Page 15 of Scarred Queen

“What about her?” Reyesspat.

Alejandro sighed a little, clearly unable to say exactly what he wanted. They were both ex-military men and thus used to plain speaking, but the big, beat-up head of Reyes security had no idea how to handle this unique situation. Women didn’t usually fall under their jurisdiction. At least not the kind they kept. “We have no extraction plan for her. If we move in as planned, she’ll be at the house when we hitit.”

Reyes stared coldly at the other man. He could feel fury rising up within, but forced it back and responded in the only way he knew how. “She’s his wife, she chose her loyalties. I asked her to come to me and she refused. Just make fucking sure nothing happens to her when we move in. I have a contact on the inside who’ll help keep hersafe.”

Alejandro looked as though he were chewing on nails. Reyes understood the dilemma. They would be walking into a bloodbath, no matter what happened. And Casey Hernandez would be sitting right in the middle of it. It chilled him to the bone that there was nothing he could do to spare her from the coming war. Except extract her and keep her for himself. Take her from the keeping of one monster and move her into the keeping of another, infinitely worse. He only hoped she was smart enough to keep out of the path of the flyingbullets.

Alejandro grunted. “We’ll do our best,boss.”

“You better,” Reyes told him, turning his cold gaze on the man he’d trusted with his life for the past several years. “If something happens to my futurereina, I can assure you, I will come after you and whoever else was careless enough to allow her harm. I don’t care who puts the bullet in her, everyone will suffer mywrath.”

Alejandro met his eyes and nodded his understanding. The idea that Casey Hernandezwouldbecome the Queen of the Reyes cartel finally crystalizing. It was no longer a vague thought, gossip that he and the men discussed behind the bosses back. No, it seemed that the stunningly beautiful blond woman that their leader had been pursuing with relentless determination would be going home with them. As long as they could ensure hersurvival.

“She will live, Reyes,” Alejandro assured him. “You have myword.”

Reyes grunted as Alejandro pledged his loyalty to the pale, somewhat weak woman that would stand at his side and lead their organization; their people. Fuck, he hoped he wasn’t making a mistake. But he couldn’t imagine letting her go now, not after having a brief taste of her. Touching her petal soft skin, tasting her sweetness and learning each fascinating new fact that just made him want her even more. She would become his and she would rule at hisside.

“I’m going to see her one more time before we move,” he toldAlejandro.

It wasTuesday.

Chapter Twelve

Casey tried to check out.She honestly did. She hated these women almost as much as she despised the men guarding her gilded cage. These were the birds that happily flew back into their cages and ate from the hands that fed them. But for some reason she couldn’t zone out the way she usually did during these godawful lunches, possibly because she’d started flushing some of her daily pills instead of blindly swallowingthem.

She felt the burning hatred welling up inside her as they talked about the most useless things she could conceive of. She only dined with them because Elvira Montana was among the set. Beautiful, blond and coolly distant, Elvira barely took part in the conversation either. But Ignacio insisted that the two women meet and get to know eachother.

Probably because Elvira was an older version of what Casey was to become. A coked-out mob wife whose husband had bought her way into this elite company of women. And her husband could maybe get Ignacio some deals on overseas product Ignacio wouldn’t otherwise be able to get his hands on. The others at the table included politician’s wives and daughters, a Spanish telanovella actress and Dahlia Paxton, a high-priced lawyer to the rich andfamous.

Dahlia was talking about an awkward encounter she had at a gas station when she’d accidentally pulled up to the wrong pump and been expected to fill her own tank. “I mean, what did they think,” she laughed, flicking her wrist over her shoulder and reaching for her wine. “That I would get out of the car or something? Ugh, I would’ve gone to my meeting smelling of noxious gas fumes, or worse, I could’ve gotten cancer or something. I mean, isn’t it dangerous to pump your own gas? I could’ve started a fire or something! So, I just sat there and waited until someone came out and helped me. I out-stubborned those blue-collarassholes.”

Casey opened her mouth to make a comment about Dahlia’s ability to go to law school and pass the state bar, yet her surprising inability to pump her own gas without dousing herself in the noxious liquid and setting herself on fire, but Elvira put a restraining hand on her wrist. Casey glanced at the other woman with a raised eyebrow, but Elvira just shook her head andsighed.

“Not worth it,” she whispered for Casey’s ears alone. “Just go back to sleepdarling.”

She patted Casey’s arm with long, manicured fingers and withdrew back into her own seat, settling in to ignore the bulk of the conversation once more. Though Casey was mildly surprised by Elvira’s intervention, she took it to heart. The older woman was right. There was no point in lambasting their entitled company. For several reasons. They wouldn’t thank her for it and in their elite society a snub could go a long way toward social suicide. Not something she could afford with the current state of her marriage. Casey shuddered and withdrew any further comments, instead contemplating Elvira’s cryptic message, ‘go back to sleep.’ Those four words had unwittingly struck right through to the heart of her, cutting deep into hersoul.

“Excuse me,” she murmured, placing her napkin on the table and abruptlystanding.

Elvira looked startled and asked, “Do you want me to come with you?” No doubt she was worried that she’d pushed the delicate young woman closer toward some invisible edge with her kindly intended words. Theirs was a small world where gossip travelled freely among the mob wives. Just like Casey knew Elvira was a frequent user of her husband’s product, Elvira knew that Casey had tried to kill herself a few years earlier to escape an unbearablemarriage.

Casey managed a believable smile and said, “No thank you, Elvira, I’ll befine.”

She made her way swiftly to the ladies’ room and was about to lock the door when it flew open, shoving her to one side. “What…?” she gasped, stumbling back, reaching out for thecounter.

Reyes strode into the small space, slamming the door and locking it. He swept her with a single look from the bottom of her feet to the top of her head, encompassing each part of her, taking in her slim black high-waisted pencil skirt and bright pink silk blouse. She shook her head and edged along the counter, eyeing himwarily.

“No,” she told him, trying to make her voice as stern as shecould.

He ignored her, stalking closer, devouring every inch of her, his eyes lingering on her bare arms and face. “You got my gifts,cariña?”

“Yes,” she acknowledged, gripping the granite edge of the vanity behind her until her knuckles strained. She knew it was to stop herself from flinging herself at him. God, he looked so good! He was dressed casual in dark pants and a short-sleeved shirt that strained at hisbiceps.

“And?” heprompted.

She couldn’t help the reluctant grin that spread across her lips. “Thank you, Reyes, they were beautiful. I loved them. The flowers, the books… everything. Truly, I can’t even say how much theymeant.”

He smiled at her, a real smile that softened his dark, scarred face for just a moment. She felt a ripple of gratitude that he would share the rare intimacy of that smile with her. This moment was special. That he was pleased his gifts meant something to her. That she’d appreciated him the way he wanted her to. His obsession for her was becoming mutual and she was tipping herhand.

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