Monster A Dark Arranged Marriage Romance - Vanessa Waltz Page 0,24

“I’ll start targeting anyone who defects to Legion.”

“There’s a giant hole in your master plan. Your wife.”

My insides prickled. “My wife is none of your business.”

“You’re compromised.”

“No, I’m not. They gave me a soft, pliable virgin. She won’t be loyal to them much longer.” I thumped my glass onto the counter. “Cainan, I’m handling this.”

Cainan stepped forward, his glare drilling into me. He said nothing for a long while.

“Have it your way, T.” His grave tone grew agitated as he dragged a wool coat over his shoulders. “But what about your cousin? What if he finds out you’re not honoring the alliance?”

“He’ll try to kill me.”

I tipped the tumbler, clinking the ice.

Cainan buttoned his jacket, his insolent stare raking my body. “I have no idea why you don’t get rid of him.”

A man like him wouldn’t understand.

His overbearing presence slipped away, heading out.

I waved him off as he opened the door.

“Oh, and T?”

I glanced at him. “Yeah?”

“I have no problem with you making that girl your new toy, but the moment you catch feelings is the moment you catch a bullet.”

With that, he left, slamming the door.

My throat burned.

Nine

Tony

1 ¼ oz Jägermeister

6 oz Red Bull

I needed my wife under control.

I thought I’d put the fear of God in Evie, but five days after taking her mouth, I woke to a notification that she’d charged twenty thousand dollars to my credit card. Evie’s toddler tantrum bullshit tested my patience.

What was wrong with her?

Hadn’t I scared the shit out of her? Dragging her to Sanctum was supposed to straighten her out, but she’d brushed it off like rain rolling off her shoulders. What the hell had happened in that godforsaken clubhouse to make her impervious to men like me?

It wasn’t enough that I allowed her free room and board. She sucked down my oxygen, ate my food, now she blew through my cash, my father’s legacy, with light-fingered contempt.

Damn her.

I wouldn’t stand for this.

The money meant nothing—it was the principle that mattered. I was not her personal ATM.

I dialed her bodyguard.

“Christian,” I roared into the phone. “What is going on?”

“Hey, T! Funny, we were just talking about you. I asked if she’d been to Vinny’s yet. She said she’d rather sit on an uncovered gas station toilet seat than hang around Goliath.” He broke off, laughing hard. “I guess that’s what they call him at the MC.”

Goliath was apt.

“Never mind that. Where the hell is Evie, and why are you letting her max out her credit card?”

Christian’s heavy sigh brushed my ear. “Let her do what she wants. Your words, boss.”

Did I say that?

Fuck.

I searched for my car keys. “Where are you?”

“At the store. You know, overseeing renovations. She wanted me to watch the contractors. Make sure they’re doing a good job, but I’m clueless about that shit. You?”

Renovations?

My mind reeled as he prattled on.

“I’m impressed with your wife. She’s got a lot of ambition for a young girl. When I was her age, I waited tables and chopped up table-side steak tartare at your dad’s place. Remember the Black Cat?”

“Focus. Tell me where you are.”

“We’re at Newbury Street.”

I hung up, seething.

Newbury Street was a high-end outdoor mall in Boston. She’d dragged Christian there to go on a shopping spree. I’d done worse at her age, but it still boiled my blood.

I spotted Christian leaning against the column of a storefront I’d never noticed before. The grizzled mafioso threw his lit cigarette on the ground as I double-parked my Lexus.

I unrolled the window. “Where is she?”

A grin jumped across his wrinkled face, and he rapped his knuckles against the wall. I glanced up the tall glass windows and gaped at the serif letters etched into the building.

What in the actual fuck?

EVIE

“We’ve been here all day.” Christian patted his wool coat and grabbed his phone. “Working. Well, she’s working. I’m overseeing things. You married such a nice girl, T. She bought everyone lunch.”

My stomach hardened. “You had lunch with my wife?”

“Me and the contractors.” Christian’s grin flashed, wide and infectious. “She ordered Halal Guys and beer. Never had it before. Pretty good.”

The image of all those men around a table, breaking bread with my woman, sat in my gut like poison. The idea of Christian and Evie, cozy in a corner, digging into aluminum plates, laughing, set my blood to a low boil. I didn’t care that it was crappy fast food. I hadn’t so much as shared an olive with my wife.

My throat burned.

“T, don’t get upset,” Christian said bracingly. “Everybody had