Page 38 of The Stallion (Men Under Revue #2)

Bria

I wanted to tell Dallas everything—from the moment he revealed who he was and the secret society he belonged to … the dancing… my test…

But every time I felt ready enough to approach the subject of Connor and what I had done…

I backpedaled—out of fear of how he would react and see me once he knew and understood the truth of who I was.

Sure, the Men Under Revue was an organization run by smoking hot murderers, but they weren’t senseless killers.

At least that was the impression my husband had left on me with the kind of man he was, and even with my test…

My target was nothing more than a piece of shit to the world; he wasn’t some innocent man just trying to make a living.

He was disgusting, vile, and abusive to the company he purchased .

What I had done to Connor and Tahlia… That wasn’t for poetic justice; there was nothing holy about the act I had committed. I did what I did out of depraved darkness, and no matter how many times I circled back to that memory— I’d fucking do it again.

That was the difference, and if he knew his wife was nothing more than a woman who would slaughter two innocent people for revenge, he wouldn’t want me. How fucking could he?

And I had fallen so fucking hard for him that I’d give anything to remain his—never to leave his side as his sweet girl .

His affirmation took me aback, and I was caught entirely off guard by the strength of our bond. While I had loved Dallas fiercely with every part of my bleeding heart, he truly did reciprocate the same feeling.

“Dallas—”

“There you are! Holy fuck, I’ve been looking everywhere for you. What the hell, Bria?” Asher stood in the doorway to the room, her hands planted firmly on her hips, and a look of— was that irritation?

“Ash—”

“Are you okay? What did they say to you? Did they let you go?!” Asher rushed toward me as Dallas silently released his hold, allowing her to reach for my wrists, inspecting the swollen red marks that now encompassed them. “I’ll fucking kill them for this.”

Woah, Asher… where the fuck was this coming from ?

“Hang on a second…” My head was spinning like a bad case of whiplash. “Why are you here? Aren’t you horrified by what they announced in front of everyone? Of what I did?”

How could she be so nonchalant about the accusation?

I murdered my fucking ex and his whore.

Asher scoffed at my confusion, releasing me and flipping her hair before crossing her arms over her chest.

“You know, if you had just taken a second and stopped being so secretive with me over this past month, I would’ve already told you I already knew what had happened to Connor…

” Her eyes connected with mine as she gave me a short smile.

“But I wanted you to be the one to bring it up and tell me what occurred. I wasn’t willing to outright accuse my best friend of being some unhinged psychopath when I knew she wasn’t.

” Asher sighed, leaning forward to press her forehead against mine.

“You’ve had a lot on your plate, Bri… Too much, if I’m being totally honest with you. ”

“But what about his parents? You texted them—they sent you an update on what was happening with the police—”

“I did. And then, after you left with your new beau, I reached out to Colton, who— by the way —informed me that my best friend was a very stabby individual. Red most likely being her favorite fucking color.” I winced at the memory, the visualization of the damage I had done within minutes.

“You know, when I gave you his number all those years ago as a joke to make you feel safe, I never thought you’d actually need it. ”

“I didn’t either…” I crossed my arms over my chest before wetting my lips with a deep breath in. “He told me that you called him… often . For what? What could you possibly need a—”

“And we’ll save that discussion for another girls’ night.

” Asher pulled away from me, preventing the subject from switching to her while strolling toward the door.

“I’ll sort out the team— damage control, of course.

You go home. It’s better this way, regardless…

With the bomb those officers just dropped on thousands of spectators, it’s probably best if Bria Robins disappears.

Besides, I’m sure there’s still a lot to unpack between the two of you now that this—” She waved her hand, searching for the right word.

“Fiasco is all out in the fucking open.”

Just before leaving the room, Asher turned back, her eyes set straight on Dallas, and a finger pointed directly at him for emphasis.

“And you … Before I forget. You so much as lay a remotely harmful finger on my best friend, and you’ll find out exactly who the fuck I am.”

I swallowed at her threat, feeling every ounce of its malice and promise as a warm palm slid over my hip and across my waist, pulling me against my husband’s side.

Dallas nodded in confirmation before leaning down and pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

“Let’s go home…” He murmured, taking my hand and leading me out of the room, deliberately heading in the opposite direction of the main hall and toward the nearest emergency exit.

Dallas remained silent throughout the short drive, giving me time to collect my thoughts and figure out how to explain everything once we had arrived.

As he pulled into the driveway, I sighed longingly, staring out through the windshield at a home I never wanted to leave. The life I felt that I never had the chance to truly embrace.

“You’re not leaving me, Bria,” Dallas asserted, resting his elbow on the center console as he reached across the car to cup my cheek.

I turned my head to face him, his eyes holding mine captive as they always did—a flicker of a memory from the first time I saw them in that dark office, with nothing but the light from the hall to make them glimmer.

