Page 79 of Shattered Queens: Veronica
“When did you start dealing at the club?” I ask, pissed at having failed at my job.
She looks at all of us and answers my question. “He hired me when I was already working at the club. It was during one of his trips to Veridian Bay. His men must have followed me after my shift. One day, I’m home, and there’s a knock on my door. He offered a lot of money, and I took it.”
“What does he want?” Caleb asks.
“He wants to take over the Korolovs’ business. I heard him talk to his men about it.”
“Well, Angel,” Damon taunts, “seems like it’s your lucky day. We may have some use for you after all.” Damon turns to his older brother. “Dad needs to know.”
The brothers exit the room again, and I’m about to head out when Angel speaks. “I told him I sold to Veronica. He seems to have taken an interest in her.” She begins to cry. “I’ve seen him hurt women. I’ve seen what he does. We’re all too scared to leave.”
I look at Angel. Fear is radiating off her. “The brothers will make sure you’re safe. Just tell them everything they need to know.”
“O-okay.”
I walk out and bump into the brothers. They never left. Damn.
“When were you going to tell us?” Caleb asks.
“Never. I need to protect her.”
“Then take her away from here.” Damon speaks with a softness only Veronica can pull out from this killer. “This is escalating. Take her to Colombia. Force her if you need to. We’ll tell the cousins.”
“You know she won’t make it easy on me,” I tell them.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from her,” Caleb says. “How did Tabitha know where Vee lives?”
Fuck, there are so many unanswered questions. But I don’t have time to focus on them right now. I have to get Veronica out of the city. Fuck, out of the continent. “I’ll tell, Gabe,” I shout as I leave the hidden torture chamber.
I arrive at Veronica’s apartment. I look at the fixed door—a reminder that another man was in this space makes me want to burn it all down. I walk into her bedroom and find Felix lying next to her. Jealousy rears its ugly head. It’s illogical to feel this way toward him, but I do. With anyone who has her affection. If her hatred for me had cooled off before, I know that after this, it will burn with a final, unforgiving intensity.
“How is she?” I whisper, careful not to wake her up.
"She’s been resting," he says, his gaze lingering on the woman who reminds him so much of someone he lost long ago. Sometimes people are tied together by grief. “The IV helped; now she’s just resting.”
I don’t look at him. My gaze is locked on her; she looks so peaceful, and the sight of it twists something sharp in my chest. "I’m taking her away," I state.
"For how long?"
I don’t lie to him. "For as long as it takes. Gabe is talking to Miguel now. It’s time he knew. He needs to decide how to tell Abigail."
"Understood." He moves toward the door but stops at the threshold, looking back at me. "Tell her…it may help her understand why you are the way you are. It might be the only way she ever finds the grace to forgive you."
I wait for the heavy thud of the front door to signal that I’m finally alone with her. Moving toward the bed, I sink onto the edge, my weight shifting the mattress just enough to stir her. I watch the steady, fragile rise and fall of her chest. Fury burns in the back of my throat, white-hot and directed at her, but the guilt surpasses those feelings. I can’t deny my part in this. I need her to survive this. I need her to get through to the other side. There is no letting her go. I’ll be damned. I’ve been her protector, now I’ll be her captor.
I stand, my shadow stretching across her as I pull the small vial from my pocket. I know she won’t come willingly; she would fight me with every breath she has left, and I can't risk losing her. So I asked Damon for help. I move closer. Leaning down, I press a lingering kiss to her forehead. “I’m sorry for everything,” I whisper. I reach out, my injured hand trembling slightly as the back of my knuckles brushes her cheek—a caress.
In one swift motion, I commit. The moment the needle pierces her skin, her eyes snap open. For a heartbeat, she looks at me, really looks at me, and I see the realization dawning in those dark depths. Then, as quickly as the light appeared, it fades. Her lashes flutter and close, and the silence returns, heavier than before.
Veronica
Chapter 37
I slowly open my eyes to a hum, the low vibration of an engine. My head feels heavy; my thoughts are foggy. The last thing I remember is a nightmare: an image of Miles standing over me, his face a mask of cold determination as he held a needle. I blink, waiting for the bedroom walls to snap into focus, but the air is different. I smell leather furniture. I’m not in my bed. The needle wasn't a nightmare; it was real. Miles drugged me. The irony isn’t lost on me. I force myself to sit up.
“There’s water next to the bed.”
A scream rips from my throat before I can stop it. I didn’t even see him. “You scared me.” I gasp, my hand flying to my pounding chest. I look around the small bedroom. He’s sitting at a corner desk, his posture rigid. The physical distance is only a few feet, but the coldness radiating from him makes it feel like an ocean.
