Page 75 of A Monster Is Coming

Ivan had given each of these men a wife, one they got to keep. Mine had a choice—me or her freedom. I had a feeling she was going to choose her freedom, and I knew on some level I shouldn’t care about that, but I did. I didn’t like that it even meant anything. I didn’t do the whole emotion game.

Niamh was a woman I protected. Then … thought about the baby, my failure.

When The Butcher stormed into my office less than a second later, I’d never been so relieved to see another woman.

“Wow, do you know you guys gossip more than women do?” The Butcher asked.

All three men tensed up.

The Butcher and The Beast were not exactly well received by any of us. Where we all had to pass some kind of test and show our loyalty, the other two had gotten picked out of a hat.

I knew what Ivan was doing.

Even though we knew next to nothing about either The Butcher or The Beast, that didn’t mean Ivan was in the same boat. He never shared his information, he just worked with what he had, and that’s what made him one step ahead of the game. I intended to keep him that way.

The Butcher smiled. “It’s so good to see you boys, looking all grown up.” She winked at the room and then her gaze turned to me. “We’ve got to go.”

I didn’t take orders from her, not in my territory, but if she could get me out of a fucking dinner, then I was more than happy to go. Grabbing my jacket, I nodded at each of the men, and then left the room.

“Do I even want to know what that was about?” The Butcher asked, as we walked to the elevator that would take us to the underground parking.

“Our wives.”

I didn’t think she would understand but at her shrug, I was a little shocked.

“Makes sense. They’re in town for a little bit, why not have all the Bratva wives get together? They’re all close, or at least they try to be, seeing as they’re all in the same boat.”

“The same boat?” I asked.

“Yeah, wives to Brigadiers. In case you haven’t noticed, that is an intense gig. Death threats, acts of violence, weird, stoic men, who they have to kind of decipher whether they’re loved. You know, you guys.”

“I’m not stoic.”

“Well, you’re not exactly a bundle of fun and joy, are you?” she asked.

The last thing I wanted was to be having a conversation with this woman about my charming personality.

“Do you think Niamh would like to get to know them?”

“Depends, do you think Niamh should get to know them?”

I didn’t want to tell her about her choice. If Niamh made the choice to leave, then no. The less she knew about the Bratva, the better. If she stayed, then the more she became part of my world, the better.

“I don’t know.”

I saw The Butcher roll her eyes. “What is your problem?” I asked.

“I don’t have a problem, but I wish I could be saved from gossiping men, and all the chitchat that seems to be going on around me.” The Butcher stepped forward and pressed the button on the elevator, bringing us to a halt.

“Why?” I asked, tense and ready to grab my gun.

“Have you ever considered taking your head out of your ass, and maybe giving Niamh a reason to not leave?”

“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.” And now, I was bored with this topic.

I went to reach for the elevator “stop” button to restart it, but The Butcher grabbed my arm and then twisted it, attempting to keep me from it. There was no way I was having her take control. I reached for her throat, and at the same time she took mine.

We fought until we were both trapped against the back of the elevator. I didn’t squeeze her neck, nor did she mine, but the threat for both of us was there. The Butcher was trained, no doubt about that. But—and this was a big fucking but—so too was I. I didn’t imagine many men would come off quite so lightly as I was in this situation.

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