Page 95 of Shattered Queens: Veronica
“What do you want from her?” I ask both men.
“Revenge. It’s as simple as that,” Frank says, “but not just her, with you too,Miles.”
“For fuck’s sake, Frank, just tell him. I need to get the party started.” Eric looks at Veronica, who is trying to remain calm.
Already tired of Eric’s shit, Frank begins to talk. “Do you remember the name Tony?” he asks me because Veronica will never forget that name. She mumbles, so Eric walks to her and removes the gag.
I can see the anger in her eyes. “What about the son of a bitch?”
Frank rushes to her and slaps her across the face. I see her eyes water. “That son of a bitch, you whore. He was my son.”
She whispers, “I thought you lost a daughter?”
He takes her chin in his fingers. I see her wince in pain. “I had to say something to get close to you. I’ve been following you for a very long time.” He looks at me. “I believe you’ve been looking for me for a while too. Hunting for the person who posted those pictures of Veronica. The person who Tabitha sent the pictures to.”
“Why?” she asks. On the verge of tears. Tears full of anger. Another betrayal.
“Because you killed my son,” he says as a matter-of-fact, looking at me. Then he turns to her. His eyes are almost black. He’s out for blood. “Did you honestly think he just disappeared?”
I look at her and see the confusion.
“He’s right, Mi Amor.” I look at her, then at Frank. “I killed your piece-of-shit son. And I’d do it again.” It happened so fast; I never saw it coming. Frank snatches the gun from Eric’s grip and fires. The sound is deafening. A sharp, searing heat blooms in my stomach, and I stumble back and hit the wall. I look down, my hands trembling as I press them against the open wound. The crimson is already spreading, soaking through the fabric of my shirt and across my skin. My breath hitches, and the world begins to tilt. But I can’t succumb to the pain. I look at Veronica. Terror in her eyes.
I hear her screams fill the room. She tries to come to me, but Eric holds her back. “Please don’t,” she begs. “Please don’t hurt him.”
“Veronica,” I yell, “I’ll get you out of this, I promise.” I’d die trying to rid her of these two so she can live a life free of these monsters.
She shakes her head. “Why did you kill Tabitha?” she asks the men.
“Oh yes, I’ll tell you and fill in some gaps,” Eric interrupts. “Apparently, Frank here followed you to the club the night you fucking stabbed me. He later sought me out. I’d already hired someone to start selling drugs at your cousin's club, but I was still pissed about losing thedeal that would have made it easy to dismantle their business. Frank came to me with a proposition and photographs. We tried to kidnap you when you were walking home from the gym. But this one.” He points to me. “He came to your rescue. So, Frank decided on a different approach: to befriend you. He went to that ridiculous gym and came up with a story. When you met him for dinner, we were sure we’d have you. We were so close, but again, your protector ruined the opportunity. We enlisted Tabitha; she was going to make it easy, but then your bellman became suspicious. He kept a lookout. I watched it from afar. Tabitha even had a tracker blocker in her purse to interfere with the security footage. But she ruined the plan when her jealousy got the better of her. A mistake she paid for with her life. We knew you left the city, so I needed to flush you out. We set fire to the construction site. Guess it worked.”
“How did you avoid us?” I ask Frank as I apply pressure to my gunshot wound. “I’ve been looking for you.”
“I worked in the field, so I know your tricks.” He looks at Veronica. “My son and I didn’t have a relationship. But when I found out he died, I went through his things and found the photographs. To think, my son brought a Kayde to her knees. Literally.” He looks at her with disgust. “I knew his death was tied to you somehow. I knew Veronica Kayde would be protected. I needed to know to what extent. So I posted the photographs and got my answers.”
“So here’s what’s going to happen,” Eric says. “We are going to kill Miles, and then I’m going to have fun with you. Then kill you,” he tells Veronica.
“Fuck you.” She spits at him.
Eric takes the gun from Frank and aims it at me.
“Please don’t. I’ll do whatever you want.” She looks at me. “I’m not worth it.”
My heart breaks. “Amor, you are worth everything to me. You’re my entire world. I’d lay down my life for you without a second thought. My love for you—it overrides everything else,” I tell her. The thought of her being hurt is more than I can handle.
Eric pulls her up by the arm, and that’s when I see it. The small pocketknife in her hand. She’s been using it to cut the ropes.
Veronica
Chapter 44
If I’ve learned anything recently, it’s to be prepared. As Eric and Frank are talking, I managed to pull my pocketknife out and start cutting my ropes. There have been so many revelations that I can’t keep up. The biggest is that Miles killed Tony. Years ago, when I found out Tony died in a mugging, I thought it was suspicious and went so far as to suspect my brothers. Because they are killers. I knew from a young age how they dealt with their enemies and anyone who hurt the family or business. I never brought it up and went about my life. But Tony still haunted me.
I see the man I love on the ground, bleeding from being shot in the stomach. I’m not scared of what Eric is threatening to do to me. I’m more scared of losing Miles. I can see he’s losing a lot of blood. Frank gives Eric the gun. He’s holding me next to him, telling Miles and me how he’s going to have fun with me before he kills me. I’ll die before hegets the chance to touch me. I’ll die trying to kill him. I look at Miles and at the gun. A silent agreement. What do we have to lose?
Then everything happens so fast. With the knife in my hand, I move and stab Eric in the stomach. I pull the knife out and stab him again. My motions are quick. He drops the gun. Miles and Frank lunge for it. Miles is slow and weak, but he’s able to get to the gun. I see Frank’s fist connect with Miles’s wound and face. Eric grabs my shoulders and throws me against the wall.
I knee him in the balls, but he pulls my hair and punches me in the stomach. I fall to the ground. Trying to breathe through the pain, I hear Frank and Miles fighting. Eric stands over me; my knife is still in my hand. I take my chance and stab him between his legs. The agony in his voice fills the room. He falls back, and I straddle him. But he overpowers me and turns us over. Now he’s on top. I scratch his face as he applies pressure around my neck, strangling me.
