Page 18 of Defiant Queen (Mount Trilogy 2)
I owe him over two million dollars. The reality of the situation slaps me hard in the face.
How the hell am I going to repay him? Even if I pulled off an event like the one for the Voodoo Kings every month, and my sales quadrupled over the next two years, I’d still fall short. And that’s not counting how much it would cost me to increase capacity to meet such an increase in demand.
Then again, Mount hasn’t asked for a single payment in monetary terms, only in sexual favors.
My phone rings, and I realize I’ve lost track of time when Magnolia’s number flashes across the screen. I answer immediately.
“Hey.”
“What the hell is happening now?”
“Where do I even start?”
“The beginning, I’d suggest. Catch me up, Ke-ke.”
So I do, starting with Brett’s return from the dead.
“No. Fucking. Way. You have got to be shitting me. I was there, beneath that dark-as-shit veil, when you interred his ashes.”
I insisted she didn’t need it, but she didn’t want to cause what she called mama drama at the service.
“Yeah, well, apparently those ashes weren’t his, and someone bought off the medical examiner to say it was him.”
“Doesn’t take a genius to figure out who did that.” She’s not wrong. “Still doesn’t explain who the hell was found in that car.”
“I have no idea. I’m pretty sure I don’t want to know.”
“I bet Brett’s wishing he’d stayed gone.”
“Probably not, because he’s going to walk away with more cash.”
“You can’t give it to him.” Magnolia’s reply is in the form of a pissy huff.
“I don’t have a choice.”
We talk about Brett for a few more minutes, and then she changes the subject because I can’t be swayed from my path and the plan I’ve concocted with the duffel bag, trench coat, dark sunglasses, and dye packs. Seems solid to me.
“So, what happened after Mount came to the rescue?”
“One, he didn’t rescue me. He got there after Brett was gone, and his henchman got there first.”
“Minor details, Ke-ke. Get to the good stuff.”
Magnolia has always been bossy, and I brace myself for my next revelation.
“I found out that it was Mount the night of the masquerade. Not Brett.”
“What. The. Fuck?” Magnolia’s shock carries through her words. “How?”
I shake my head, even though she can’t see me. “I don’t know, but it’s really freaking me out. That was the night I decided Brett was the one. The night I decided eloping with him was the best idea ever, because he was everything I wanted. But I was so freaking wrong. He wasn’t even the guy.”
“Jesus Christ, Ke-ke. Only you would get married because of one good fuck. Swear to God. And you didn’t even marry the dick that gave it to you.”
I throw my head back to stare at the glossy black ceiling. “It’s not my fault! None of this makes any sense.”
“And then what happened? There has to be more.”
“We fought . . .” I pause, swallowing back the confession I’m still having trouble admitting. Strangely, this is even harder to get out than the part about the masquerade.
