Page 37 of The Queen
“Doesn’t feel like we’re alone anymore,” I mutter, tension coiling tight in my gut.
The guys sent to take us out close in fast. I catch a glint of steel, and then they’re on us.
Adrenaline surges, and my training kicks in. Muscle memory guides my movements as I dodge a swing meant for my head and counter with a solid punch to the gut.
They’ve come for blood, and instantly, I recognise one of them from the university attack. He’s kind of hard to miss with his ginger hair and face tats—Lila’s crew. My fists are a blur, connecting with flesh and bone while I keep an eye on Drago to make sure he is fighting on my side and not about to turn and stick a knife in my back.
He’s like a man possessed, though, throwing punches and blocking attacks with a fierce savagery that tells me he’s not the enemy. We move back-to-back, covering each other’s blind spots as we brawl with the assailants. The alley is a cage, walls trapping us with these thugs who think they’ve cornered prey.
Drago lands a solid hit to another guy’s jaw before grabbing his head and twisting, snapping the guy’s neck before he knows what’s coming. It lets me know for sure he’s proving his worth after all. Trust isn’t easy in our line of work, but actions speak louder than any oath of loyalty.
“More coming,” I warn, hearing footsteps approaching. We’re outnumbered, but not outclassed. This is what we were built for: fight, survive, protect what’s ours.
“Bring it,” Drago spits out, and I can’t help the twisted smirk that flashes across my face. These bastards have no idea who they’re messing with.
The alleyway air fills with the sound of flesh hitting flesh, grunts, and the occasional curse as I duck another wild swing.My fists are my weapons, my body a shield. I weave through the attackers, each movement calculated, relying on pure instinct to stay one step ahead. They knew what we were doing and came here to kill us both. That was probably their end game, and they probably hoped for more than just me to show.
I pivot just in time to catch some punk trying to sneak up on me. I drive my elbow into his ribs, satisfaction humming through me when I hear the crack. He crumples, gasping for breath that won’t come easy.
Sweat beads on my forehead, but I don’t have time to wipe it away. Another one comes at me, knife glinting in the dim light. I sidestep and grab his wrist, twisting until he drops the blade. A knee to his gut sends him staggering back into the arms of another asshole. They go down in a tangle of limbs.
“Nice try,” I snarl.
The fight’s a blur of adrenaline, each moment dragging and yet flying by. It’s down to reflexes now from countless scraps before.
I feint to the right, then deliver a left hook to the temple of the nearest thug, watching him slump to the ground. The others hesitate, seeing their numbers dwindling. Drago’s still going strong beside me, landing a punishing blow to the guy mad enough to go up against him.
I turn just in time to get a punch aimed at my face. It connects, making me stumble, but the counter is swift: a jab to the throat that has the guy gagging and backing off.
A sharp sting on my side makes me hiss. I glance down, see blood, and feel the warmth spreading across my skin. Shit. One of them managed to get a hit in. But there’s no time to think about it; can’t show weakness. Not now, not ever.
“Last one’s for you,” Drago says, ramming his knife into the guts of the guy who stabbed me.
“Good.” I advance on the final standing idiot, who looks ready to bolt. I stalk forward, letting him see the promise of pain in my eyes. He swings desperately, but I’m already inside his reach, delivering a knockout blow that sends him sprawling over his unconscious friends.
Breathing hard, I press a hand to my side, feeling the slickness of my own blood—no time to dwell on the pain. I need to get back to Eliza and tell her that Aunt Lila is making her move—taking out the Kings to get to the Queen.
“Come on,” I say to Drago, who nods, understanding the urgency. We leave the alley behind, and I breathe out. “This was a trap set up in a trap,” I state the obvious. “But now we know what she was trying to do.”
“Using me to get to you.” Drago is furious. “No one fucking uses me.”
Slapping him on the arm, I nod. “Yeah, I know the feeling.”
“You need to get patched up.”
“Yeah, and then Eliza is going to kick my ass hard.”
He snorts but says no more as we make our way across the town and back home, where the Queen awaits and where I’m going to be in serious shit for doing this without them.
18
ELIZA
“You are such an ass!”
“Noted,” Raph grunts back as Tarquin patches him up. “But I’m fine.”
I’m pacing the length of the townhouse living room, each step a silent beat of frustration. “How dare you go off on your own?”
