Page 77 of Reign of the Queen
“We went to Pacific’s tonight with a bunch of guys from Casbury’s football team to celebrate Finn’s win at the track. We were all drinking and getting high, nothing new. I lost track of Carter early on in the night. He was being a bit of a little bitch after pissing you off earlier. Honestly, I was just sick of his shit tonight, so I left him to his own devices.”
He takes a deep breath and slides down the wall until he sits on the stone floor with his long legs outstretched in front of him. “One of the guys came to find me, said Carter didn’t look so hot, and I needed to come to get him. When I got to him, some chick was all over him, and he had puked all over the booth he was in. He was already OD’ing, and I couldn’t get anyone to tell me what he had taken. The fucking girl ran off before she could tell me anything other than they had been doing blow. “
At the mention of another girl with Carter, a feeling of rage and possessiveness rises within me. I want to find her and smack her, and I want to march back into the room and shake him for being so stupid, but I can’t and don’t. I just listen to Theo breaking slowly apart.
He rakes his hand through his hair, pulling on his long dirty blond tresses. “We called an ambulance, and they rushed him to the hospital. I went with him in the ambulance, and he stopped breathing. They had to shock him to get him breathing again, Mia. It was the scariest fucking shit I have ever seen.” He drags his hand down his face.
“The others followed in my car. When we got to the hospital, they took him right in, and we had to wait. They came out and told us he was having seizures and his blood levels were through the roof.”
He looks at me with scared dark blue eyes. “Mia, he had enough blow and alcohol in him to kill two grown men. I don’t even know how he’s still alive. The doctors managed to stabilize him and get him breathing. They started pumping him with fluids and something to counteract the blow.”
“When they had him stable, the doctor started talking about having to call his parents, even though he’s eighteen. I knew we were fucked, not cause of the blow but cause Mack Pemberton is a fucking psychotic piece of shit that is looking for any excuse to beat his son to death. He makes what my dad does to me look like a walk in the park, Mia.”
Theo tucks his knees into his chest and tightly wraps his arms around himself, as if he can ward off the image of Mack Pemberton beating Carter to death. “The guys and I knew if he got his hands on Carter in this condition, he’s more than likely to kill him. He’s not going to care that Carter’s sick and can’t fight back. He’s going to beat him regardless for some imagined embarrassment or slight he feels he’s going to suffer cause of Carter’s actions.”
“We couldn’t leave him in that hospital. We can’t protect him there. The doctors there weren’t going to stop Mack from taking or beating him. They’ve already seen Carter come in with broken bones and lacerations at the hands of his father over the years. Not one of those medical professionals have ever done anything to stop it, to protect Carter.” Theo smacks his hand against the stone floor in anger.
I take a deep breath; my anger rising in me. How could people see what Carter’s dad is doing to him and not intervene? Then again, no one has ever stopped Theo’s dad either. The privilege of being wealthy and having power, ensuring that everyone turns a blind eye to your misdeeds and what a monster you might be.
“Why did you bring him here, Theo? Why to me?” I’m pretty sure I know the answer, but I want to hear him say it.
He looks at me with sadness. “Everyone fears my dad and Mack. He wasn’t safe with any of us. His dad will just waltz right in and take him; if he doesn’t, my dad will ensure that he gets to him one way or another. We needed somewhere to hide him. Somewhere that they wouldn’t suspect he was, at least to give him a chance to recover. We needed someone whose family is just as strong and not afraid of mine or his.”
“So, mine,” I state.
He nods. “You have power, Mia. The other families around here fear you and yours now. Even my dad and Mack are weary of trying your grandmother. I had to bring him here to keep him safe, to keep him alive.” He hangs his head, his chin resting on his chest. He looks like he’s aged ten years overnight. The strain of worry and fear making his features drawn and haggard.
I bend down, squatting next to him, and reach for his face, raising his chin with gentle hands, and staring into those dark blue eyes filled with storms and fear. “I promise you that I will protect him from them. He will be safe here, and I won’t allow them anywhere near him.”
A rush of air leaves his chest and his whole-body shakes, a tear streaks down his handsome face.
I lean in and gently skate my lips over his in the briefest of touches. His lips add pressure to mine, and he reaches his hand up to the back of my neck, pulling me further into his body. The seam of my lips opens underneath the pressure of his. Our tongues meet in a tentative embrace.
All too soon, he pulls back to look at me. “Thank you, Mia.”
I nod and pull my body up and away from his warm embrace. I turn to look through the open doorway of the guestroom once more. Carter’s body is quiet on the bed. Finn’s by his side, looking worried and watching him breathe. Mateo’s still sitting on the floor, his head propped up against the bed, looking drained.
I turn back to Theo. “I have to make a few calls. We will need more security than just my gate to protect him. I... I am going to have to ask my grandmother for help, Theo. I can’t protect him if I don’t.”
He stares up at me with hope blooming in his eyes. “I understand, but Mia, please. Please ensure she understands that giving him to Mack or my dad is a death sentence for him right now.”
Staring back through the door again, I nod, and walk toward the home office. For just a moment, the thought crosses my mind about all my plans for revenge and how easy it would be to turn them away. After all, it’s not like they are innocent and haven’t committed horrible deeds themselves. I could just let Carter and Theo’s dads take them. With minimal effort, I could be rid of the kings of Casbury all in one shot. Then I can go back to my life in New York.
I shut down that thought. No matter what the kings have done in the past, no one deserves to be abused. Plus Carter can’t defend himself in his current state.
I came here for revenge, to explode their whole world. I refuse to let someone else take that from me. Fuck Mack Pemberton and Vincent Saint-Lambert. They just stepped ahead in line of their sons to meet my wrath.
Thoughts run through my mind. What am I going to tell my grandmother? Is there a way to keep her from knowing what’s happening right now, while still getting the extra security I’m going to need? I need to buy Carter some recuperating time, but how do I do that and keep us all safe? If Theo is correct, Mack Pemberton is deranged and will try to take Carter by force, which means I need to ensure I can stop that from happening. Fear for Carter skates up my body.
I decide just going with the truth, or as much of it as possible, is probably the best route. Lying to Stella is never a good idea. She has eyes and ears everywhere. Sooner or later, she will hear about Carter, and if I start bringing in extra security, it won’t take long before she puts the pieces together.
The last thing I need now is Stella Stratford arriving in Casbury because she’s caught me in a lie, especially after our conversation about Vincent Saint-Lambert. I sit down heavily at the desk, my hands rubbing at my tired eyes, and dial my grandmother.
The phone rings a couple of times before Tyson, my grandmother’s assistant, answers in a tired voice. “Miss Mia, is everything alright?” His upper New York accent coming through the line with concern.
“I’m sorry to call so early, Tyson. I need to speak to my grandmother. It’s urgent.” I sigh.
“Is there anything I can do to help Miss? Is it something perhaps I can handle for you rather than Mrs. Stratford?” He questions with concern.
