Page 23 of Bratva's Intern

I still couldn’t believe what he had done.

Throwing himself in front of a knife.

For me.Me.

I had men—trained men—who put their bodies in harm’s way for me. That was their job, their sole purpose. I paid them handsomely to do it too. Wren? He had no reason. Why had he done it? Had he in that moment thought it was a quick opportunity to have me indebted to him? Did he want a reward?

His wound was minor, he’d said when he stepped out of the elevator and he caught me staring at his arm. That wasn’t the point. The point was that it could have been worse. He could have died, and I hadn’t reacted fast enough to get him medical attention. Instead, Bradley had come to the rescue.

I exhaled through my nose, my frown deepening. One of the cops, Higgins, leaned forward. Wren nodded quickly and bit his lip as though second-guessing whatever he was about to say. He curled his fingers against the table, then forced them to relax.

I clenched my jaw.

He could have been killed.

Foolish.

He was incredibly foolish.

How did he even survive to this age?

Had the knife landed just a little deeper, had it angled the wrong way—no. I wouldn’t think about that.

But I did.

And it unsettled me.

I had seen men die. I had ordered men to die. I’d had men die for me. That was business. That was the world I lived in.

But Wren didn’t belong in that world. Why had I pulled him into this mess with an internship?

For some insane, inexplicable reason, he had thrown himself in harm’s way. For me. And I wanted to know why. There had to be a good reason.

“You know you don’t have to stay here and watch.”

I didn’t turn. Archie came up beside me, arms crossed, wearing that knowing expression I always appreciated. In that instant, it irritated me that he could read me so well. We’d spent too much time tangled in each other’s lives—starting as strangers, then boss and employee, then lovers, then friends.

“You told me he wasn’t too bright. You didn’t mention reckless, downright foolish, and seemingly suicidal,” I muttered.

Archie snorted. “Well, I could tell from the moment I met him he was a good kid. If it makes you feel better, I don’t think he did it specifically because it was you. He would have done it for anyone.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I’m a good judge of character.”

“You were wrong about me.”

Archie’s lips twisted into a smile. “Was I? I knew right away that you were a ruthless son of a bitch. And that’s what I loved about you.”

“You never loved me. You loved the sex. You loved the thrill of the life I gave you.”

Didn’t they all? None of them were genuine, always wanting, expecting something from me. They were all the same.

So what do you want?

Archie sighed. “You are wrong if you thought I never loved you. Maybe because you don’t think you’re lovable.”

“Cut the bullshit, Archie. What good has love ever done anyone? Now, if you can find out the identity of that bastard who wanted me dead, that would be worth something.”

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