Page 35 of The Broken Queen
Dad sipped from his mug again, then settled it on his knee. “This isn’t easy for me to agree to, nor is it easy to ask. However, I’m not too proud to do whatever needs to be done for the sake of my daughter. I need your sister to be safe, so I’m asking you both to lead El Peligro to their doorstep and get her and Presley out.”
Kingston slowly slid his gaze over to me, and while I didn’t see any reaction there, I knew what he was thinking. So, I asked it.
“What if Presley doesn’t want to leave?”
Dad set his mug to the side and brought his hands together. “Adrian was insistent that she’d be returning.”
Probably to stay with Alex, or to touch base with Scotty. I had a feeling she’d want to come back with her, but this just confirmed it.
King’s brow raised as he sat forward. “You’re sure she’ll leave with us?”
I replied arrogantly. “Why don’t you just text her, Kingston?”
Dad let out a heavy sigh. “I honestly don’t know, but based off what Adrian said, both girls will be ready to go, and from the severity of the situation, I don’t think Presley will have preferences on who it is that picks her up. You can both stay behind and lead from a distance so you don’t have to be around Presley if that’s a concern of yours.”
The onlyconcernwas that she might try and shoot us on sight.
“It’ll be fine,” I snapped, pulling my cell out. Henry would have to start mobilizing the guys tonight, so we could leave first thing in the morning.
“How do we communicate with Adrian regarding the pick up?” Kingston asked.
Dad pulled his phone out and examined the screen before shaking his head. “You don’t. There’s a location for you to go and a time frame in which to arrive, and that’s all.”
I scoffed, “You realize this could be a trap.”
Dad’s eyes burned under the lights, making his amber eyes glow. Sometimes I got jealous that he and Kingston looked so similar. I took more after my mother, with what felt like lighter skin comparedto King, and lighter blue eyes, and even my hair didn’t seem quite as dark as his. He was like a shadow, everything darker and colder.
“That’s why you’re going in with the army you built. This is exactly why you have it. A risk worth taking to get your sister out of there.”
Kingston sighed heavily and slowly got to his feet. “When do we get to kill Scotty for sending her there to begin with?”
Dad didn’t wince or flinch as he looked us both in the eye and replied, “As far as I’m concerned, I never heard you ask, and I have no information whatsoever on anything that might happen to him from here on out. Whatever I may have told you before regarding the rules of this manor and respecting his training guidelines, consider them gone. Scotty James is a threat to this family.”
King and I both watched him as he left, and then our gazes locked on one another. I’d wanted to kill Scotty for a long fucking time, but my love for Presley had always stopped me. I wondered if King would still stand by that reason for not murdering her uncle or if he’d finally own up to the lie he’d been telling about how he’s over her. This might prove to be a great way to test that theory.
Chapter 13
Presley
Adrian kept looking over at me, as if he wanted to say something.
Ever since our little vent session, things between us were strained and awkward. I wanted to move into the room with Alex, but he reminded me that his entire staff was reporting to Markos. We were supposed to be planning a wedding, so sleeping apart wouldn’t exactly fly.
I understood that Adrian felt as though he was justified in his vengeance, but he had so much time to come clean and tell me what had happened. Even during those months where I had been visiting him, and I had opened up to him, he hadn’t. Even at the dinner, when I specifically asked about his brothers, he’d lied.
I was angry, and I was tired of men treating me like I was an optional tool to pick up and toss back into a drawer when it served them best. So, this morning, when he alerted me that we’d be venturing to the countryside for a picnic and that Alex was welcome to join us, I knew he meant that we’d finally found a way to get home. I packed only my cell, charger, and my gun into my purse,knowing everything else could be replaced. I just wanted to get Alex home.
We took the Range Rover, which put Adrian in the front, next to our driver, while Alex and I were in the back. After an hour of heading farther into the countryside, and away from civilization, I worried that Adrian might have been planning something else other than our freedom. My stomach flipped as I stared out the window at the passing vineyards and low- hanging trees, the green hills, and the cliffsides.
Adrian laughed with our driver about a soccer game and other sports, as if nothing were wrong. Alex tapped out a message on her arm for me to relax, which meant I was noticeably anxious. I decided to make a show of excitement for my engagement by swiping through pictures of my wedding dress with Alex. Ironically, before all this, I really was planning to marry Adrian. Themes had been picked, center piece ideas and even the cake had all been decided. While it made me sad, showing her how gorgeous the details of the dress were worked to take the edge off my stress, until I caught Adrian’s hurt expression in the mirror.
He held my gaze for several heavy seconds until finally, Adrian cleared his throat. “Presley darling, will these flowers along the hillside be sufficient for what you’d envisioned for our wedding?”
I made a show of looking out Alex’s window and smiled. “These are perfect. Can we pull over so Alex can help me look through them?”
Adrian muttered an order to the driver, and within minutes, we’d pulled over to the side of the road, and I started toward the hillside, holding Alex’s hand. I knew he had to do something to take care of the driver, but I didn’t stick around to watch. Moments later, Adrian began running behind us as he tossed a needle to the side of the road.
“Hurry, Markos is tracking the vehicle. There’s at least two of his cars behind us by a mile or so; we need to disappear into the trees.”
