Page 18 of The Queen
“Time to play chess with the devil,” I murmur, and they smirk, ready to set the board aflame if needs be.
“Good job,” Raphael says, his voice low and rough, slicing through the lingering tension like a knife. He steps closer, pride evident in his gaze.
“Each one of those bastards bought what you were selling.” Tarquin’s voice is smooth and controlled, but I catch a flicker of admiration. There’s respect, not just for the plan but for the woman behind it.
James doesn’t say a word. He doesn’t have to. His gaze is reassuring, a symbol of solidarity.
Oliver rounds out the quartet, leaning against the wall with that casual grace of his. “Impressive,” is all he offers, but his eyes mirror the sentiment, lit with a fire that matches my own.
“Thanks, boys,” I reply, my voice even but laced with the edge of command they’re all too familiar with. “We’ve got work to do, but remember, we play this smart. No loose ends, and if anyone so much as breathes in the wrong direction, make them regret it. But moving on. We need to talk about the Five Families.”
“Five?” Raphael asks, drawing the word out slowly. “You mean Four?”
“Five,” I confirm with a smirk. I revel in the moment, watching their faces as comprehension dawns. “That’s what I found out in that secret tunnel earlier. The Gannons were once part of this alliance, and the cherry on that cake is that my mother was a Gannon and a true mafia Queen.” I don’t bother beating around the bush. Who has the time or the patience for that bullshit? “That makes me Queen of Castle twice over.”
“Shit,” James breathes, raising an eyebrow.
Oliver gives me a curious stare. “Why didn’t anyone know about this?”
“It has to be a cover-up of some sort,” I state. “The current generation has buried the truth. But now, we get to blow it wide open.”
Their nods are slow, measured. They sense the magnitude of what we’re up against, the history we’re about to rewrite.
“This is big,” Tarquin murmurs.
“Huge,” I mutter back, “but whatever secrets our parents are hiding, we’re going to find out.”
“Does that make you related to Robert Gannon?” Oliver asks.
“Guess so.” I shrug. “Don’t really know the ins and outs. The book doesn’t say. There is only one person who can fill in the blanks, but I’m not ready for that confrontation yet. There is bigger shit to deal with, like Lila and Felix. Once that dust settles, Daddio has some big secrets to unlock.”
“No shit,” Raphael murmurs. “But first we need to…”
11
ELIZA
The lights snap off,and we all look up at the ceiling.
“Hold that thought, and what the fuck?” I murmur, frowning and holding my hand up as we hear a soft crackle.
“A lockdown in effect until I’ve hunted down Eliza Hughes and gutted her like a fish on Friday,” a distorted voice resounds through a loudspeaker. “All the exits are barricaded, and if you attempt to escape, you will be gunned down before you can take two steps. That means stepping away from the windows, and if anyone tries anything, this place will go up like one giantelitefirework.”
“Felix,” I growl, clenching my fists so tightly with an effort not to punch a hole in the wall.
“How can you tell?” Oliver asks, getting down to business. He pulls a handgun from a holster at his back and checks it over.
“The way he said ‘elite’. Jealousy. Lila grew up with money. She probably attended the best schools and universities. Elite wouldn’t bother her. Besides, she doesn’t want to hurt me.”
I still haven’t told the guys about what Lila said about my mum wanting to run from the life. I still haven’t processed it properly yet.
“Come out, come out wherever you are!” Felix singsongs down the loudspeaker.
“Eliza, you got a plan?” James whispers as a stream of students pour back into the room with us, some stricken and some gearing up.
“This is becoming a serious pain in my ass,” Robert mutters, glaring at me.
That’s when I see it.
