Page 95 of A Monster Is Coming

She held the door open a little wider for me to step through. I was still pissed that the guards had left her alone. While Ivan was playing his little games with Finn Byrne, I wanted her always protected. He’d already taken her from me, and I wasn’t going to allow that to happen again.

Stepping through the door, I heard soft music playing. Niamh took my jacket, and then grabbed my hands.

“Now, don’t be afraid, okay?” Niamh said.

I didn’t fight her as she all but dragged me toward the sitting room, and that was when I was shocked. Across the full-screen television read a banner that said, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PETER.

On the coffee table was a load of party snacks, and Niamh let me go long enough to put a hat on her head and blow on one of those toys that opened up, making a noise.

“Happy Birthday,” she said, throwing her hands in the air.

“You did me a birthday party.”

“Yes, and I didn’t invite anyone, not because I didn’t want to, but you don’t strike me as someone who is happy to have a lot of people around you for yourself.”

I reached for her, pulling her in close. “This is perfect,” I said. I’d never celebrated my birthday.

Until Ivan entered my world, I didn’t even know what my birthday was, or when it was. We found all the details on my birth certificate.

After discovering what my father did, how he took unwanted kids to exploit them, I had thought I might be like any other orphaned kid, but the only difference for me was I was good at surviving, which was why he declared me his son.

No, I was Orlov’s son. It’s why I kept his name. This was my reminder of who he was, and not to be that way.

Niamh smiled. “Well, Bill, Ryan, and Smith, it was their turn to guard me, so I got them to help with the streamers and balloons. I was tempted to go with helium balloons, but they were all out of them, so I bought a packet and we blew them up all afternoon.”

“You’d been planning this?”

“Ever since I found out when your birthday was. I know it’s not a lot, and I know you could get some party organizer to do something on a bigger scale, but this is what I could do.”

I cupped her cheeks and stared into her brown eyes. “This is amazing.”

She smiled and it lit up her whole face, and I knew in that moment I couldn’t let her go. I was just about to tell her I loved her when suddenly my cell phone began to buzz.

I gritted my teeth. Any other call I’d have ignored, but this was Ivan, and I couldn’t. He was in my territory, and I couldn’t allow anything to happen to him, because if I did, the other Brigadiers would kill me.

“I’ve got to take this.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be waiting,” Niamh said.

I didn’t want her to be waiting.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Happy Birthday to you too. It’s done.”

“What’s done?” I asked.

“What I needed from Finn Byrne, and now you have less than an hour to come and take care of the problem.”

I looked at Niamh. I wanted to be the one to kill Finn Byrne with my own two hands, to also make sure the deed was done. But this was my birthday, Niamh had made me a party.

“Where?”

Ivan gave me the location and I told him I’d be there in twenty minutes. I ended the call and looked toward Niamh.

“It’s okay, you’ll be back as soon as you can?” she asked.

“Yes.”

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