Page 34 of Beast's Wife

Morgan didn’t want to put Roxy down, but she also knew she couldn’t spend the rest of her life holding her. She wanted to, but that wouldn’t do any good. She placed the little pup on the bed, and at first Roxy was very shy, then settled down. She placed the small blanket on top of her, as the tiny pup seemed to be shaking a little, and she didn’t want her to get cold.

Lifting up, she looked toward Carver and smiled at him. “Thank you,” she said.

“You can have everything you want,” he said. “All you have to do is ask.”

She was tempted to ask him if she could have his love, but she didn’t want to spoil the moment they were sharing. This had been an incredible morning. In fact, every morning, waking up as Carver’s wife, within his world, had been wonderful.

Her parents bringing her here had been the best decision they had made for her. She wondered if they even knew before Carver had killed them, that they were sending her to a good life, or if they even cared.

It no longer mattered. They were gone, and she was happy.

And she had Carver, as well as Roxy.

****

Carver stared into the game room where Morgan and Roxy were playing. The little dog had become part of their world very fast, not that he had any problem with that. She stayed in the corner of their room at night, and the first night had been a pain, but Morgan had told him what to do.

They were supposed to ignore her cries for attention. He hated to say it, but he found that difficult. A great deal of his life was spent torturing people—chaining them up, beating the shit out of them, hurting them—getting information out of them by any means possible. He’d listened to many people promise him millions, billions, willing to do whatever he wanted. None of it had mattered to him. Yet, he hadn’t been able to deal with tiny little Roxy, crying for attention.

Of course, he had responded. Morgan had laughed as he picked little Roxy up and carried her down to take her out.

Morgan hadn’t stayed in bed, so for a good hour on the first night, they had stood out in the freezing cold, wrapped in blankets, waiting for Roxy to do her business. What did Roxy do? Play in the snow. She had on a tiny sweater, and Morgan had insisted on her wearing her little shoes. Again, he didn’t complain, because the truth was, she was so freaking cute.

They did the same the second night. By the third night, Roxy must have gotten bored, because she slept the whole night through. Even as he made love to his wife.

He watched her now, how sweet and tender she was. Her family hadn’t destroyed her, and for that he was grateful.

“You wanted me, sir,” Andy said, coming into the room.

“I want you to alert everyone to keep an eye out for any suspicious movements on the property. I no longer want deliveries at the door. Everything must be checked at the gate,” Carver said.

“Yes, sir.”

After the death of Rigel and a couple of other investors, the tables had turned on Romone. His enemies were coming after him, and Carver knew it was only a matter of time before Romone came for him. He was betting on it.

Carver didn’t play a cat-and-mouse game. He wasn’t going to leave to go hunting. He’d allow Romone to come and do the work.

“He doesn’t get into the house,” Carver said.

He looked at Morgan and Roxy. There was no regret for what he’d done. This is what he had to do. People wanted him to pay for what he did to the Rose family, and now they were begging him to take over from Romone.

What they didn’t understand was he’d been determined to take down Romone from the very beginning. Every single little fuckup had brought them to this moment because he’d orchestrated it.

Many years ago, he and Romone had fought side by side. They hadn’t been brothers. They’d been two souls O’Neil had discovered. Romone was never as good as him. Although Romone always won each fight, he didn’t have the skills to go against him. There was always something holding him back.

Carver knew that. It was a fear of losing for Romone. A fear of dying. Carver, on the other hand, didn’t fear anything. He didn’t fear death or the end. He was more than ready for it. Death was part of life. It was a cycle, and he reveled in it.

So, to Romone, there had always been a fight he wanted to be part of, but O’Neil had always told him not to be stupid, to only take the fights he knew he could win.

Carver didn’t do that. He took the fights with no guarantees. This was the path he chose, and it suited him. With nothing to lose, he didn’t care if he won or lost. It was just money, just a fight, a means to an end.

Romone accepted what O’Neil did. That the boys who wanted out, had to die. There was only one way, and that was O’Neil’s way. Carver didn’t agree. He always knew there was going to be another way, and he took it. Romone had vowed that there would come a time when it would come down to a fight between them, and only one of them would be victor.

Carver smiled. There was no competition, not for him.

“Don’t worry, sir, we all know nothing can happen to Morgan,” Andy said.

“Nor to any of you.” He turned toward Andy. “All of you put your faith in me for my protection and I’m not going to let you down.”