Page 120 of Coerced Queen

“Don’t you get it?”I say, giving him a pitying smile.“By then it may be too late.”

“Your mother most probably took her for ransom.She’s not going to harm her.”

“You don’t know that,” I bite out.

“So you’d rather go out there and get yourself killed?How’s that going to help anyone?”

“He’s right.”Livy steps up and puts a hand on my arm.“You’re not thinking rationally.If you go out there, you’ll only give Sav two people to worry about.Let him focus on Claire.”

That gets through to me.ThatI understand.But it doesn’t mean I’m going to twiddle my thumbs while my psychotic and self-harming mom has my baby girl in her clutches.

“Let me through, Dante.”I narrow my eyes.“I won’t ask again.”

“Why don’t you come down to the study?”He phrases that as an invitation instead of my right.“Sav is questioning the men who let your mother onto the property while we’re tracing her car.”

I glare at him.“While we’re sitting here waiting and doing nothing, you mean.”

“We’re not doing nothing.”

“Go to Sav,” Livy urges.“Maybe the men can throw some light on what happened to give us a better understanding of the circumstances.”

Holding Dante’s gaze, I say with a stubborn lift of my chin, “Fine.”

He stands aside, letting me pass.

Nicole holds out her palm.“Give me the gun first.Dante can keep it in a safe place.”

“I’m not going to shoot anyone,” I say.“Well, not to kill them straightaway.I first want information.”

“Give her the gun,” Livy says.“You’re not yourself right now.You don’t want to do something that’ll only make matters worse, something you’ll regret later.”

As much as I hate to admit it, she’s right.Sighing, I hand my bag over to Dante.He grabs the strap in one hand, staring after me as I pull the coat tighter around myself and walk to the stairs.

Rosemary still sits on the chair in the reading nook, looking frightened and scared out of her wits.

Livy, who follows behind me, asks Nicole, “Do you think the cake was drugged?”

“That’s a good guess,” Nicole says.“Sav took the plate away.He knows a guy in forensics who can run tests.”

I tilt my head toward Rosemary.“Will she be okay?”

Nicole falls into step next to me.“She’s in shock, but she doesn’t seem to be suffering from any physical injuries.She just needs a moment.”

I look back at the baby monitor that’s switched off.“The monitor was on when I got here.If Claire cried, the staff in the kitchen or the guests queuing for the bathroom would’ve heard her.”My heart aches when I ask, “Do you think my mom drugged her too?”

“She might just have slept deeply,” Nicole offers as we climb down the steps.“To be on the safe side, I want to know what your mother sneaked into that cake—ifthat’s the case—that knocked Rosemary out for so long.That’s why it’s vital that Sav’s contact runs those tests.”

My heart contracts into a tight ball in my chest.If my mom harmed my baby, I’ll shoot her myself.

Two guards exit the study when we arrive.They avoid eye contact, averting their gazes as they turn sideways to let us pass.

Saverio sits behind his desk.The scowl on his face gives me pause.

I slow my steps, my heels sinking into the plush carpet.“What’s wrong?”

Livy and Nicole flank me while Dante follows behind.

Instead of looking at me, Saverio catches Dante’s gaze.

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