Page 71 of Ruthless Reign

“I told her to look closer to home. Someone in the pigpen is working with them. How did they know we’d be distracted when they came to raid us?” I suspected her partner, Detective Dickface or whatever his name was.

“She might have mentioned that,” Thor said. “Said she wantedyouto spill the beans instead.”

I rolled my eyes and scoffed. “Hell would freeze over first.”

Thor snorted and KC laughed.

“I told her that, too,” I said.

“Hey, shithead!” Verona said from behind the bar. I glanced over at her, surprised when she was looking at me. “Yeah, you!”

Hollywood whistled a low, threatening noise. “You’ve done it now. Good luck, brother.”

Sighing and rubbing at the back of my neck, I headed over to her.

“What the fuck did you do to your wife?” V said, shoving at my shoulder with that stereotypical little sister glare in her violet eyes. “Do I have to cut off your balls?”

Goddamn, would I get my ass chapped by everyone in this fucking club?

Despite my annoyance, my sister demanded an explanation, her hands on her hips, stamping her foot like I was an unruly youth.

“V, lay off him,” our brother, Pollux, said, coming up next to me to throw an arm over my shoulders. “He’s got enough on his plate without your harassment.”

“He sent his submissiverunningfrom my club,” she said. “If it weren’t for Hollywood defending you, I would ban you from coming back AND THEN I would cut off your balls.”

“I didn’t hurt her,” I said. “Not like that.”

Truthfully, I didn’t know what I’d done to upset her. I’d told her I loved her, that I was happy we would have to spend the rest of our lives together. The look of panic in her eyes was definitelynotthe reaction I’d been expecting. Not that I thought she would swoon and confess her undying loyalty, but I didn’t mean to terrify the poor woman.

“Then. What. Did. You. Do?” V growled the words through her teeth, maybe preparing to lunge at my throat and tear it from my head.

“I overstepped a boundary I didn’t know she had,” I said, glancing sidelong at Pollux, and finally Castor, as he came to the other side. “She called her safeword, and she left.”

My sister narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. “I’m going to talk to her, and if she tells me something different, rest assured, youwillbe dealt with.”

“Bear,” Castor said, flipping open his computer. “We’ve got a problem.”

I took a deep breath and sighed as he explained the situation.

“Even though the Kings of Carnage said they wanted nothing to do with us, they’re on Caputi property,” he explained. “I can’t get a good read on how many people total. But if she called in the cavalry, we could be outnumbered.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose and tried not to panic. Letting my fear run wild would help no one, especially not the Roses. We only had four days until the wedding. What the fuck we were going to do?

We had our closest chapters here, but they weren’t the only Roses in the country or the only ones that could make it here in time.

“Call Lore,” I said. “Find out where he is. If he’s still out west, tell him to stop in Indiana. We’re gonna call her bluff.”

Castor nodded and glanced at Pollux and V before raising an eyebrow back at me. “Are you okay?”

“Besides our sister’s perpetual harassment, I’m fine.”

“His wifeis avoiding him,” V said. “He needs to go crawling back with his tail between his legs, buthis pridewon’t let him.”

I snarled and glared at my sister.

“Is the alliance in jeopardy?” Castor said. “Do you need me to tap her phone or something?”

“No,” I roared, slamming my hands down on the bar top, startling the twins but making V double down. She put her hands out on the granite and tilted her head at me. “All of you, drop it. This is hard enough without your fucking pestering.”

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