Page 39 of Reign of the Queen
My chest rises and falls in an erratic rhythm. My heart threatens to tear out of my chest cavity, sweat beading along my neck and hairline. I don’t want to be in a relationship with any of these kings. I certainly don’t want to pretend to like them, and fuck no, I don’t want to be intimate with them.
Liar, my mind whispers; I give myself a little shake to put the thoughts of intimacy with any of the kings away to the dregs of my mind.
“I don’t sleep around like your whores,” I spit out like poison. “I have no intention of being intimate with any of you fuckers so you can keep your crowns.”
“Did we say you were a whore?” Carter asks.
“You’re implying it with your demands,” I counter.
“Mia...please just...” Finn starts.
“No, enough. I’ve had enough for one day.” I move out of the booth and stand next to a sitting Raegan. “I will not play the whore for you. Either I am the one in power, or we go to war, casualties damned, and just so you know, my information about Finn and Mateo…those things were just the tip of the mountain of shit I have on you four. I will direct hit each of you. Every. Fucking. Time.”
I grab Raegan by the bicep and pull her away from the table. I don’t turn around to see their expressions, and they don’t try to stop me from leaving.
Once Raegan and I are back in the Range and speeding down the highway toward the setting sun at speeds guaranteed to get me pulled over for a traffic violation, I finally let out the scream that has been trapped in my throat.
“What are we going to do?” Raegan is rubbing her temples, trembling in her seat.
“Agree to their terms...temporarily,” I answer her, keeping my attention on the road.
“Amelia, I am so sorry. I am so sorry that my dad is such a stupid, irresponsible douche and that we have put you in this position. I don’t want you backed into a wall because of us.” Tears stream down her cheeks.
“Raegan, you are my family. Isabella is my family. I will end those fuckers before I allow them to hurt either of you.” I sigh, taking her hand and squeezing it. The truth is, there is nothing I wouldn’t do for Raegan and Isabella. Both have gotten me through some of the darkest periods of my life, and without them I would have probably succumbed to the desire to end my life long ago.
“How? How is this going to work?” she cries.
“They want a reigning queen; I’ll give them one. They want me to choose one king. I will have all four and keep them under my control by doing so. I will break them apart from the inside till there’s nothing left of them.” I tighten my grip on the steering wheel and head down the tree lined highway toward the ocean front.
“I hope you know what you’re doing. I am so sorry, Amelia.” Raegan stares out the window.
“I know babe, I know.” I try to sound reassuring, but in the pit of my stomach, bile is threatening to spew.
“What are we going to do now?” I look around the table after Mia and Raegan have hightailed their asses out of the café. I shift in my seat, a dull ache still in my groin from Mia’s attack.That girl has a strong grip. I might be pissing blood later.
“Exactly what we planned. We will get her to submit and then control her,” Theo answers, deep in thought from across the table.
“Submit? Are you lost, man? What part of that whole mess makes you think Mia will submit to anything?” Finn turns in his seat and glares at Theo.
“Dude, he’s right. She had Mateo by the balls and you by the throat, which was fucking hot as hell to watch,” Carter points out. I watch as he adjusts himself, the bloody savage. “Not to mention she knows about our shit. Stuff no one should know about.” Carter lets out a deep sigh, shaking his head.
“She has weaknesses.” Theo glares at each of us.
“So. Do. We. There is no way she will submit willingly before killing each and every one of us.” I comment.
“We will continue to force her hand then.” Theo shrugs.
“Continue to force her hand with what exactly?” I lean into the table, ready to strangle Theo with his disregard for our safety. “Yeah, she seems to care for Raegan and doesn’t want to see her family obviously brought down but let’s face it. The only other ammo we’ve been able to dig up is about her stepsister Isabella. While having a coke problem, staring in a homemade amateur porn video, and sleeping with dealers is embarrassing for her family, it in itself does not make a bomb. We need something more to hold her to us.” I rub my hands together in agitation, I can feel the beginnings of a panic attack starting in my chest.
“Not to mention that little bit of information cost us a hundred grand to get,” Carter throws in. He’s still pissed he had to go to his uncle and get the funds to buy access to the information we needed.
Theo slams his palm down on the tabletop, making everything on the table shake and jump. “What the fuck would you like me to do, huh? You want her?” he looks around at each of us in question and waits for each of us to acknowledge he’s right. “Then we must continue to force her hand, whether through blackmail, lies, or deceit.”
“Wait, what if we could seduce her on top of everything else?” Finn inquires, rubbing his hands down his face.
“Seduce her? Are you lost, bud? We have been trying that since she got here, and nothing has worked.” I laugh sarcastically.
“True, but we didn’t have such close one-on-one proximity with her either. We can change that now, we can make it so she always has to be with one of us. She’s not immune to us. I witnessed her reaction when she saw us with the girls out on the courtyard grass,” Theo answers.
