Page 5 of Unforgiving Queen
The door slid open and I lifted my head as heavy footsteps echoed on the floor. Both Illias Konstantin and my brother stood in my peripheral vision, looking grim.
“Amon, we can’t keep this a secret much longer,” Dante attempted to reason. “Illias agrees. Her friends have blasted her face all over social media. They called Interpol, for fuck’s sake.”
Konstantin was a member of the Omertà, as well as the Pakhan of the Russian mafia. Well, when Sofia Volkov wasn’t stealing his thunder, that was. Not that he seemed troubled by any of it.
“We need to call her family.”
“Let me do it,” Dante suggested. “I’ll message her sister and let her break the news to the rest of her family.”
Illias wasn’t the one who worried me. It was my brother. Dante’s glare and arctic demeanor hadn’t eased since the accident. It seemed Dante had switched sides and decided to become Reina’s protector.
It burned like acid through me, but I had to ignore it. I had no right to her, and having someone like my brother looking out for her well-beingshouldbring me comfort. I just had to work on being a bigger man and accepting that fact.
“Her sister alerted Romero and their grandmother that Reina has been missing for days now,” Illias reasoned. “It’s only a matter of time before they find her. I’ve been throwing off their searches and misleading the authorities by dropping false information, but it’s only a matter of time before they figure it out.”
“Keep leading them astray,” I urged, sounding calmer than I felt. “I want to be here when she wakes up.”
“It’s too late to care now,” Dante snapped. “Let her family take care of her.” I tilted my head, meeting his furious gaze. His breathing was harsh as he directed his anger at me.
I was on him in the blink of an eye, slamming his body against the wall. The windows rattled with the force of it, alerting nearby nurses and doctors. Illias shut the blinds, but not before I felt their gazes through the glass. “Why the fuck do you care?” I asked, the warning in my voice unmistakable. I might not be able to have Reina, but I’d be damned if I’d let my brother swoop in.
He said nothing, simply holding my glare and returning it in kind.
“Watch it, Dante,” I warned, my eyes narrowed on him. “I don’t know what the fuck your problem is, but I suggest you get a handle on it now. And don’t concern yourself with Reina.”
My brother and I had always seen eye to eye. Mostly. We had our disagreements, as all brothers did, but we’d never physically fought outside of practice.I guess there’s a first time for everything.
A hand landed on my shoulder.
“Amon, this is neither the time nor the place,” Illias warned.
I ignored him, my hand still wrapped around my brother’s neck. “I don’t want you near her.”
Dante sighed. “I’m not your enemy, Amon.” He jutted his chin in Reina’s direction, her body unmoving and giving no indication of being aware of us. “Ever since you broke it off with her, you’ve been different.” It was hard to dispute it. Ihadchanged. There was a black hole in my chest. “Just work it out, or you’ll destroy us all.” His eyes locked on the bed where Reina’s body lay. “It’s already destroyed her.”
“I fucking know that. Don’t you think I know that?” I hissed under my breath. “Do you think I need you to point out the obvious to me?”
He opened his mouth to answer but Konstantin cut him off.
“Dante, why don’t you step outside for a moment?” Judging by my brother’s expression, he was ready to tell him to fuck off, but before he could do that, Illias added, “Now.”
Illias’s tone said he wouldn’t take no for an answer. He was a fair but brutal Pakhan. As part of the Omertà, he could easily destroy us if he learned of our role—no, my role—in Reina’s accident. In my effort to distance myself from her, I had pushed her too far. I’d never fucking intended for her to become collateral damage in any scenario.
And yet she became exactly that, my mind whispered.
Dante met my eyes, shaking his head. “Fucking bullshit,” he muttered under his breath as he moved over to the door.
It wasn’t until it clicked shut behind him that Illias said, “I certainly hope you know what you’re doing.” My jaw tightened. “Fucking Romero’s daughter is a sure way to get yourself killed.”
“I’m not fucking her,” I gritted.Not anymore.
And that was the worst part. I still wanted her. I still craved her. No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t see her as my half sister. Goddamn it! I was all fucked up in the head. What kind of disturbed person still wanted a woman after learning they were related?
My throat constricted. Bile rose up again, but I swallowed it down, the bitter, disgusting taste souring my insides.
“Fine, have it your way.” Illias slid his hands into the immaculately tailored pockets of his suit pants. I had yet to see the guy wearing anything else in all the years I’d known him. He valued his appearance almost as much as his stalking skills when it came to Tatiana Nikolaev. Of course, he didn’t know I knew that. “Reina Romero can’t stay a secret here. You know that as well as I do. It’s a miracle the doctor hasn’t seen her picture on social media yet.”
“Thanks for pointing out the obvious,” I muttered, averting my eyes.
