Monster A Dark Arranged Marriage Romance - Vanessa Waltz Page 0,96

with the machete. He choked as I ripped it free. A man grabbed my shoulder. I whirled, slashing his face. Another took it in the gut, the one who wanted to rape my pregnant wife, until he disappeared into a puddle of blood.

Soft sobbing filled the space as Ghost crawled over the bodies. I strolled to him and relished the sight of him, bleeding out, terrified. Then I pointed the knife’s edge on his back. My palm hit the butt of the blade, sinking it through his leather cut slowly, until it struck the ground, pinning him there like a bug.

I spat on his twitching body.

Rage still blinded me to the horrifying scene, like a red filter over my eyes. She stood there in black and white, stark against my rage. Then the veil lifted, and I took in the carnage, and Evie’s whitened face, and my throat tightened.

She’s pregnant.

Warmth glowed through me, extinguished by the cool draft of Cainan’s sarcasm. He stepped forward, clapping me on the back. “Congratulations, Anthony. You’re a daddy.”

I grabbed his elbow, twisted it, and shoved him toward the floor, keeping my grip on him. “Ten seconds to explain yourself or I rip off your arm, too.”

“I saved your lives. Took out two goliaths at once.” He turned his head, stony-faced. “Once you locked up the president, his VP, and the sergeant of arms, I made a deal with the only biker left with any power. The road captain. I did the same with the traffickers I haven’t been able to control. I promised Evie to the MC, and you to the traffickers. Then I got them to meet in the same room. Couldn’t have worked out more perfectly.”

“And if I couldn’t break free?”

I increased pressure on the bone, but Cainan didn’t react. He was as expressionless as a reptile.

“I would’ve stopped it.”

“I didn’t see you lift a fucking finger!”

“Sometimes, you have to take a huge risk to reap an even bigger reward. You were right. Slow and steady wasn’t working, and I saw a golden opportunity to get rid of them. I knew you could do it, Tony. I’ve seen you fight so many times.”

I ground into the precise spot where his arm would break.

“She’s safe, isn’t she?” Cainan roared, yanking out of my grip. “Can’t you see the good in what we’ve accomplished? We single-handedly took down the Legion chapter and three of the worst traffickers. You should be thanking me on bended knee!”

He still didn’t understand.

None of that mattered next to my wife.

My fist whirled, smashing into his jaw. His head slammed into the wall hard. He grunted, palm on the concrete.

“I never want to see you again.”

“What the hell is your problem?”

“You. I hate you. I can’t stand the sight of you. You’re a sick man. You need to have your head X-rayed or whatever the fuck it is to find out why you are so screwed up.”

Cainan’s lips thinned as he smoothed his hair, his flushed cheek the only sign I’d knocked him off-kilter.

“You threatened my wife’s safety to get what you wanted. As usual, at the expense of others.” I let out a humorless laugh at his nonplussed expression. “There’s so much you’ll never understand.”

Cainan flashed me a hard smile. “Fine. Find your own way out.”

“Where are you going?”

“My security can handle this riff-raff.”

He turned his back on us and climbed the stairs, leaving us alone. Boots pounded the ceiling, their weight creaking the floorboards.

I rushed at the door, locking it.

Evie’s soft body pressed into mine, her arms wrapping my stomach. “I chose to come here. I can’t live without you.”

“He manipulated you.”

“He got us back together.”

“Yeah. For how long?” I eyed the ceiling as the floor creaked. I had no idea what the hell was going on, but at some point that door would open. My gaze dipped to the carnage. The knot in my throat refused to dissolve. “Evie, I want to tell you everything…while I still can. You were almost killed because I haven’t told you everything. Again.”

I couldn’t force out the words, my mind ravaged by the past. I took her face and gazed into her startled eyes.

“I was trafficked by the club. I wasn’t at a rehab center. That was a lie I sold to the masses to hide where I’d really been, because I’m so ashamed of what I’ve done.” It poured out of me as I stroked her cheek. “Crash sold me to a man who brought me to…an island. It’s a