Page 41 of Bride By Initiation

I walk around his body and tug his head up. I lean toward his ear and ask, "Do you have anything else you want to say about my brother?"

He hysterically sobs.

We torture him for a few hours until his body can't handle it anymore. When he hangs lifeless, his corpse burnt, bloody, and frozen, we call it a day.

Brax points to the cameras. "Don't forget the video so we get our cupcakes."

"Good call." I take off my gloves and sit in front of the computer.

Brax takes the seat beside me, and we spend another hour splicing and editing footage. We send the videos to Liam via our secure app, and he replies with photos of cupcakes.

Brax grins and holds out his fist, and I fist-bump him. "Let's get the cleanup crew in here."

It's good to have so many younger cousins who still need to prove themselves to the clan. Brax and I spent years on cleanup duty.

He adds, "Which ones should we bestow the joy on?"

I reply, "I saw Mikhail with L.J.; I'm sure their fathers will approve."

His grin widens. Mikhail is Dmitri and Anna Ivanov's son. Liam's son, L.J., short for Liam Jr., and Mikhail are thick as thieves. They're twenty-six and just as cocky as Brax and I were at that age. But they still have a lot to learn, especially L.J., who by birth is expected to someday take over the clan. And Liam doesn't show him one ounce of favoritism.

Brax pushes the button on the speaker and orders, "L.J., Mikhail. Get your asses in chamber three."

In less than a minute, the door opens and they stroll in.

L.J. asks, "What's up?"

"Looks like you two had a fun day," Mikhail mutters, staring at the corpse.

L.J. glances over at Paddy, then walks around him, assessing our work. He affirms, "Sure does. Thanks for not including us."

"Oh, we're including you," Brax states.

"He's dead," Mikhail points out, as if we're stupid.

I smack him across the head.

"Ouch!" he cries out, jumping back.

"No shit, he's dead. Clean it up," I order.

"But I was on cleanup duty for your last guy," L.J. whines.

"So?"

"So why don't you call someone else? The warehouse is full of O'Malleys."

"I'm an Ivanov. Why do I have to do it?" Mikhail questions.

Brax wags his finger in front of them. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. You know the rules."

They freeze.

"I was just joking," Mikhail states.

"Me too," L.J. quickly adds.

"You sure about that?" I ask, crossing my arms.

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