Page 20 of The Broken Queen
“She sometimes just goes on trips…she’s an adult, there’s no reason for her to be beholden to us about everything,” Dad justified with a broken voice.
He was wasting his breath. Didn’t fucking matter, all that did was that she was gone.
“Juan,” Mom warned. Our father snapped his head over, and the two spoke silently before a rugged sigh sailed past Dad’s lips.
“Not to break up the party, but what is the matter?” Scotty suddenly appeared inside our doorway. His shoulder was set against the frame, nonchalant, and as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
My jaw clenched as I glared at the man who had fucked up so much of this for us that I very seriously wanted to kill him. It was Dad who spoke up and explained what was going on.
“Alex is missing.”
Our mom’s expression was too open, too easily broken, for how she looked at Scotty for help.
Like this madman would ever assist us in any way.
Scotty glanced down at his nails and then rubbed them against his coat. “Oh, that. I know where she is.”
Mom stepped closer, her eyes watering.
“Be careful, Scotty,” Dad warned, while slowly sliding a blade into his palm.
Presley’s uncle searched the room and then snapped his fingers. Reaper, Max, and Rue all appeared from the darkened hallway, a low rumble rolling through the group of dogs as Scotty whispered something in German, which had the dogs’ ears lying flat.
Fucker.
“We outnumber you, Scotty. You’d risk the lives of your pets?” I asked, gripping my own knife.
“I trained them to protect me, so yes, I’m ready to risk that.”
“Please.” Mom walked directly in front of Scotty’s line of sight. “What do you know?”
Scotty searched the room before his jaw seemed to tense, and then his gaze dropped to the floor.
“Alexandria approached me about a week ago and asked what I thought of her going to help Presley. She just wanted to be an extra set of eyes and ears, keep Presley safe if she could. Presley had used a code word indicating that there might because to be on alert, so when Alexandria asked, I said yes.”
Dad’s eyes were huge as he stepped forward. “So you’re telling me that you sent my daughter to Italy?”
Scotty’s dark brows caved inward as he searched our faces. “She’ll be with Presley at Adrian’s residence. If Presley is there, then your daughter will be safe.”
I caught Mom glancing at Dad, and silent tears trailed down her face.
“Except it isn’t safe.”
Scotty tried to gauge what was going on from our reactions. By the way his dogs whined and shifted, I’d say he seemed unsettled. “Why?”
Dad swallowed thickly before his voice cracked. “Because Markos is alive and from what the boys just showed me, he’s been watching Alex just like he used to watch Taylor.”
I wish I hadn’t been there to see my mother’s facefill with horror at that news. I wish I hadn’t been there to see the way her eyes rounded or the way her hand fell to her stomach as a small sound of shock slipped past her mouth.
“So, he’s in Italy.” Scotty’s eyes flicked to mine, and I knew right then that he realized he was wrong. That he and Presley had fucked up in a major way. That he sent his preciousLányaright into the arms of a monster.
“I missed the connection,” Scotty admitted, lowering his chin to his chest.
Gio snapped at him angrily, “You didn’t trust us. Now we’re all fucked.”
Scotty pulled out his phone and made a call, but whoever it was he’d called didn’t answer. Somewhere, deep down, I knew it was Presley, and even further down, I worried she’d be hurt or worse. My only hope was that Alex being there did, in fact, help her in some way.
Chapter 8
