Page 120 of Reign of the Queen
Theo is lying on the hard cement ground, covered in blood, naked except for his torn bloody boxers, and covered in bruises, cuts, and lashes from being whipped. His chest is barely moving with breath, and he's out cold. Rage runs through my veins at seeing what they've done to my brother, my fellow king. I want to fucking murder them all.
I look around the room, spying my father off to the far side, fucking a redhead from behind. I don't see Vincent anywhere, and there's just one other guy in the room getting his dick sucked by some guy in the other far corner. I slip in, bringing my body close against the wall and using the shadows and lack of light to try to hide and reach Theo. My dad’s at least a hundred feet or more from me, hopefully he’ll stay distracted, the miserable cunt.
When I finally reach Theo, I bend down and check his pulse. I can barely feel it in his neck; his skin is pale and clammy. Keeping my eyes firmly on my dad and the other fucker in the room. I try to wake Theo by shaking him slightly, but it's no use; he's out cold. Putting the gun in the back of my pants pocket, I try to grab onto Theo and lift him. The grunting and moaning from my dad and the redhead are getting louder. I have mere moments if I'm going to do this. Otherwise, I'm going to get caught.
Just as I'm bending down and grabbing Theo under his armpits, the redhead turns her head to look over her shoulder at my dad and spots me. The shock that runs through me stops me dead in my tracks. It's Melinda.What in the ever-loving fuck?She immediately tries to push my dad off of her and turn around. My dad holds tight to her, pushing his big paw down on her back and forcing her to stay bent over for him.
"Carter!" she cries.
"Carter? What the fuck are you calling his name for, you nasty whore. You're getting fucked better than my useless son could have ever fucked you."
Once again, Melinda tries to push back to get my father off her. I can hear her still calling my name, and I have to decide. Any second now, he's going to turn around. I won't be able to carry Theo's heavyweight out of here quick enough. I brace the gun in my hand and point it at my father's back.
He finally pulls back from Melinda, her hair fisted in his hand. She turns around quickly and stares at me, my name a cry on her bloodied lips. Her face is swollen and red where he must have slapped her, and she has the beginning of a black eye. "Carter, please."
My father finally notices me standing there, pointing a gun straight at him, and turns entirely around. He's still standing with his dick out of his unbuttoned pants and his blue dress shirt hanging off of him. A sadistic grin crosses his face. "Ah, the stupid fucker did come. Boy, did you enjoy the show of me fucking your worthless whore here?"
I don't take my eyes off him, but I direct my question to Melinda. "Why Meli, and for how long?" I honestly couldn't care less if she's fucking him. She means very little to me, harsh, I know. We've never been exclusive, and I have never loved her, but the sting of betrayal, especially with my father, lands its intended mark.
"He...he promised. He promised...me that I would get...you back. That they would make that cunt Mia leave." She cries out, tears streaking down her face. "I had to Carter...I need you. I love you and Theo."
Rage. It’s all I know right now, and it's what I want to unleash on all of them. "You dirty, stupid fucking cunt. You love Theo and me, yet your fucking my dad while Theo lies here half dead. Fuck you, Melinda. I hope you rot with him."
My dad laughs and drops his hold on Melinda's hair, tucking himself away and doing up his pants, like I'm no threat here holding a gun on him. My jaw clenches, my grip on the weapon tightening. He always thinks I'm weak, that I won't fight back.
Melinda drops to the ground, wrapping her arms around herself, and sobs. She's such a pitiful sight, naked and bruised. My dad’s fingerprints are marked all over her body from how rough he was with her. I can't fathom how she thought fucking my father was going to help her with getting Theo or me back.Stupid fucking cunt, spread her legs in vain.I give her a last look of utter disgust and focus my sight on the menace that is moving towards me with not a care in the world.
"Boy, put that gun down. We both know you ain't gonna fire it at your old man. You don't have the stomach to pull that trigger."
I give him my evilest smile, knowing I already have blood splattered on my shirt from the goon outside. My dad underestimating me fills me with the needed strength to do what I must. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a flash of bare skin and red hair flying at him. Melinda tries to grab onto him from behind and wrap her skinny arms around his neck. She’s screaming like a feral animal and digging her nails into his face. “Run Carter!”
He grabs her by the hair, pulling her body off of him and slamming is fist into her stomach, the air leaves her body and she’s hunched over, tears cascading down her face. When she slams to the ground, he kicks her hard in the side and a harsh whimper leaves her mouth.Fuck, she tried to save me!I need to do something, he’s going to kill her.
Mack starts coming toward me, his gait slow and threatening. I don't hesitate, I point the gun at his chest and pull the trigger. The bullet hits his lower chest, blood immediately blossoming on his shirt. He stops moving towards me, a look of utter shock crossing his features.
Then he's clutching his chest, red spittle coming out of his mouth in disbelief that I shot him. I pull the trigger again, hitting him in the upper thigh, and he goes down hard—a shout leaving his throat and a scream leaving Melinda's. Fuck, that for sure got everyone’s else attention down here.
The other two guys in the room turn toward us, the one on his knees gets up and tries to run from the room. At the same time, the other one charges toward me, half-naked. I pull the trigger just before he tries to tackle me. He goes down hard, blood pooling from his shoulder area.
I don't stop, bending down and trying to heave an unconscious Theo into my arms. I keep hold of the gun in my sweaty grip and balance him, half carrying, half dragging him across the floor in the direction of where I came from. Before I can make it to the pathway, I'm struck from the side, and I drop Theo back to the ground and almost go down with him. The gun slides out of my grip and hits the floor. My face feels the impact of someone's fist and whips back on my neck.
"You stupid fucker, you actually came for him." Vincent's voice penetrates the haze my head is in from the solid hit. He begins to strike me repeatedly in the face, and I taste warm copper in my mouth. I can feel blood trickling down from my now broken nose. I stumble back and into the wall, going down hard on my ass to the ground.
"Get him tied up," Vincent commands, and rough hands grip my arms and fist my hair. I try to fight back, struggling in their grasp, but they have a tight hold on me. My arms are wrestled behind my back, my shoulder wrenched painfully and my hands tied together with a cable tie.
"Carter, you pathetic fool. Did you really think that we would release him for you?" Vincent kneels before me and grabs my chin in his harsh grip. "Where is Mia Stratford?"
"Fuck you!" I shout and spit blood in his face. His fist comes instantly at me, knocking me hard in my jaw.
"Boy, where is Mia? You and my son are of very little use to me. You should be trying to stay on my good side and alive, not antagonizing me further. Tell me where the Stratford girl is." Vincent stands above me and kicks me with the toe of his boot in the side of my ribs. The pain is instant and sharp, pretty sure the fucker just snapped one of my ribs.
Theo was right. This is about Mia. Vincent wants her, and he used Theo to trap me, hoping I would bring her with me. Relief fills me that he won't be able to get his psychotic hands on her. That she's on her way to her family in Manhattan, that will defend and keep her safe. He's going to have to fight a Stratford army to get his hands on her.
Glancing over at Theo; fear fills me. He's on his side, blood still slowly oozing from the many cuts and wounds he has. I can't tell if he's breathing or not, making the breath in my chest tight. I struggle against the restraint and try to heave my body up, only to be pushed right back down by someone behind me.
I hear my dad groaning to the side and turn to look at him. He's clutching at his chest, blood seeping out of the wound in his chest and leg, making his clothes-stained dark red and pooling underneath him.
I watch as Vincent walks over to him and bends down to assess the damage I've done. "Pemberton, you always were too rash. You didn't think the boy would shoot you, but it looks like you underestimated him. I won't make that mistake."
