Page 217 of The Monster and the Masochist

“Why? Were you trying to reach me?”

“Yes!” I screeched, finally dropping my hands and pointing the nose of my Beretta to the floor, considering it didn’t look like I was going to need to actually shoot anybody. “I’ve been trying to tell you… Sterling… Samwell, whatever his fucking name is… He was going to bribe Svetlana to rig your fight. He… He’s trying to have you killed. I thought… Jesus Christ, I thought you were already dead!”

My voice wavered, and I realized I was about to fucking cry.

Jesus Christ.

Now that I’d started, I couldn’t seem to stop…

“Aww, baby… shit. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you. I should have told you I was putting my phone away for a bit.” Theo got up and stalked toward me. Before I knew it, she was tugging me into her arms.

“I was so… I was so fucking worried…” I gasped, and she shushed me, rubbing her hands up and down my back in an effort to calm me down.

“I can see that… Shit… I’m so sorry, baby.”

I melted into her for a moment, breathing her in and just letting myself appreciate the fact that she was here and she was alive.

Not dead, not dead, not dead…

Theo let me cling to her for a moment, but I quickly snapped back to reality as I remembered we had an audience.

An audience with Theo’s potential murderer in it.

“So wait… Why is she here? Did you hear what I said? About the hit?” I asked, pulling away from Theo to glare at the large Russian woman who was currently sitting rather demurely on Jerry’s shitty couch.

“Oh yeah, we know about the hit. Svetlana was just telling us about it before you went all Rambo and busted in here, guns blazing.” Cal smirked, shooting me a teasing grin.

I narrowed my eyes on him, but decided now was not the time to allow him to goad me into one of our endless spats.

“Yes. Tiny rat man comes to me and asks me to drug Theo before fight.” She scoffed, looking offended. “I do not need to drug Theo to win. It is insulting to say.”

Theo turned to face Svetlana, though she kept one arm draped lightly around my waist.

“Svetlana is pissed that Samwell has interfered in our match. She thinks we should call it off.” Theo’s lip tilted at the corner. “She’s concerned that if word gets out she was approached with an offer to rig our fight, even if she doesn’t act on it, people will think she needed to cheat to beat me.”

Svetlana nodded, and her brow furrowed slightly as she worked to translate what Theo said before she responded.

“Yes. This. But also, Theo is good fighter. Would be good opponent. I want to warn Theo that tiny rat man tries to kill her.” She looked angry for a moment before shaking her head in disbelief. “Men should not concern themselves with business of women.”

I exchanged a look with Theo, who just shrugged with a grin.

“Turns out Svetlana is a girl’s girl. Who knew?”

“Haven’t you killed like… four women in the ring?” Cal asked curiously. He was looking all too invested in the whole thing, as if this entire situation were an episode of his favorite reality show and he couldn’t get enough.

Svetlana gave Cal a sinister smile, and a chill rolled up my spine. When she smiled like that, it was easy to see why everyone in Theo’s world was so afraid of her.

“Yes. But in fair terms. We fight. I win. They lose.” She shrugged. “It is not personal.”

She turned her gaze back to my wife, and I found myself subtly angling myself in front of her, which seemed to amuse the Russian even more.

“I do not want Rat Man to kill good fighter for no reason. It is a waste. Also… I see him on news. He is bad man. He hurts small children. Only weak men hurt children. Disgusting. I will not help him.”

I eyed up this surprising new ally as I tried to decide what to make of her. She just sat there, staring back at me with the easy confidence of someone who knew they could kick the asses of most people in most rooms.

I liked that she’d come to warn Theo instead of taking whatever bribe the reverend had offered her. It was… badass, and honorable.

“So… What does this mean? The fight is off?” I asked, cocking my head to the side.