Page 95 of Pretty Ruthless Monsters: Complete Series

“I’m sure you’ve all heard the rumors by now,” Nico begins, his tone carrying easily through the cavernous space. “There was an attack on Carnage territory. And we believe it was done in an attempt to create chaos and sow seeds of distrust between the Princes and Enigma.”

A ripple of murmurs spreads through the onlookers, but Nico presses on. “Well, you can put those rumors to rest. Because the truth is, there’s only one enemy. And he’s dead.”

I can feel the tension, the anger radiating off of him in waves. He’s a good actor, I’ll give him that.

“Silas, the man we’ve been hunting down, is the one responsible for burning the Carnage clubhouse,” Nico growls, his hand tightening around mine almost painfully. “But we caught him before he could escape. There was a fight, and we brought him down.”

Nico keeps talking, laying out the cover story we’ve created to hide what truly happened that night at the clubhouse. I let him speak for a while, but when he pauses for a moment, I take a step forward and clear my throat.

My turn .

Raising my voice above the buzz of the crowd, I call out, “Silas is dead. He won’t be causing any more trouble. But we believe he was just a hired gun. Someone else is behind all this, pulling the strings.”

There’s a collective intake of breath, and I can practically feel the unease rolling through the crowd. Good. I want them on their toes.

“I’m being followed,” I continue, my voice steely. “Watched. We don’t know who it is or why they’re after me, but I want you all to be vigilant. If you see something that seems off, speak up about it.”

A chorus of questions rises up almost instantly, but I hold up a hand to quiet them.

“We don’t have any leads yet, but we’re working on it,” I assure them. “Just keep your eyes and ears open. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

The group begins to break up, people filtering out of the meeting space. Some are huddled in worried groups, others are casting suspicious glances around, already paranoid about another threat. I’ve definitely gotten their attention.

Nico grabs my arm, pulling me aside.

“What the hell was that about?” he demands, his eyes flashing with anger. “You were supposed to shut up and let me handle it.”

I narrow my eyes, yanking my arm free. “Sorry, I thought I was done taking orders from you. And I’m not in the habit of lying to my people.”

He scoffs. “You lie to them all the time. You just did when you pretended to be my loyal wife.”

“That’s different,” I bite back. “And anyway, they’re my crew. My family. Unlike you, I value their trust.”

“You value their trust but not your husband’s?” Nico retorts, stepping closer. “You couldn’t trust me to handle this?”

The hurt and anger flashing across his face hits me in a way it shouldn’t. This is Nico, for fuck’s sake. Master manipulator and con artist, currently pissed off that his pretend-wife didn’t play by his rules. Nothing more.

Before I can reply, one of his higher-ups approaches and murmurs something in his ear. Nico’s jaw tightens, but he gives me one last irritated look before turning away to deal with the issue. Killian and Atlas peel off as well, drawn into separate conversations.

I let out a frustrated breath, running a hand through my hair. Of course they’d leave me hanging right in the middle of an argument. Typical.

“Trouble in paradise?” The mocking voice makes me stiffen. I turn to find Zoey sauntering up without even trying to hide her disdain.

“What do you want?” I ask flatly. The last thing I need is her starting shit.

She shrugs one slim shoulder, examining her nails. “Just making an observation. It’s weird, don’t you think? That Silas burned down the clubhouse but not the tattoo parlor?”

By some miracle, I’m able to keep my expression neutral. “He probably would’ve hit my place too, if we hadn’t put a bullet in him first.”

Zoey nods slowly. “Lucky for you, then. Looks like you got a pretty good deal out of this whole thing.” Her gaze rakes over me in an obvious once-over. “Extra manpower, protection… among other perks, I’m sure.”

The implication in her tone is clear, and there’s no way in hell I can stop the flush of anger that rises to my cheeks this time. How dare she insinuate that the only reason Nico and the others want me around is for sex?

“The deal between our crews is none of your business,” I snap, straightening to my full height. “Sort of like how Atlas’s life isn’t your business anymore, either.”

Zoey’s eyes narrow to slits at the jab about Atlas. For a tense moment, we simply glare at each other, the hostility so thick in the air that it’s practically crackling—and then Atlas steps up beside me.

“Everything okay over here?” His eyes flick between us, brow furrowed in concern.

Zoey plasters on a tight smile, all sugary sweetness. “Oh, everything is peachy. Quinn and I were just having some girl talk. Catching up on some gossip.”

The false sincerity is clearly meant to get under my skin. Jesus, she’s practically begging for me to kick her ass.

Not today, Satan .

With one last venomous look in my direction, Zoey slinks away, hips swinging for Atlas’s benefit, no doubt. My lip curls up on its own as I watch her leave.

“Your ex sucks,” I mutter once she’s out of earshot.

Atlas arches a brow at me. “What was that about?”

I wouldn’t mind telling him, but not here. Not now. Instead, I wave a dismissive hand. “Nothing. Zoey just… doesn’t like me, I guess.”

Atlas chuckles at that, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Well, there was that time she walked in on you fucking me, and you didn’t stop.”

His eyes glint with amusement at the memory, and a rush of heat floods my veins as the mental image pops into my head, unbidden.

The way his hands gripped my hips, guiding my movements as I rode him.

The way he barely even looked at Zoey, his gaze trained on me the entire time as if he couldn’t look away.

“To be fair, you’re the one who told me not to stop,” I mutter, trying to keep my tone neutral even as my heart rate kicks up a notch.

He huffs a breath. “Yeah, that’s true. I’m not surprised she hates you though. I’m sure she knows that what we had went deeper than anything that ever existed between me and her.”

Those last words seem to slip out without him meaning for them to, and an awkward silence stretches between us as the weight of his statement sinks in.

I can’t seem to tear my gaze away from his, my throat suddenly dry. Does he mean what I think he means? That he had real feelings for me, once upon a time?

Belatedly, Atlas also apparently realizes what he’s admitted. His smile fades as quickly as it came, his expression going blank. His entire demeanor shutters closed as he straightens his shoulders.

“Anyway,” he says gruffly, all traces of humor gone from his voice. “I should go check in with the others.”

He turns and walks away without another word, leaving me rooted in place. I can still feel the heat from the way he used to touch me, the intensity of his gaze burning into me.

I give myself a mental shake, shoving those treacherous thoughts aside ruthlessly. Whatever Atlas and I once had, it’s over now. Done. In the past. His little slip-up doesn’t change anything.

Squaring my shoulders, I force myself to move on, putting Atlas out of my mind for now. I have bigger things to worry about than some lingering sexual tension.

Like finding out who’s gunning for me—and why.