Page 84 of Preacher

“That’s why I was so desperate to get my boys out of New York and away from those monsters.” I rested my head on his shoulder. “I didn’t want them spending their lives with blood on their hands or carrying around that kind of darkness inside them. I didn’t want them turning into their father or Vasili.”

“They didn’t,” Hudson said firmly. “They’re good, head-strong boys. They’re going to be okay, and you had a big part to play in that.”

“But now I’m worried I did it all in vain. Vasili will keep hammering away at us until he gets his way, and everything we’ve tried to do will…”

“Don’t.” Hudson shifted so he could look down at me, and his voice was low and sure as he told me, “It’s going to be okay. One way or another, we’re going to deal with Vasili and whoever else might come knocking.”

The conviction in his voice should’ve eased me more than it did, but the truth was, I’d spent years running from a shadow I didn’t fully understand. And now it was here, and just a few hours ago, it was standing in my barn, choking the breath out of me. I just wanted it gone. I wanted him gone.

I let out a deep breath as I shook my head and said, “I don’t want to be afraid anymore.”

“We’ll deal with Vasili.” He kissed the top of my head. “The family, too, if it comes to that. You’re not alone in this, Tabitha. Not anymore.”

And for the first time that night, I let myself believe him.

Just a little.

We both stayed silent for a moment,

“I learned a long time ago that the guy with the loudest bark is usually the one trying the hardest to hide something, and Vasili has always had a hell of a bark.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“The loudest.” I let out a slow breath. “And when you think about it, he had a lot of nerve showing up here like he did. Making demands himself instead of sending someone else.”

“I’m not following. What difference does it make?”

“None really, but normally, something like this would be brought before the family council, and they would send someone. As far as I’ve heard, that’s how it’s always been done. But I have a feeling that Vasili showing up here and threatening me wasn’t sanctioned. It was personal.”

“So, you’re thinking he acted on his own?”

“There’s always the possibility they sent him, but it’s doubtful.” I met his eyes. “He wasn’t one of their trusted. Dimitri was the favorite of the brothers, and Vasili always knew it. They tolerated him because of his bloodline, but they didn’t trust him to make the big plays.”

“How come?”

“I don’t know. I wasn’t privy to information like that, but from what I saw, he was a hothead who wanted everyone to think that he was the strongest and most powerful of them all. So, he spoke loudly and made the big threats, and everyone just bought into it.”

“Hmph.” Hudson gave a slow nod, and I could see the wheels already turning behind his eyes. “If there’s even the slightest chance that he’s been working under the table, we need to find it. But then what?”

“We find someone who can get it to the council.”

“And how the hell do we do that?”

“Very carefully. I have some ideas, but Sergei is more than likely our best bet.”

“We need to talk to him.” Hudson pulled himself out of bed and started getting dressed. “Now.”

I nodded as I threw the covers back and got up. I could still feel the warmth of his skin lingering against mine as I went to the bathroom and cleaned up. Once I was dressed, I grabbed my overnight bag and tossed in a change of clothes, some toiletries, and my phone charger.

By the time I was done, Hudson was fully dressed and was waiting at the front door. As soon as I made it over to him, he reached for my hand, and he didn’t let go as we walked down the stairs. He continued to hold it as we crossed the lot to the main house.

The wind had picked up, and it carried the scent of hay and something colder underneath it. I didn’t know if it was just the night air or the storm we were about to walk into, but the feeling had me holding onto Hudson even tighter.

When we made it up to the house, one of the guards opened the door and waited as we stepped inside. The house was quiet, but I knew the boys were still awake. Call it mother’s intuition, but I could feel it. They were just as tense as I was, and there was no way they could be sleeping.

Hudson’s grip tightened on my hand as we reached Sergei’s office. He didn’t knock. He just opened the door and walked in like he didn’t need permission. I knew Sergei had to hate it, but I found it sexy that he was so sure and confident. We walked in and found Sergei sitting behind his desk, with Viktor and Nikolai sitting across from him.

They all looked up, and while Sergei raised an eyebrow, he didn’t seem surprised to find me with Hudson. I should’ve known it wasn’t a secret that we were together. My boys were smart and could see the changes in me, just as I’d seen the changes in them.

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