“You say it doesn’t matter, but what I did… was out of hate .” I struggled to hold his piercing gaze as I admitted what had been haunting me all this time—the reason behind my sudden shift in personality. “What you do for the MUR is—”

“Sweet girl…” He pressed the pad of his thumb to my lips, interrupting me from speaking any further.

“Unless you killed him for fun and entertainment, he deserved the fate you handed him. I can see it in your eyes—the hurt, the pain, the guilt. Bria, you didn’t murder your ex for the fuck of it.

He hurt you for years, and I would’ve done far worse if I had the chance. ”

“He cheated on me…” I confessed, my eyes brimming with tears, ready to fall. “For three fucking years… he was with her and just dragged my pathetic ass along for the ride—nothing more than a fucking trophy—”

“I can’t listen to this—” He interjected as I started to weep, exiting his side of the car and skirting around to mine.

My husband opened the door and pulled me out of the passenger seat, cradling me while I felt myself slowly breaking into pieces in his arms. “Come on, let’s get you inside, in bed, where I can hold you, and you can tell me everything while I comfort my wife the way a husband should. ”

As Dallas carried me into our bedroom and gently set me down on the bed, I clung to his shirt, not wanting to lose physical contact with him even for a split second. I was barely holding on—vulnerable, letting him in to the fullest extent.

I could be strong and defiant all fucking day, but that didn’t mean that underneath the mask I wore so proudly in the light, that I wasn’t burning myself alive in the fire I had created in the dark.

The mattress sank with his weight before he pulled me between his legs and held me tightly, my face pressed up against his warm chest.

“I thought I knew what it felt like to be loved—” I could feel my tears soaking into his shirt, making the cotton fabric stick to the side of my face, cold and wet.

“I didn’t realize until it was too late that I was nothing more than a pawn in someone else’s game.

That I no longer meant anything to him, and his false affections were the only thing that kept me going. ”

I was free-falling with every shaky breath that I took, every word I spoke .

“Why did you stay?” Dallas asked softly, hesitant as if unsure if that was the right question to ask me. I huffed a shallow laugh as I reflected on my choices—the decisions that had led me to where I am today.

“Why does anyone stay?” I countered, lifting my face to look up at my love as he played with a long strand of my hair, twirling it around his index finger.

“Because oftentimes, we believe that we can fix anything as long as we try hard enough—giving it our all… Quitting the relationship was never an option for me. I was raised never to quit—no matter the cost.”

“Even if the cost were your dignity?”

I sucked on my cheek and rolled my lips together as I lowered my head back down to his chest, listening to his soft breaths—his heartbeat, unable to find a justifiable answer.

Because he was right.

I had lost my dignity, and murder seemed like the only means of getting it back.

Dallas didn’t speak as I mulled over my thoughts and actions, wondering if the police would come after me again, if this were just the calm before the real storm appeared at our doorstep, ready to take me away for good.

“I know you’re lying here, believing that you are nothing more than some murderous monster—” He started, adjusting our position so that I was nestled against his side and he could see my face.

“But do you know what I see when I look at my sweet girl? I see a fiercely determined woman taking her life back from a man who never deserved it in the first place… I wish I had met you long before yo u met him. I would’ve treated you so much better. I would’ve given you the world…”

My husband rolled onto his side before guiding his body over mine and settling his weight between my thighs with his forearms supporting his upper body on either side of my head.

“I will give you everything , Bria. Just say the word, and it’s yours—that’s how he should’ve treated you from the very beginning.

You’re not a trophy or some pretty little thing to put on display and puff up an undeserving ego.

You’re perfection, a dream, and I’m the luckiest fucking man alive to have you now.

You think you don’t deserve me?… Sweet girl, we were made for each other.

And deserve to live happily, forever. Without a single goddamn exception. ”

Gazing into my husband’s eyes, I found my sense of self in every word he spoke. It was an affirmation that I wasn’t as broken as I felt and that even with my jagged edges, I was still someone worth loving.

“Dallas.”

“Yes, wifey?”

“I love you…” My voice broke as I murmured those three heavy words, feeling my heart squeeze and my stomach twist to the point of feeling sick.

I didn’t care if I sounded clingy or needy at the time. Dallas made me feel whole, and I couldn’t bear the mere thought of ever losing his affection .

Lowering himself until his nose just barely grazed against mine, my husband smiled—the charming smile that melted my heart and set my ovaries on fucking fire.

“I’ll love you beyond life, sweet girl. And every day we’re together, I plan to show you exactly what you’re worth, and it’s a hell of a lot more than what you’ve previously been given.”

“Forever, Ponyboy?” I giggled coyly, wrapping my arms around his neck as our breaths mingled between us, my eyes dropping to his lips that begged me to taste them.

“Even an eternity wouldn’t be enough time spent with you.”

But it’s a good start…