Page 22 of The Broken Queen
Markos was sipping his wine again while laughing with Renzo and Benni. Adrian’s hand moved to my thigh, where my gun used to be before Markos had kindly requested I leave it behind. I wouldn’t have, but he used the excuse that I had already threatened him by pointing it at his head.
Reluctantly, I had relinquished it.
Guns were not the only way I knew how to defend myself, but something was digging in the back of my mind that there was more to this sudden appearance of Markos. While Alex might be right about the plan to eradicate my family, I had to think there was something deeper going on here. Why else go through this ruse and not just put a bullet in my head? Adrian knew where my father lived; it wasn’t like he couldn’t just dump my body on their doorstep.
“I wanted to give you an engagement present,” Markos said, pinning both me and Adrian with a heartfelt stare.
“You know you don’t need—” Adrian started.
Markos waved his hand. “Nonsense, it’s my pleasure to gift something to my sons, and by extension, their new partners.”
My blood froze in my veins as I heard footsteps in the hall.
“Years ago, I actually ran within the same circle as your parents, Presley. I had the pleasure of meeting your mother and your father. In fact, I was very close to your mother for a short time.”
He was lying. My mother would have cut his dick off before getting close to him.
“There was someone back then that stood in the way of your mother’s happiness, Presley. Someone who was nearly responsible for her downfall. I’ve kept tabs on this person for years, and I’m happy to say that I have finally managed to bring him to justice, and my gift to you is that you’ll get the honors of dispatching him.”
What the actual fuck?
Before I could say anything, there were sounds of a struggle in the hall, and two bulky men were dragging someone in, so their feet were scuffing the floor. A man in his late sixties was tossed on the table, over all the glassware and food. His groan of pain and outrage echoed around the room. It made me jump from my seat briskly, just like Adrian and Alex had.
“Please. Take your seats,” Markos requested, with a wave of his hand.
Adrian helped me back into my seat, but I didn’t scoot near the table. This entire situation was weird. The man wore a simple white t-shirt and flannel pajama pants. His hair was thinning so much, he was nearly bald.
His blue eyes landed on me, and immediately his brows lifted to his hairline.
“Rylie?”
I had no idea who this man was, but he knew my mom…
I shook my head to answer the man, and then Markos loaded a pistol across the room before walking over to me.
A singular bullet.
“Do you know who this man is?”
“Markos,” Adrian warned.
Markos ignored him and took a few steps around the table. There was glass that had punctured the man’s skin. Blood was seeping onto the tablecloth, but the man didn’t seem to even register that he’d been hurt other than emanating a few groans.
“Rylie,” he moaned in pain.
My stomach flipped as panic set in. Alex gripped the silver butter knife that had been discarded on the table. She glanced around to ensure no one saw her lowering it to her side but she didn’t have to worry because everyone’s gaze was locked on me for some reason.
“Who is he?” I asked.
Markos tilted his head. “You don’t know?”
The man on the table moaned in pain again, but I studied hisface, seeing a similar nose and forehead to my mother’s. He’d said her name…surely this wasn’t her father.
“Is this…” No.
She hadn’t ever told me about him…there was supposedly some attempt that he’d made to reach out after I was born, but we were traveling a lot. I didn’t know if it was because we were in hiding for so long or if it had something to do with him, but I knew Mom and him were estranged.
“This is your grandfather,” Markos remarked.
