Page 178 of Vicious Butterfly

Ugh. Griff and Cooper are gonna stick out like a sore thumb in a place like this. I’m going to have to talk to Jane to make sure she keeps an eye on them. More like, keeps everyone away from them, so Becks and Gid don’t go on a fucking murder spree.

Maybe Griff doesn’t feel like he can talk to me right now, but I’ll still do anything and everything I can to help him. Looks like my game of cat and mouse is over before the cat had the chance to pounce.

I exit the locker room area, squeezing my way through a crowd that’s gotten a lot thicker in the past ten minutes. But the sea of people parts, and my husband, looking like the God of War, is storming my way. He flashes his teeth, letting one of the cuffs drop, dangling from a chain.

“There you are, dollface,” he says as if he didn’t know where I was. He so fucking did.

I forget about Griff and Rhys, forget about everything going on around us at the sight of my husband. The crowd turns away from the ice, their attention focused on us. The bastard. He fucking planned this, didn’t he? Well, I’m sure he didn’t plan for me to see my brother making out with my best friend. But he wanted this—an opportunity to publicly claim me.

He’s so fucking giddy, I can’t even be mad. I want to give him everything.

“Sorry, folks. This won’t take long. Just collecting my escapee husband,” he announces to the hockey mob. “Take the jersey off, baby.”

I make a show of removing it and handing it to him. I’m wearing a white T-shirt underneath.

“Good. Right arm out.” The bare, cuffless one. He attaches the metal handcuff and then secures the other side to his left wrist. He drags me to him for a heated kiss as the stadium goes wild. “You are in so much trouble.”

I shiver and smile against his lips.

“Baby,” I say into his ear. “My brothers are here. I need?—”

“Already on it.”

“You are?”

He takes my cuffed hand in his, and I fall into step beside him. He steers me out of the main part of the arena.

“Before I could chase your ass out the door, my radio went off. Jane found them; she wanted to know what she should do. I told her to keep an eye on them until I found you.”

“Found me,” I scoff. “You knew where I was the whole time.”

“Fine, until I collected you, then.” He squeezes my hand. We head up instead of down like I expected, on the way to his special seats to watch the game. “So? Should I have them kicked out? Bring them to sit with us? Your choice, dollface.”

I agree with Rhys, neither of them should be here. If they are here, they should sit away from the heathens of the world up here with Tate and me. Though some might argue that Tate and I are heathens of the world.

“Can Jane and the team watch over them if they watch the game from the stands?” I ask.

“If that’s what you want.”

I nod. “But, um, any spare wigs lying around this place? A hat? They really need to hide that hair. It’s like a beacon.”

“I’ll radio Jane as soon as we get to the seats.”

We’re almost there, alone in a corridor that’s closed to the general public. Tate spins us, backing me against the wall, slamming our cuffed hands above my head. We interlace our fingers as he closes every inch of space between us.

“Who upset you?”

“No one.Tate.”

“Yes, they fucking did.”

“Fine. It was Griff. Pretty sure he’s with Becks or something. Not really sure.” I don’t think they know. “I saw them kiss.”

“You don’t want them together?”

“No. Yes. I don’t know.”

“Say the word, and I’ll make sure they don’t come within a foot of each other.”

I laugh. “You’d do that for me?”

“Anything, Ryan. I’d do fucking anything for you. So? What’ll it be? I might have to get a cage custom-made for the big one, though.” Tate’s lips find the underside of my jaw. He presses kisses there, then sucks his way down my neck as the scent of his woodsy cologne fills my nostrils.

“It’s the thought that counts, baby. Maybe just help me keep an eye on them for now.”

“As you fucking wish, dollface.”