Page 119 of One Shattered Crown
Jos yanks her green pants up, ready to move.
“If you go in, you’re just going to get in my way,” I say, letting them all see the killer in me.
“You need backup,” Aura fires back.
Alexei takes one step forward, and he pretty much looks like death. “I’m his backup.”
The women glance between us, back and forth. Finally, Aura lowers her shoulders. “All right, but we’re covering the entrance. If anyone comes out that isn’t you, we’re shooting. And if you’re not out in fifteen minutes, we’re coming in.”
“That seems fair,” Mags says.
I pause. “Aura? Do you still have the rocket launcher in the trunk?”
Alexei swears something in Russian under his breath.
“Of course.” Aura smiles widely, moves to the back, and brings me what I need.
Alexei and I jump back in the SUV and I hit the gas.
“Are they serious?” he asks.
“Yeah, they’re serious.” I left Fergus with them on purpose. He might be able to stop them, but I don’t know. Either way, I don’t want him caught in the crossfire. I glance at the Russian. “Are you sure you want to do this? This isn’t your fight.”
“I want to help. Rosalie will be heartbroken if anything happens to Ella. Besides …” He lifts his shoulder. “I like her. She’s sweet.”
“That she is,” I say. “And she’s all mine.”
I stomp the accelerator and swing the SUV around the gate. Guards shout, rifles bark, and I duck as bullets tear into the metal. Glass shatters, and sparks fly. I don’t care.
My woman is in there.
THIRTY-EIGHT
Ella
My arms ache, my ears ring, and I’m filled with as much citrine power as is humanly possible. I’ve exchanged energy for at least fifteen minutes, and the world is singing. It’s too bad I can’t shoot this power from my fingertips and take off Wynd’s head.
Corinda has awakened, but she sits like a husk in the chair, not moving. The hollows in her cheeks look like they were dug with shovels and are so dark I can barely tell if she’s still in there. She blinks but doesn’t seem to see anything.
“How can you do this to your own sister, Stacia?” I step away from the stone. The power throbs through me. I might be invincible. Probably not to a bullet, though.
Stacia is busy playing with Wynd’s butt and snuggling into his side. At least that looks like where her hand is. The way his pants tent kind of confirms that fact.
“Oh, please,” Stacia says. “We were never close. Shewas Mother’s favorite. Always has been. The truth is she’s dumber than a box of rocks.”
“I don’t think she is,” I retort. “I think she just has different ambitions than you. You’re fucking evil. I’ve never met anyone who would kill their own mother before.”
“It was me or her,” Stacia says. “She was slowly killing me by edging me out. She wanted Corinda to take over and bring in some billionaire new husband. Her money was on Justice. You know she planned to kill you, right?”
I swallow. My fingers are tingling. “Yes. I’m aware of that. I really don’t think it was very nice of her, but I wouldn’t have shot her in the head.”
“You would have,” Stacia says cheerfully, and the casualness sends a chill down my spine. “You just won’t admit it.” Her sigh sounds heavy and fake when she looks up at Wynd, her gaze adoring. “We can’t exactly keep her any longer. Justice is going to come looking.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to kill her?” he asks like he’s making dinner plans.
Stacia looks at me, then back at him. “I’d rather you did it. I shot my mother.”
When he looks at me, his eyes are dead. “You want me to shoot her?”
