Page 9 of Monster

I grinned at my VP and my enforcer.

Roman offered a cocky grin back while Micah grunted his greeting.

Both men took a seat, surrounding us.

The brothers looked like each other, both with tan complexions, brown hair, and—when Micah did smile—the same sarcastic tilt of their lips.

The only difference between the two was their eyes, from Micah’s cold silver ones that showed the world the kind of monster that he was, to Roman’s deep dark browns that hid the monster living beneath. Those who didn’t know him well would say he was the more easygoing of the two brothers, and they might be right. Compared to Micah’s cold and silent demeanor, Roman might beeasygoing, but I wasn’t stupid enough to not see the front that it was.

While Micah was meticulous in everything he did, making him perfect as the club’s enforcer, Roman would kill you with a goddamn smile on his face.

Micah never bothered to hide anything. I thought he might enjoy showing his monster a bit too much. The man was easily the biggest motherfucker I had ever come in contact with. Taller than my six-foot-two height by three inches, he completed the unhinged, psychotic look with a brutal scar that ran down one side of his face and ended near the jugular.

I didn’t know the story behind that scar, but I knew the stupid fucker who gifted that to him wasn’t breathing anymore.

“How’s Ryleigh?” I asked Roman.

He eyed me with an expression full of meaning. “Pregnant and hormonal.”

I laughed, and Micah cracked a small smile. I could only imagine how that tiny little thing was torturing Roman with her mood swings and…appetite.

“Why don’t you bring her around? I’m sure she’s tired of looking at your ugly mug all the time.”

He shot me a cocky smile. “She’ll never tire of looking at me. And I’m sure spending time with you is the last thing she wants to do.”

“Why is that? I’m nice.”

I even smiled, baring my teeth.

Micah shook his head, and Roman rolled his eyes. Kai choked on his beer, and I patted his back.

“Oh, yeah,” Roman said. “So nice. I’m sure she still remembers you threatening to kill her the first time you met.”

My smile widened. “I didn’t outright threaten to kill the girl, and you know it. But we’re good now.”

Had to be, considering I invited the little Bambi to my house for Braxton’s twelfth birthday not too long ago. I didn’t invite a lot of people to my house. Very few people actually knew where I lived.

It was the way I wanted to keep it, considering my boys lived there—well, only Braxton, now that Kai moved to his own place a few months back.

I leaned back in my chair and looked across the bar.

The back table was reserved solely for us. It offered a full view of the bar and was closest to the hidden doorway beneath that only the people sitting at this table now knew about.

In case a quick getaway was necessary.

No one had dared poach on my territory yet, and I felt sorry for any sucker who wanted to try, but it was still better to be cautious than to pay for my arrogance later on.

This was only a small piece of my kingdom.

I fucking ruled California with an iron fist, a feat not many men could say they would be able to accomplish in their lifetime. And the useless piece of shit who’d ruled this section of the country was driven out by the King’s Men when I moved the club from Las Vegas to California.

Las Vegas was the origin place of the King’s Men.

It had been ruled by the slimy little fucker Brooks Tanner, also known as “Boomer” around the Strip.

He was rumored to have gotten his nickname because of his penchant for bombs.

Fucker was loud like one, too.

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