Vasilije demanded. “What’d you mean—”

“You’re goddamn right, I wanted to get caught!” Dimitrije roared. “She needed to feel the same way I did when I found out she’d been fucking someone else.”

As Dimitrije became angrier, Luka seemed to grow calmer. His expression was erased, and faded into the emotionless mask. His disguise for hiding emotion. “You mean David,” he said, his tone flat, “your brother’s bodyguard. I guess you were allowed to fuck whoever you wanted, but not her?”

Dimitrije’s jaw fell open. “How—”

“You think I couldn’t hear you two shouting at each other?” Luka’s focus went to his younger brother. “She said she was leaving him for good. So Dad called Uncle Goran and told him she was going to the cops.”

Vasilije may not have been as smart as his older brother, but he wasn’t stupid, either. His head snapped toward his father. We watched hatred develop slowly, layer by layer.

“You . . . had her killed?”

Heartbreak was a visible reaction in Vasilije. His hands clenched into fists at his sides and his spine snapped straight, like enduring an enormous pain.

“She wasn’t loyal.” Dimitrije puffed up his chest, as if offended he had to explain himself. “After David told me what they’d done, I couldn’t trust her anymore.”

“Except David was lying,” Luka said. “Did you ever consider she was screaming the truth at you?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The air in the room had gone frigid, and Luka’s icy tone matched. “I know a lot more than you. David’s confession was coerced. He’d done it on your brother’s orders.”

“What? I’m not going to listen to this bullshit.” Dimitrije waved a dismissive hand, but it was clear Luka had planted the seeds of doubt in his father.

“Yeah, you are.” The distinct sound of metal clicking drew all of our attention. Vasilije had drawn a gun, and held it trained on his father.

Luka looked unfazed. The room had gone so cold, I expected my breath to be visible. Was this part of his plan? He hadn’t been able to pull the trigger on his father, but he suspected Vasilije would. Anarchy raced in the youngest Markovic’s eyes.

“Goran never liked our mother,” Luka said quietly. “He was convinced she’d turn on the family when she found out how Dad couldn’t keep it in his pants, so he orchestrated the whole thing. After, he bragged about it to his sons.” He cast a final look at his father and his voice was damning. “You had her killed for something she didn’t even do. So, which one of you was disloyal?”

“Jesus,” Vasilije whispered.

Color drained from his father’s face. His hesitant gaze turned to his youngest son. “Vasilije—”

The gun went off, and the side of Dimitrije’s head exploded in a bloody burst.

Chapter

Twenty-eight

Dimitrije’s body slumped to the floor with a tremendous crash.

Luka nearly fell when I wilted against him. Holy God. Vasilije had just murdered his father in front of Luka and me. Would we be next? Luka must have had a similar thought because instantly he was moving, positioning himself between me and the threat of his brother.

“Fuck. He killed her. He took her away from us!” Vasilije’s breath came and went in sharp bursts, and his voice shook. “Why, Luka? Why didn’t you tell me?”

I couldn’t see beyond Luka since I cowered behind his back, but I could tell his arms were out, raised in surrender. “Because I thought I could do it. I tried and tried, but . . . I didn’t want you to have to. It was supposed to be my responsibility.”

“Fuck,” Vasilije repeated.

There was a long, heavy pause.

Rustling announced the gun had been put away, and Luka’s arms lowered. I gripped onto the broad shoulders before me, wanting to pull him to the stairs. I wasn’t sure I could stay in this basement another second, but I wouldn’t leave him either. Instead, he lifted his arm over my head and dropped it around my shoulders, tucking me in beside him and bringing me into Vasilije’s view.

Who pitched forward, placed his hands on knees, and looked like he might be sick. He was struggling with what he’d just done. “You should have told me.”

“I know,” Luka said to him on a low voice.

“What the fuck am I gonna do?” He was worried about what Goran was going to do when he found out.

“I’ll take care of it. Ivan got the jump on Dad and killed him, and you had to finish Ivan off.” Luka’s tone was strong and direct. “If what he said is true and the Russians are escalating, Goran’s going to need all the help he can get. This is your time now. You’re not finishing your degree. The role you’ve always wanted in this family is yours.”

“What? You’re just going to hand that over?”

“Yes. You know I don’t want it.”