Page 121 of Sadistic

His face darkens. "What about him?"

"He made arrangements, too. Promises to the Russians that you've been honoring. How did you live with it? Following a dead man's deals?"

Runes is quiet for a long moment. "My father was a bastard. Mean drunk, meaner sober. But he understood one thing—in this life, your word is everything. You break it, you're nothing."

"Even when the deal hurts your family?"

"Especially then." He turns from the window. "But here's what my father didn't understand—deals can evolve. What starts as duty can grow into choice. The arrangement is just the beginning, not the end."

"Is that what happened with you and Fern?" I ask, testing the waters.

He chuckles. "Fern? Hell no. I knew her through Fenrir and Charm. By the gods, she helped me get Tor back from my psycho ex." His expression softens. "She changed my life, for the better."

"But Revna? She's stronger than her mother. Smarter. More stubborn. Which means if you earn her, really earn her, you'll have something worth more than any alliance."

"If," I emphasize.

"When," he corrects. "That girl's got her mother's heart. She wants to forgive you. You just have to give her a reason."

"News coming in," Mikhail announces from the doorway. "Ingrid made contact. Njal's... receptive. He's fixated on Bembe now, convinced he's planning something for tomorrow."

"Good," Runes says, but he looks troubled.

Using family, even sick family, goes against everything the MC stands for.

"There's more," Mikhail continues. "Bembe's been spotted. He's got men positioned around the city. Watching the venue, the church, even this clubhouse."

"He's making sure we know he's serious," I mutter.

"Or he's planning something bigger." Rati checks his weapon, an automatic gesture. "Man doesn't position troops for intimidation alone."

Through the window, I watch Revna pace the parking lot, phone to her ear.

Probably Everly or her mother, seeking comfort I can't provide right now.

The distance between us feels like it might rip me apart.

"We proceed as planned," I decide. "Ingrid handles Njal. We maintain security on all the women and children. And tomorrow..."

"Tomorrow you get married," Runes finishes. "The rest is just noise."

But it's not just noise.

It's threats and sick ex-boyfriends, and a bride who might not show up.

It's the weight of decisions made without her input, the price of protection that feels like control.

It's the skull charms in my pocket, promising death if I don't show weakness.

"I should go," I say, though leaving her here kills me. "There are so many things to be done."

"She's safe here," Runes assures me. "Nothing touches her under this roof."

I nod, trusting him because I have to. Because sometimes protecting someone means stepping back, even when every instinct screams to hold tighter.

"Before you go," Rati says, "you should know something. Bembe's not the only one making threats. There's been chatter. Others smell blood in the water. They think you're weak, letting a woman affect your decisions."

"Let them think it," I reply. "Tomorrow they'll see different."