Page 112 of Reign of the Queen
Run, Mia, fucking run, I wish into the universe. My heart feels like it’s trying to break out of my damaged chest. I can’t catch my breath; the pain is overwhelming. Every part of me is on fire.
I picture Mia and how she looked this morning when I kissed her goodbye one final time. I never got to tell her that I thought I might be starting to fall in love with her. I’m going to my grave without her knowing my feelings. Then blackness claims me.
Loud voices and footsteps are barreling down the hallway leading to my kitchen. Carter, Jessie, Raegan, and I headed in there to eat whatever my cook prepared after directing Tom to find the boys. That was a few hours ago. So far, we haven’t heard shit. Even with the tracker, they seem to be evading me.
As I swallow a forkful of chicken enchiladas that the cook left us to eat on my counter, Finn enters the room, and I choke on my food. His clothes are covered in dirt, grime, and sweat, and he looks exhausted. His eyes are a little large for his face, fear staring back at me from those dark chocolate depths, and tight stress lines bracket his mouth.
Jessie immediately reaches over and pats me on the back, trying to dislodge the food stuck in my throat. If looks could kill from across the room, the one Finn’s giving Jessie right now would have him dead. I move away from the counter stool I’m sitting on and approach him. “Where have you been?”
Finn ignores my question, looks toward Jessie and Raegan, and then back at a slouching Carter. “Why are they here?” His voice is strained, and I can tell he’s trying to control his anger.
“They came home with me when I couldn’t locate your stupid asses at school. Where did you go? I know you were there before school started, then you ghosted.” I reply, anger starting to rise inside of me. Who the fuck does he think he is questioning who I bring home? For that matter, who does he think he is strolling in here like I haven’t been looking for him all afternoon?These motherfuckers are getting on my last nerve. When I finally explode, they better watch out.
“We had shit to do with Theo,” Mateo replies from behind Finn. He’s pale, which is saying a lot considering his golden sun-touched skin. His dark long locks are a knotted mess like he’s been running his hands frantically through them. His mouth is in a tight line, and his clothes are also covered in smears of dirt, just like Finns.Where have these fuckers been?Rage and unease are rising in my body at the appearance of both of them.
“Theo? What did you have to do with Theo? I thought he was heading home to deal with his father?” I move closer to the two of them, not missing the look Finn gives Mateo.
Ahh, I guess he wasn’t supposed to divulge that information.I’ve had it with these kings keeping secrets from me. They only fess up when they need saving. To hell with this shit. They can get the hell out of my house. Why was I even worried about them? Once again, they seem to be playing games with me.
“Never mind,” Mateo answers at the same time that Finn sighs and replies. “He needed some backup, Mia.”
“What backup? What happened?” Carter approaches Finn.
“Usual Vincent bullshit, bro. He almost killed this one. We had to get her to Benny,” Mateo lets slip.
“Who is Benny? Who did Vincent almost kill?” I question. “You know what, fucking stop, not another word from any of you unless you’re going to tell me exactly what’s going on here, and if you’re not, get out of my house. I’m getting tired of all the games.” I push past Mateo and Finn and head into the living room with Raegan hot on my heels.
“Mia, babe!” Carter follows me into the living room and tries to pull me into his body.
Nope, not going to happen. These fools think that I can be swayed easily by their bodies and ignore all the shit that’s happening around us. I am not a puppet on a string for them to play with. They never seem to tell me the complete truth and only use me to either fuck their brains out or protect them from the big bad wolf.
Fuck them!I am the big bad wolf, which they seem to have forgotten somewhere in this mess. I’m not here to rescue them.I’m here to eat them.
I push away from Carter’s hold and step back, putting one of the gray leather club chairs between us. “No, Carter! Fuck the hell off. You will tell me what is going on, or the three of you can get the hell out of here and take your chances. I’m done playing games with all of you and you keeping me in the dark.”
“Mia, please calm down.” Mateo tries to come calm me with his hands raised like I’m some rabid animal he’s trying to soothe.
Raegan lets out a snort from where she’s standing. “In the history of the world, has telling a woman to calm down ever calmed her down assholes? You would think you three would be smarter.” She plops her ass on the sofa and stares the three kings down.
“Mia, please! We are not keeping shit from you! This just happened this morning. It wasn’t planned; we had to react on the fly.” Finn groans and sits in one of the accent chairs, his hands hanging between his knees.
“Tell me exactly what happened. Do not leave out any details, Finn, or you can get out of here and take your merry fucking band of assholes with you,” I spit out with aggravation.
I look up and see Jessie unsure in the entryway of the living room. Nodding to him, he enters the living room and sits next to an angry, seething Raegan.
Finn stares Jessie down; his jaw clenched tight. For a moment, I don’t think he’ll say anything and that I will have to kick the three of them out of my house. Then he sighs deeply like all of the world’s problems are on his shoulders.
“Nothing leaves here, do you understand?” He looks at Raegan and then Jessie, a vein popping out in his neck, jaw set, and his eyes hard. They both nod in his direction, and he rubs his large hand down his face in agitation. The strain making him look older than his nineteen-year-old age.
“Theo’s dad Vincent almost killed a girl, her name is Zofia. Theo went home this morning to find her beaten half to death and sexually abused. She was who Vincent used to assuage his rage at Theo’s defiance in taking Carter and refusing to bow down to him.” Finn clenches both his fists in his lap.
“She was half dead, Mia. She’d been taken from Poland under false pretenses, abused, and beaten. Theo had to get her out of there, but his dad wanted him to kill her.” Mateo’s tired voice picks up the story, his eyes large and face pale. Raegan lets out a gasp at his explanation, but Mateo ignores it and continues speaking.
“Of course, Theo wasn’t going to kill the girl, but we had to make it look like he did and that we buried her in the cemetery outside of town. Then we had to somehow get her to Benny. Get her out of Casbury and away from Vincent under the radar.”
“Who’s Benny?” I question, taking a seat in the chair I had between Carter and me.
“Resident fixer. He makes people disappear off the grid. One of ours,” Carter answers, rubbing the back of his neck.
