“It would just be for a little bit,” I promise him. “Just the very littlest bit.”
He shuffles on his feet. “Can’t we just play video games down here?” That’s when his eyes go to the gaming station—or lack thereof, to be more accurate. His jaw drops with horror. “What happened?”
“Your, uh… your brother removed everything.”
Lev ventures a little closer as though he’s surveying a crime scene. “That’s not nice,” he grunts in a low voice, his body starting to rock back and forth. “My Xbox… my Xbox… my X—”
I turn around as Polly appears at the door. She walks in, takes one look at Lev and the gaming station, then at the bruises on my neck—and her eyes harden into stone.
“Are you okay?” she asks me in a low, dangerous voice that reminds me strangely of Uri’s.
I take a deep breath but I’m st
