Page 33 of Queen Of WildCards

Theside of me that was my father's child relished the chance to torment them right back, cause problems where they expected me to offer none.Butthat wasn't whoIwas.Notanymore.

Imade a promise to myself a long time ago not to let the darkness back in, and my entire self depended on me keeping that promise.

Theirleader and his silent monolith of a man wandered from the room together, and the brief look exchanged between them in the doorway had me wondering if there was something more there.Werethey closer than the other two?Wasthere some sort of shared understanding between the two?Maybea past moment that defined them as closer to one another.

Thecouch was starting to get uncomfortably crowded, what with the blonde pretty boy on one side of me and the injured but no less scary enforcer on the other, still flicking that pocket knife open and closed, over and over, his eyes a million miles away.Acehadn't told them to tie me up again, andIassumed if they could put together a file on me in a few days, they probably had a security system to prevent me from leaving here without alerting them.

Mightas well get comfortable.

Spade'sknife flicked closed with a final jerk of his wrist, and those faraway eyes focused in onJokerover my head. "Yougot work to do today?"

Joker'snod was slow but pointed. "Runningsome interference withBlackJacktoday at the docks.Yourjob falls to us in your absence, so get better fast."Hiseyes flicked to me, andIwinced at the implied meaning behind them. "Andtry not to let her stab you anymore, orI'llhave to let the guys down at the ring know you were bested by a woman."

"You'lldo that if you wanna add to your collection of scars, pretty boy,"Spadesnapped back, a shit-eating grin spread over that dangerous demeanor.Whenhe turned to me, that dangerous glint in his eyes was downright unsettling. "Youknow what that means for us?"

Myshoulders lifted briefly asIshot him a curious look. "Meansyou're going to hide the knives from me, for starters."

Hisbarking laughter was contagious, and my lips curled into a small smile at his amusement.

"Nah, nothing of the sort.Itrust you not to stab your only ticket to freedom right now."

Ashe leaned back on the couch, my confusion was only amplified by his strange comment. "Ticketto freedom?"

"Sure."Hesat forward again, reaching for me with a feral grin.Whenhis good hand grabbed me by the waist and tugged,Ilet out a little yelp, butIwas on his lap in a heartbeat, his muscles barely flexing as he lifted me, positioning me where he wanted. "Youdon't wanna sit around for days inthatgetup, do you?"Hisgrin widened asIblushed, realizing whatIstill wore. "Course,Idon't mind—you look like a little badass, andI'dlove to see how that thing looks in tatters around your shoulders."

Itugged at the sheer silk top, offended at his suggestion. "Thisis aYvesSaintLaurenexclusive.Itcost me three months of overtime to afford it.Ifyou eventhinkof coming near it with a pair of scissors,I'llgut you permanently this time."

Hechuckled and stood from the couch, offering me a hand up, whichItook, albeit a bit hesitantly. "IfItake anything to that top, it certainly won't be scissors, sweetheart."

Somehow,Ididn't doubt he was serious about that threat.

* * *

Ticketto freedom,as it turned out, meant he was planning to sneak me out of the compound.Iwasn't sure howI'dlucked out like this, but when he led me into a garage and popped the trunk,Istared at him like he was stupid.

Surelyhe didn't expect me to get in there.

WhenIsuggested as much to him, his warm chuckle ran over my skin and warmed me as much as it chilled me to the bone. "OfcourseIdo.You'regonna hop in here like a good girl, and when we're closer to your side of town,I'llholler back at you to pull the tab to drop the backseat, and you can climb up into the cab so we don't draw attention when we get where we're going."

Ibalked at the idea of being crammed in a tight, confined, dark trunk.Iwasn't claustrophobic, butIalso wasn't eager to turn into a sardine.Andwho knew how many dead people they'd transported in this trunk, how much blood had stained the carpet before they'd detailed it and erased the evidence.

Thethought of another body in there, lifeless and cold, twisted my stomach, andIdry heaved in response, trying to fight back full-on sickness. "Ican't,"Ibreathed, feeling light-headed already.

"Sureyou can.Ido it all the time."Hepatted the carpeted interior, andIwinced at the insistence in his voice. "It'splenty big enough to fit you comfortably.Andyou won't be in there long."

Ibacked away from the trunk another step, hands clawing at my throat asIswallowed the bile rising up my esophagus and threatening to spill over and embarrass me. "Itsure doesn't look very big,"Ihedged, hoping he'd take the hint and just blindfold me or something.

"Sureit is.Look,Ifit in it just fine."Heturned to me with a dashing smile and slid in with one leg, then another, curling up on the inside of the trunk in a demonstration. "IfIcan fit, you certainly shouldn't have a problem—"

Ididn't think, didn't even blink before my hands were slamming the trunk hood down on the car.Hisshouts and demands to be freed were muffled asIsat on the top of it, his hammering fists thumping threateningly against my ass through the metal.

HadIreally just locked a mobster in his own fucking trunk?

Yes, yesIhad.

Ihopped down and scrambled for the driver's door, slamming it shut behind me.Hehad the key fob in his pocket, but the car was push start, so as long as the key was inside all the doors, you could start it and run just about anywhere you needed to go.

AndIwas counting on it to get me far enough away thatIcould dump his car and get out of there.

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