The Wolf and His Wife (Wolf 2)

“What’s bothering you?” We took the stairs, side by side. I lifted up my gown so my heels could rise onto the next step without snagging on anything.

He ignored my question.

“You were fine when we got there, but now you’re dead inside.”

We made it to the second landing then turned to go up the third. With one hand in his pocket and his shoulders slouched, he didn’t seem to hear me. His thoughts were a million miles away, still focused on the subject that had stolen all his attention.

I made it to the third landing then dropped my dress. “Maverick.”

He walked ahead of me and entered his bedroom. He pushed the door open and immediately slipped off his jacket and set it on the armchair. His fingers popped open his shirt buttons, and then he pulled that off too. The tie landed on the floor.

My heels were killing me, so I slipped them off. “What’s going on?”

He loosened his belt then fell into the armchair. He was bare-chested with tight abs, and his eyes were heavy from all the liquor he ingested. The top button on his pants was popped open, and some of his happy trail was visible.

If I weren’t so alarmed by his behavior, I would sink to my knees and suck him dry.

With his fingertips resting against his temple, he watched me. “Kamikaze was there tonight.”

That simple sentence was enough to explain everything. My chest tightened in terror, and my heart started to race with unease. He had been in the same room with me, somehow hidden among the three hundred faces enjoying themselves at the party. He was seven feet tall, so I had no idea how I’d missed him.

“He and I had a chat.”

The man turned up when we least expected it. Maverick obviously had no idea he would be there. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought me. A man so big could still be so sneaky. My fingers reached to the back of my dress, and I pulled down the zipper because my gown suddenly felt too tight.

“I tried to talk some sense into him…but that’s not possible.” His eyes shifted away, and he looked at the empty fireplace. He stared at it without blinking.

I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling a sudden draft.

“We decided to settle this tomorrow.” He dropped his fingers from his temple and finally looked at me for the first time. He seemed defeated, overwhelmed, and even a little resentful.

“What does that mean?”

He pushed against the wooden armrests and rose to his feet. “Russian roulette.”

It was worse than having Kamikaze storm the gates and try to kill everyone. This precisely laid out the odds, so I knew how likely it was that Maverick would survive. It was all dependent on the position of one bullet in one chamber—and when he pulled the trigger. “No…you can’t do this.”

“I have no choice.” He stood in front of me, his chin tilted down so he could look me in the eye.

“Yes, you do. This can’t be the best option. You said you would kill him and—”

“The odds of survival are the same. He’s got a ton of men, and so do I. We’re just going to kill a bunch of people and waste our resources to settle this. I tried to convince him to let this go, but he refused. He’s not going to stop until he has you.”

“Well, I’m not letting you do this. I’m not letting you play this sick game for me.” I couldn’t imagine the two of them sitting across from each other at a table and taking turns putting guns to their foreheads. With every click of the gun, Maverick would be a little closer to getting the bullet. “I would much rather hand myself over—”

“And I’d rather you not.” He stepped closer to me, his eyes full of determination. “I’d rather die than let that happen to you.”

“But if you die, then it happens to me anyway. Your life isn’t worth that, Maverick. I would never want that to happen to you—”

“I have a plan to get you out of there.”

“What’s the point if you’re dead?” Tears cascaded down my cheeks, and my voice kept escalating higher and higher. “No. We aren’t doing this. I won’t allow you to do this for me. Even my father wouldn’t want you to.”

His voice dropped. “I’m not doing it for him.”

“But still…”

“If Kamikaze gets the bullet, our problems are solved. He’ll be gone for good.”

“What if he survives again?”

“Doesn’t matter. The decision will still be made. And there’s no way that guy is going to survive a second bullet to the head.”

“Maverick, I don’t like this—”

“And I don’t care.” He stepped away from me then pushed off his slacks. His shoes came next, then he stood in just his black boxers. “This is how we’re settling this.”