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I want to blame it on ADHD or some shit, but it’s simply my brain’s way of trying to distract me from the energy permeating the room and awakening my own need for violence.

Not the time or place.

And definitely not the people to allow my inner beast to play.

Kato finally stops glaring at me and unfolds himself from his chair. I can see him trying his best to be a husband and not Don, but in the end, it’ll really depend on how Everest behaves, how she reacts to the shit we have to tell her.

“I had it removed. My child was taken away. I wanted another.”

“You fucking asshole!” she screams. She’s panting, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

A few seconds later, she lays a hand over her flat stomach as though realizing there’s a chance a child could already be growing in there.

“Weeks. I’ve been back forweeks,and already you’re doing just like every other man in my life and trying to take away my choices.”

“It was before,” he says.

“Before?”

“Before we knew,” he answers.

“It wasn’t just him, E. We all –”

She whirls on me, a hand swinging at my cheek. I only have a heartbeat to raise my arm and block her before she can make contact. Not that I don’t deserve a good slap, but I also don’t want her to hurt herself, either.

“E, stop,” I say, wrapping my fingers around her wrist.

“Donotcall me that.” At least she’s no longer yelling.

Brix moves closer, so close his chest is almost against her back. Not sure if he thinks he’ll need to restrain her, or if he’s pissy I haven’t released her wrist yet. I just don’t want her to hit me.

Yeah, she has every right to beat the shit out of all three of us. But unless she learned to fight recently, she might end up breaking a finger or spraining her wrist.

“What were you thinking?” she says. This time, her voice is low and full of heartache. Betrayal.

“I told you. Had we known the truth…I’m sorry,” Kato says.

And he actually does sound sorry, even if he continuously shoots daggers at me from his eyes.

Whatever. We needed to tell her eventually. I doubt her reaction would have been any different regardless of how we broke the news to her.

“I should also let you know we had a tracker implanted under your skin,” Kato says.

“Of course, you did.” Shit. She seriously sounds as though her heart has been smashed to bits by this news.

“Everest, it was before we knew the truth. Although, I want to leave the tracker in. For your safety. If something ever happens, if any motherfucker ever thinks to take you away, we’ll be able to find you,” Kato says, ever the diplomat.

“You’ll always be able to control my every move. See my every move.” Her head is shaking side to side slowly. “I could be pregnant. With everything we have planned, I could be carrying a child right now. There is literally no guarantee the Pakhan will side with us, regardless of what my father did. Which means I’m just as much the enemy to the Bratva as you are. So now there will be two of us at risk.”

“Flora would never let her father do shit to you,” Brix says. “And we’ll never let anyone hurt you again.”

She fully turns to face him, craning her neck to look into his face. “I’ve been in this life as long as you have. Actually longer, since I was born into it, and we both know there is literally no way for you to guarantee my safety any more than you can guarantee one of you won’t be gunned down during one of your trips doing whatever the hell it is you do when you come home covered in blood.”

We’ve seen enough people fall during my time with the Antonious. I’m sure Everest has seen people disappear, as well. Though I highly doubt she’s had as many front row seats to the deaths as we have. Nor has she been the one behind the trigger.

“You know, I can almost understand why you did it. What I don’t understand is why it’s taken so long for any of you to tell me.” She looks at each of us and my heart clenches at the tears in her eyes. “You betrayed me. All three of you.”

She turns on her heel to walk away, but Brix grabs her bicep and tries to stop her.