Page 32 of Golden Atonement

Not waiting for his response, I sliced down Konstantin’s chest, cutting through the fabric of his shirt, exposing the large black sparrow tattooed on his chest as several men gasped.

Yeah, I fucking knew all along. From the very beginning, I knew all the players. I knew who to kill and over the years I systematically and methodically eradicated them all, ending with the very man before me who gave the order to destroy my wife.

From the moment my woman returned to me after escaping her captors all those years ago and showed up at the clubhouse beaten and torn apart that fateful night.

Hours passed while I sat next to Remi’s bed in Healer’s clinic. I stayed, never leaving her side. Healer ran every test he could, even taking more blood and cultures. Through it all, Remi never woke. Hellhound came down a few times, only to get angry all over again. I made him leave until he could control the urge to punch the wall again.

I was at a loss.

I didn’t know what to do.

I couldn’t help her. I didn’t know who to hunt, who to find, who to kill until she woke up and told me. I needed to kill something—someone—badly. The demon inside me roared violently, wanting to avenge her. Instead of giving in to mybasic instincts, I sat and waited until her little hand tightened in mine.

Looking up, I stared into her beautiful green eyes and smiled. “Hey, Remi.”

“Hey, Max,” she replied, her voice scratchy. Reaching for a cup of water on the table, I lifted the straw to her lips, and she took a sip. When she was done, I placed the cup back on the table.

“Remi, who did this to you?”

Remy shook her head, her eyes instantly watering.

Reaching over, I patted her hair and said, “It’s okay, sweetheart. You don’t have to talk about it right now.”

“You got bigger.” She nodded, looking at me.

“So did you.”

“No. I’m still tiny. Just a bit taller. I missed you.”

“I missed you too.”

“The demons found me, Max. There were so many of them this time. I tried to fight them, but he wouldn’t let me go,” she cried, curling herself closer to me. Sitting on the bed next to her, I pulled her into my arms and held her while she wept.

In that instant, I vowed to kill all her demons. Regardless of who, what, or where they were. I would hunt them all over the world to kill those who threatened her. Never again would she live in fear.

Death was coming... they had unleashed the Reaper.

Her arms tightened around me when she whispered, “The black bird, Max. I’m afraid of the man with the black bird.”

Holding her close, I kissed the top of her head.

“I’ll find this bird, Remi. I swear I will, and I will kill him for you.”

“Promise?”

Holding my hand up, I extended my pinky and watched when she linked her pinky with mine.

“I pinky promise.”

“Go on then!” Konstantin shouted. “Kill me!”

I leaned down and whispered, “Oh, I will. Right after I hear you scream.”

“Bratva doesn’t scream.”

I grinned.

In the end... he did scream.

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