Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79087 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79087 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Slowly, and I know this is strange, but I started to get used to her. Talking to The Butcher was like being close to an old friend. It made no sense. I didn’t know this woman, and yet I liked being around her.
When I talked, she didn’t stifle a yawn. She didn’t look down at her watch, or even off into a completely different direction as if she was staring into nothing. I don’t know if she was just being nice, or if she was just a damn good liar.
Chapter Four
Victor
Arriving at one of the bars downtown, Ivan and I stepped into the back. The men knew who I was, and there was no hassle. We made our way to the private room, where Ivan had asked me to arrange a meeting with Rage. Again, I was in the dark. Ivan would only divulge what he thought was absolutely necessary. Rage was dressed in a suit, and it looked so fucking odd on him.
“Ivan,” he said. “Victor.”
I shook his hand.
“Congratulations on the wedding,” Rage said.
Ivan chuckled. “I’d be careful on the congratulations if I were you. He doesn’t seem to be ... happy about it.”
Rage nodded.
“Why the fuck are we here?” I asked.
“You don’t know?” Rage asked.
Clearly, I was the only one in the fucking dark here, and it was starting to piss me off as to why Ivan wanted to keep me that way. Rage shared a look with Ivan, who had gone to stand in the corner.
“It’s to do with your new father-in-law,” Rage said.
I was fast losing interest. I had not spoken to Harris. All the arrangements had been made through Ivan. Harris paid for the wedding. The deal was connected to the Volkov Bratva. I didn’t make waves. Quite simply, it was not my place.
“Are you aware of The Grid?” Rage asked.
“Is this going to be Twenty Questions?” I asked.
“The Grid”
“Is known for being a group of men who hunt men and woman, sell them on the black market for sex, for anything. Slavery, harvesting organs. Anything and anything,” I said.
“Did you know that Harris Harris is a buyer of The Grid?” Rage asked.
Okay, now this I did not know.
“Your point?” I asked. Anyone who was anyone ordered from The Grid. I was not one of those people, as we all knew Ivan Volkov did not allow that kind of shit. I turned to him. “What’s going on?”
“Three days ago, a woman matching Freya Abdulov’s description was placed on The Grid,” Ivan said.
This got my attention as I looked to Ivan then to Rage. “Did Harris request her?”
“No,” Rage said. “He is the one that put her up for sale.”
Now, I was pissed.
“Why did you come to my territory?” I asked, looking to Ivan. “Is that what this is about? You want Freya to be sold?”
“Tell him,” Ivan said.
“He’s put her up for organ donation,” Rage said. “She cannot be used for anything else. Anyone who gets her has to harvest, sell, and distribute every single part of her.”
“You didn’t think to tell me this right away?” I asked, looking to Ivan.
“I figured bringing The Butcher to your territory as well as the Evil Savages MC would help to put some understanding on it, and also I like to do things with drama,” Ivan said.
Yet, he didn’t look the least bit fazed.
“What are you getting at?”
“No one is aware of this, but fifteen years ago, The Butcher had a sister. A very pretty little sister, who happened to meet the description of someone within the Harris Harris household. He buys slaves. He uses women. As you can fill in the blanks, he kills them slowly. Tortures them. I have reason to believe that Freya met her sister,” Ivan said.
I looked at Ivan. No one knew anything of The Butcher’s background. It was a fucking surprise to be learning this shit now. I didn’t know the woman’s age, or even her fucking name. Something told me Ivan knew a great deal.
“Does she know?” I asked.
“Yes,” Ivan said. “Part of the deal with The Butcher is I had the details of exactly who took her sister, who was responsible for her death—and of course, handing them to her.”
“You haven’t done it yet,” I said.
“I’m getting there. You see, the key to any kind of revenge is knowing exactly the right time to do it.” Ivan shrugged. “It’s close to that time.”
I looked from Rage to Ivan.
“Once a name goes on The Grid, it is almost impossible to remove it,” I said.
“Exactly,” Ivan said.
This is why The Butcher was in my home. Rage was in my territory. I had a feeling The Beast wouldn’t go too far.
I ran a hand down my face. “I take it, you have no intention of letting them get to her.”
Ivan laughed. “Not yet. I have arrangements in place to deal with The Grid. At the moment, everything is coming up blank as to how to have her name removed. Harris has fled the country. I’m tracking him down as we speak. The fucker did all of this in a very short amount of time, and I had a feeling he did it on purpose.” Ivan stepped away from the wall. “I need this marriage between you and Freya to work. I want it to work.”