Page 45 of Beautiful Unity

Despite how angry I am, that fact doesn’t change.

I never wanted it to end like this.

Love,

Your daughter

Fifteen

DARCIE

The air left my lungs as I stared at the beaten figure. I’d been so focused on Chase appearing that I hadn’t noticed him until it was too late. Not that I could have done something different. But maybe I wouldn’t have been so blindsided.

Cut the crap. It’s never a good time to see your father beaten within an inch of his life.

My vision went blurry, and my lungs burned as I kept staring. When the pain got too bad, I realized I wasn’t breathing and took a breath, filling my lungs with oxygen. My heart pounded against my chest, threatening to burst out. Bells rang in my ears, and I struggled to get enough air into my lungs despite actually breathing this time.

This. Wasn’t. How. I. Wanted. To. Say. Goodbye.

Brooks squeezed my shoulder, and the feel of his palm grounded me enough to get my breathing to stop coming out in ragged breaths. Agonizer droned on about something, but I missed it all. His words were muffled white noise as I focused on my dad. Tears threatened, my eyelids burning, but I didn’t let them fall. I couldn’t. I didn’t want to miss seeing him for even a second if it was my last.

That thought paralyzed me, and if it wasn’t for Brooks moving me, I might have died frozen to that spot. My vision blurred before the sticky night air coated my skin, and I finally blinked when the door shut and obscured my view.

He was gone. He was gone. He was gone.

“Darcie. Sweetheart, look at me.”

“I can’t leave him,” I cried, moving back toward the door. Brooks lifted me off my feet and carried me away.

I didn’t fight him. I had nothing left in me to do it. Some Queen I was.

I talked a good talk, but when it came down to it, I’d failed. Agonizer had beaten me, just like my dad said he would. Only this time, he’d paid the price.

Sobs wracked me, and now I couldn’t breathe for another reason. Noise boomed around me but I was too gone to care. I’d had my chance, and I’d missed it. I’d missed it.

“Darcie!” someone barked, the voice loud and commanding. It stunned me and broke my spiral. “Snap out of it.”

“Dude. A bit harsh.”

I blinked the tears away and focused on the face before me. Except it was wrong. All wrong. I clawed at the disguise, pulling off the beard wig I’d placed on Bubba earlier. When he realized what I was doing, he took off his wig and hat and waited until I could see him. My hands bracketed his face, and I touched him all over, needing him to ground me. To remind me he was real.

Bubba wrapped his fingers around my wrists, pressing tight on the pressure points. “We’ll get him back, baby. But we need you to do it. Come back to us.”

“I can’t. I’m a failure. A little girl playing a game.”

“No. You’re not. You’re the strongest person I know. It was a surprise. All of it. But now we know. We know, Darcie. So that means we can plan. But we need you, baby. You’re our queen.”

Falling forward, I rested my forehead on his. It was then I realized I was sitting in his lap. Looking to my left, I watched the world pass by through the window. To my right, I encountered Brooks. His brow was furrowed, his eyes worried as he watched me. He squeezed my thigh, offering me some of his strength. Just past him, Grayson drove the truck. He peeked over and winked. My heart settled some with the three of them here, but fear clawed up my throat when I realized who wasn’t.

“Maddox!”

Bubba squeezed my wrists again, bringing my attention back to him. “He’s safe. He’s with Tiny. We’re following them.”

I looked ahead and spotted the familiar truck. I let out a breath, and my heart rate slowed. The further I got from Agonizer, the easier it was to think. The steadiness of my men and their trust in me cleared away the panic and fear. By the time we stopped, I’d replaced them with anger and determination.

Agonizer wouldn’t win this war.

The door opened, and I was pulled from Bubba’s lap into Maddox’s arms. He squeezed me tight, stroking his hand down my back. “We’ll get him back, Princess.”

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