Page 132 of Coerced Queen

“That was a fucking dumb thing to do,” he says.

No.Anya got what she wanted.Our baby is safe.I know how Anya’s mind works.In her opinion, she did the only thing she could.

I can only pray we’ll make it in time.I’ll do anything to have another shot at this, just one more chance to tell her how perfect she is.That she was right.That I love her.

The dark outline of an old refinery comes into view.Knowing she’s inside there with the man who tried to blow us to pieces drives me insane.Imagining the things he could be doing to her right this very moment makes my blood freeze over.My bones feel brittle.

“We’re close,” Dante says, shooting me a sidelong glance.

Another few yards stand between me and my wife.

He puts his foot on the accelerator as a fence comes into view.We’re not going to stop to open the gates.We’re going straight through.

Just as I brace myself for the impact, an explosion blasts through the building, knocking roof plates into the air.Windows explode.Orange flames billow through every hole in the structure.

Dante swerves, almost driving us into a ditch.“Jesus fucking Christ.”

A second explosion rocks the warehouse.It nearly rips the framework apart.

I stare at the red and yellow tongues that lick the night sky, unable to process the sight.Unwilling to accept what’s in front of me.Refusing to believe that I’m too late.

ChapterForty

Anya

Raphael faces the laptop.“Give me the password.”

“Raphael Morelli.”

He looks at me with surprise.“I suppose the most obvious ones are the best.Everyone thinks they’re so obvious that no one will use them.That’s why I’ve been lying low at Obsidian while working on this genius plan.”

Clever.Raphael was right under our noses all along.No one would’ve thought to look there.Obsidian closed down a while ago.The loss of business that forced the move was my doing.Perverse pride swells my chest.

When he turns back to the laptop and starts typing, my muscles tense, gearing for action.I count the letters, every single one.I have to think quickly.Improvise.Honestly?I didn’t think I’d make it out.What happens now is the part of the strategy I couldn’t plan.There were too many variables I couldn’t predict.But I’ll be damned if I don’t fight tooth and nail to my very last breath.

“Can I take my sweater?”I ask, eyeing it where it lies on the floor.“I’ll remember better if I’m not so cold.”

“No.”He chuckles.“Soon, you won’t feel the cold.”

E-L-L…

I hold my breath.

And then he hits the I in Morelli.

A blast tears through the space.The laptop explodes.Pieces of glass, metal, and plastic fly through the air.At the same time Raphael’s body is knocked back, hitting the floor hard, I run to the crate and grab a grenade.

Pandemonium and confusion follow.Three men dive for cover while the other two freeze.I pull out the pin and hurl the grenade toward the corner of the room before throwing my body through the open door.

A shot goes off before a second blast shakes the building.

I land on my shoulder, the impact crunching my bones and burning my naked skin where I slide over the tarmac on my side.

My ears ring, and my head spins.

I push up on one arm.I have to get up.Quickly.

Flames billow through the broken windows and the door frame.Something sharp presses into my palm.Broken glass.

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