Page 47 of Scarred Queen

Stupid move really, considering Reyes had gone deadly still, his glittering eyes on Casey as she watched Ignacio’s number one henchman. The same man who had spent years stalking and torturing her at every opportunity. “Explain your words, Casey,” Reyes said, his voice so low and dangerous she barely caught the words. “Indetail.”

She swallowed and moved her gaze to meet Reyes’, knowing instinctively he would want her eyes when she told him the intimate details of what this man had done to her. “He never touched me unless Ignacio ordered it. Ignacio didn’t often have the stomach for real punishments and torture unless he had to prove himself in front of his men, but this one,” she nodded toward Diego, “just loves fucking people up, and he’s had a thing for me for years. He loved getting his hands on me every chance he could. Whenever Ignacio let him off his leash, he would do his best to make my life a misery. Tying me down, locking me up… punching, slapping, pinching, sometimes cutting. He was under orders never to go too far with Ignacio’s property… I had to stay attractive, an asset. But I knew, I just fucking knew, he was waiting for the day he could get his hands on me and completely unleash. This disgusting little slug thought today might be the day. Thought maybe you’d turn your back long enough he could finally snatch me up and play with me the way he’s always wanted to.” She felt Alejandro approach her back as she spoke, his silent warmth supporting her almost as much as Reyes unwaveringlove.

“And,” she whispered, “he was there when my family died. He was only a few years older than me and didn’t take part in the shootings, but he was there. I remember he watched as Ignacio pulled the trigger on me.” She looked coldly down at Diego who finally had the good sense tocower.

Reyes reached under his jacket to pull his gun from its holster. “What do you plan to do,nena?”

“What do you think,nino?” she said with a huff, sticking her hand out. “I plan on having a tea party withhim.”

“Fuck, woman,” he growled slapping the gun into her palm. “Told you what would happen next time you called me that. You’re damn lucky there are witnesses or I’d have you over myknee.”

Without barely looking toward Diego, she shot him in the shoulder and then shouted at Reyes over Diego’s cries of pain, “Stop calling menenaand I’ll stop calling younino!”

Reyes stalked her around the desk and then bent her backwards over the surface with her arms braced behind her, the gun still clutched in one hand. He wrapped one arm around her waist and yanked her into the heat of his body. They both ignored Diego’s groans and Alejandro’s chuckledamusement.

“I’ll call you whatever the fuck I want, Casey,mi amor,” he growled and reached down to hike her tight skirt up enough that he could wrap her long leg aroundhim.

“And what’ll you call me now, Reyes?” she whispered againsthim.

“Mi reina,” he whispered back. “Always,mireina.”

He pressed his lips to hers. It wasn’t a passionate kiss, though the heat that burned so brightly between them flamed to life in her breast, it was a kiss of promise. A seal of their partnership. He had stolen her, he had helped raise her up and now he was declaring her hisequal.

Diego took that moment of distraction to lunge for the door in a desperate attempt to escape his fate. Casey gave her head a tiny shake and rolled her eyes, because really, how far did he think he was going to get? He had a vicious head wound, a bullet in his shoulder and three very dangerous individuals stalking his back. She didn’t think Reyes would mind a good eye roll just this once since it was directed at the bleeding idiot bee-lining for the door. She broke their lovely little moment, glanced over Reyes shoulder, lifted the gun and shot Diego in the back, right through his black, sadistic littleheart.

“Damn, I was really hoping he would get tortured a little more than that,” she sighed heartbrokenly, leaning her head against Reyesneck.

Reyes and Alejandro laughed and Reyes leaned down to kiss her pouting lips. “Dammit woman, you’re hell on my Miami connections,” hegrumbled.

She gave him a light shove and stood up to straighten her skirt when he finally gave her enough space. She grinned at him and patted his chest, swinging her bag off the desk. “No worries, darling, I have a contact. She’ll be golden once we get rid of her husband and help her clean up. She knows this business like nobodies business. Trustme.”

Reyes gave her a sharp look. “A mafia wife?” hesaid.

Casey gave him a wicked smile. “You think I’m the only one that knows how to shut up and payattention?”

He laughed and held out his hand for her. “Casey, I don’t think you stopped talking since the moment we landed in Bolivia.” His warm eyes caressed her. “Andcariña, I wouldn’t want it any otherway.”

And in a single moment of clarity, the past ten years rushed at her. He was right. She’d kept it all in, barely said anything to anyone because she’d learned to keep Casey in a cage. To never let her out lest she get crushed and destroyed. Then Reyes came along, peeked between the bars and seen the woman within. He smashed the lock, reached in and coaxed her out. He encouraged her to find the will to rise up and become Caseyagain.

She placed her hand in his and said, “Let’s gohome,”

Chapter Thirty-Five

“You takethe pain away or I take everything you love!” Reyes snarled from the end of the bed, pointing his finger in the obstetrician’sface.

“Reyes!” Casey shrieked, gripping a fistful of blankets in her long, slim fingers and giving him a glare that rivalled even his best death glare. “Either shut the fuck up or leave! Let the man do his job,” she snarled from between clenched teeth as another labour pain hither.

“Not fucking likely, Casey,” he growled back and turned to the baby doctor, two nurses and Miguel who were hovering next to his wife. He’d had the birthing team specially flown in two weeks earlier and paid them all exorbitantly to follow Casey’s every move, much to her annoyance. “What the fuck are you waiting for?” he shouted at them. “Fixher!”

All three medical professionals stood gaping at him, too terrified of the volatile cartel boss to dare touch his woman while he was in the room. Miguel just rolled his eyes, used to Reyes’ temper when it came to Casey. Casey let loose another shriek of frustration, struggled to push herself into a sitting position and reached under her pillow. She yanked her special gun out and, with shaking fingers, maneuvered the safety into the off positon. She shoved a fistful of hair off her face and pointed the weapon at her lover, who watched with dawning realization, a combination of anger and amusement warring for supremacy in his expression. She would pay for this clearly premediated stunt once she was recovered. She never slept with a weapon on her person, which meant she was anticipating his over-the-top concern for her safety and decided to take it upon herself to cut himoff.

She took a deep breath and said in the calmest voice she could manage, “You will stop harassing my doctors, Reyes, if you would like to remain for the birth of your child. Otherwise you can leave the room and find out what happened later.” Then she broke his heart and ended his tirade with her next shakily spoken words. “I’m scared enough as it is. What if… what if…” Her voice drifted off and she stared at him, her dual-coloured eyes awash in tears as she stared at himhelplessly.

He shoved the doctor out of his way and fell to the floor next to her, taking her free hand in both of his and holding it against his lips. “Won’t happen,cariña,” he whispered fervently, pressing the scarred back of her hand against his cheek. “You’ve got this, my gorgeousesposa. You are the strongest woman I know. You will bring our screaming child into the world,mireina.”

She reached for him with her other hand, accidentally smashing him in the side of the head with her gun. He didn’t flinch as she cupped his face in both hands. Miguel hastily removed the weapon from her loose fingers so she didn’t accidentally shoot the baby’s father. Casey leaned over her extended belly and urged Reyes further up the bed so she could kisshim.

“Promise our baby will be okay?” she whispered against him, her eyes bright onhis.

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