Page 27 of Forced Union

“What the fuck are you doing?” I roar at my wife.

She’s fully dressed, a small packed bag rests on the island like she’s ready to go somewhere. The smoke is getting thicker by the second and I swear the temperature has risen since I stepped into this room.

Arianna glances at me and shrugs, then tosses a wad of flaming paper on the nearest area rug. The wool fibers smolder.

I stare at her, speechless. She’s a fucking psycho!

Dark satisfaction unfurls in my chest. This woman, my fucking wife, just might be as crazy as I am. Crazier, judging from her calm demeanor as she literally sets fire to anything and everything around her. She’s a goddess of Hell and I’d happily burn with her—just not today.

“Out. Now!” I bark at Maks. He nods and heads for the exit, opening the hidden staircase door in the entry closet.

Grabbing her bag with one hand, I firmly grip Arianna’s arm and drag her away from the inferno. For her own sake, I’m glad she comes along without resistance. We need to evacuate and I don’t really feel like hauling her out of here while she’s kicking and screaming—though I would if she insists.

She coughs as we enter the stairwell that leads to the parking garage. I glance down at her, but she’s plastered that aloof expression on her face that’s unreadable. I’m looking forward to breaking through it to find out what the hell she’s thinking.

Our rapid footsteps echo in the metal and concrete corridor. We meet Maks at the bottom of the stairs, where he's holding the door open.

“Fire department should be here any minute,” he says, glancing up from his phone. “Where are we going?”

“Just take the bike and we’ll meet you at The Manor.”

Maks dips his head toward Arianna. “You really want to take her to that place?”

“Do you have a better idea?” I ask, shoving her through the door and walking toward my cherry red, Ferrari SF90 Stradale. “We’ll be safer there than anywhere else until my penthouse is fixed up.”

“All right.” Maks hops onto my Harley and speeds out of the garage.

I buckle Arianna into the passenger seat, where she folds her arms and refuses to acknowledge me, staring straight ahead. I promised her punishment if she tried to kill me again, and I think attempting to burn me alive in my own apartment qualifies.

We’ll be safe at The Manor in Manhattan, where violence is strictly off-limits and violators are dealt with swiftly. Of course the place is crawling with the worst of the worst, but since we’re not allowed to murder each other beneath that roof, it’s the safest place in the city.

I drop into the driver’s seat and press my bare foot to the petal. Damn, I’m still only wearing a pair of sweatpants, but it’s too late to go back for a change of clothes.

Sighing, I shift the Ferrari into gear and merge onto the quiet street. A quick glance at the dashboard shows that it’s three in the morning. We’ll still be able to get a few more hours of sleep after checking in at The Manor.

Unless I decide that her punishment can’t wait until morning.

As I drive, my attention drifts to Arianna. She hasn’t said a word. While I’m amused by her tenacity, I’m not fond of her murder-suicide attempt, or the destruction of my property. She could have burned down my entire fucking club. As it is, I’m sure the fire suppressant system activated and everything is going to be soaked.

“What the fuck were you—?” My question dies on my lips when a spray of gunfire hits my bulletproof rear window. I grab the back of Arianna’s neck and shove her head down. “What the actual fuck?”

Suspicion boils over in my mind and I glance at my new wife. Did she do this? Was her plan to flush us out of our safe haven just to send an assassin after me? I did give her phone back to her last night. Was that the first call she made, to have me killed?

That’s harsh. Heartless—even for her. I really thought I felt something between us. A spark, mutual desire, passion. After all, the line between hate and love, loathing and lust, is a fine one.

How could I have been so wrong?

Another bullet hits my side mirror, shaking me from my thoughts. I auto dial Maks number from the dashboard and he picks up on the second ring.

“Yeah, Pakhan?”

“We have a very aggressive tail. Get rid of him. And change of plan, we’re going to the estate. See you there.”

Maks hangs up, and a few seconds later he’s wedged the bike between us and the other car. He starts shooting at them to draw their attention. I speed up, trying to get more distance between us and our pursuers. Blowing through a red light, I change course away from The Manor and take the highway out of the city.

I dial my men that Maks recently, and thoroughly vetted, informing them that I want round the clock security at the estate. Then I call the caretaker to let him know we’ll be there in an hour.

With all of that taken care of, I settle in for the drive and let my mind wander. Did Arianna do this, or does Boris have my place staked out, figuring he’d take me down before I managed to get to him? I don’t have any answers yet, but I’m sure as shit going to get them out of my sweet wife once we’re safe.

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