Page 49 of Regal Queen

The man shook his head, trying to raise it. "Tell her," his words slurred, as if it was a struggle just to get them out. “…tell her."

"Yes," I said, shaking him awake again, desperate to do whatever it took to get answers. "I'll tell her whatever you want. Just tell me where Dimitri is first."

He shook his head lazily. "He's not here."

"Where is he?"

"He left. To find the girl. To meet the informant.”

My stomach dropped.

No. this couldn't be happening.

I turned to Knight. He was giving me a blank look. The man on the floor choked again and Knight pulled out a gun. "Stand back."

I fell backwards just as Knight put a bullet in the man's head.

The man’s words ricochet through my mind like a bullet to my brain as the realization that Dimitri would find out where Aster was.

My mind screamed with the possibility, with the thought that, this very moment, Dimitri could know where she was.

I stared down at the dead man below me, now disappointed that he'd died so quickly, wondering if he could've given us more information.

And yet, I knew, that I knew, that I knew that James was the informant. He was thirsty for money, and he would find a way to figure it out. Now that I'd thought about it, James would have to know how to reach out to them in order to plan a meet up.

I had to talk to James, now. I couldn't risk going straight to Aster, to leading them there.

I would have to find out where the meet up was.

My mind immediately went to Bourbon, who was the only one who could help me. And yet, could I tell him about this? I wasn’t even supposed to be on the ship in the first place. What if he tried to stop me? What if we wasted precious moments arguing about going to rescue my sister?

Or worse, what if he din't care about Aster? What if he took me again, locked me up, and didn't let me go to her? All in the name of protecting me.

I would fucking kill him if he did that.

No, I had to do this on my own.

The weight of the outdated Nokia sat in my pocket like a heavy brick. This was my ticket out of here. Luca had given it to me as part of our negotiations. Now was the time to use it.

Saving Aster was the only reason I would ever use up my favor with him.

My eyes tracked up to Knight, who was staring down at the man like he wanted to shoot the guy all over again. The look on his face revealed everything he was thinking.

In that moment, I knew that I owed Knight this.

I could offer Knight his chance for retribution and at the same time, he would help with James.

At the exact moment I was trying to decide, Knight looked up at me, and the pain and anguish he was feeling was revealed in his eyes.

Yes. I owed him this.

“What do you want to do next?" he asked.

I gripped his arm. "Do you trust me?”

"What?"

"I'm going to need you to make the choice right now, Knight. I can get you your revenge, but I need you to trust me, wholly and completely. You can't tell Bourbon or even Coulter where we're going, or what we're doing. You have to do what I say, when I say it. I need your complete, one hundred percent co-operation."

---