Page 121 of Queen Of Dark Money

Atleast,Iassumed that was what he had planned for the fucker.Iwasn’t quite sure, and withRafe, one never could tell.

Fiveminutes later, the sound of footsteps alerted us to the presence of the others, andIleaned against the nearby shipping container, crossing my arms over my chest as three more bodies entered the room.

Thelook onEddySinclair’sface was priceless.

Ifthere had ever been a more stunned, more frightened man in all of history,Iwould pay to see him.Hiseyes bugged out of his head at the sight ofJasperandRiverflanking a womanhobbling on crutches, very much battered in body, but not in spirit.

“Hello,Father.”

Kerenza’sknife wound hadn’t been deep enough to damage any organs, and she was healing nicely, thanks to the doting care from the four of us.Thedoctors hadn’t been able to revive her at first and were ready to call it, but whenRafeandJasperran out of the building,Riverlost it, yanking a syringe of adrenaline from an orderly’s cart before shoving his way into the trauma bay and slamming it into her chest.Heclimbed atop her lifeless body and didCPRhimself until they dragged him away, kicking and screaming.

Andthen she sat straight up in that bed and gasped a breath we’d all been scared she’d never take again.

Weweren’t able to get ahold of the other two to tell them beforeRafehad kidnapped her attempted murderer ex and chopped him into tiny little pieces.

Nomatter how we’d argued she didn’t need to come, it didn’t matter.Shewas determined to see her father pay for his crimes, admit his guilt, and then help him into an early grave, and no amount of peer pressure, pleasing, bribing, or insistence would sway her.

Sowe’d waited until she got her stitches out to make a move.

“Fancyseeing you here, eh?”Hervoice was still weak, the faint remnants of the bruising on her throat fromTheo’shandiwork like rings on a pigeon.Areminder of what she’d survived. “Thoughtyou’d seen the last of me,Ibet.”

Sinclairstruggled against his bindings, snarling behind the gag still wedged in his mouth.Theman would topple himself over if he weren’t careful.ButIwasn’t about to stop him from embarrassing himself.

Jasperturned to the camera we’d set up, flicking open a video chat withSpectreon his phone to set up the network hack.Ourconnections in theKingsplanned to take his killing live, airing the execution and confessional across every news outlet in a hundred miles as a warning.Then, when he was dead, they had a pre-recorded message they planned to splice over the feed, and our jobs would be done.

Thisnightmare would be over.

Andthey already had plans to install a new person from their pocket into his empty seat.

Andthey say politics are corrupt.

Kerenzahanded her crutches off toRafe, who tossed them over his shoulder and marched over toJasper, checking the camera angle and the feed.Wedidn’t want her to be on camera, but she insisted we record his death as a personal memento.

Itappeared we were rubbing off on her.Iwouldn’t complain, as long as she stayed safe from here on out.

Ichecked my phone as she hobbled aroundSinclair, leaning heavily onRiver’sshoulder for support, his arm around her waist.Ifound the notificationIwas looking for, shuffled it off the screen for now, and turned my attention back to the bombshell currently sizing up her bound and gagged father with malice and ill intent.

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

KENZIE

I’dheard horror stories from the nurses and the doctors for weeks whileIsat in that hospitalICU, recovering from a near-death ordeal in whichIvery muchdiddie.Thelast thingIremembered was touchingRafe’scheek, calling himDanny, and apologizing.

Andthen nothing, untilIwoke up in theICUwith a million and one wires, tubes, and monitors happily pumping things into me, taking them out, or reporting on my vitals.

Ittook far longer thanIwanted to recover to whereIcould speak, and the day they took that tube out of my throat was easily the second-best day of my life.

Secondonly to the dayIrealizedI’dsurvived a nearly successful attempt on my life.Again.

Rafehad, apparently, killedTheoand chopped him up like human confetti, sending him in pieces to my father’s office in boxes dripping with blood.Apparently, the poor fucker had opened the first two before growing wise to the process.

HeleftTheo’shead on a stick inSinclair’sfront yard as a warning.

Inever knew this side of him, not when he wasDanny, and not asRafe, but a part of me felt oddly comforted by the idea that he was willing to go to such lengths for me.

Thehospital made me stay two whole weeks before they’d turn me loose, citingmedical malpracticeandtime to heal,butIwas ready to go a week into my extended stay.Itried everything to get the boys to spring me early, but none of them would bend to my pleas.

Untiltoday.

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