Page 50 of Bitter Queen (Advantage Play 4)

“I don’t give a shit what our greatest concern is.” My chest heaves. “He was obsessed with her, King. You have no idea the shit he put her through.”

“I can imagine,” Dex interjects. “And if anyone has a beef with the bastard, it’s me. We’ll take care of him too. I promise. But first, we need answers.”

Kingston grits his teeth before finishing, “And we need them now.”

Shoving myself away from the table, I pace the kitchen floor while wrestling with my fury.

“D,” Kingston orders. “Get Q and meet me in my office. Everyone else is dismissed.”

The sound of chairs scraping against the floor echoes around the room before everyone shuffles away, leaving me alone. I breathe deep, searching for a sense of calm, but anytime I close my eyes, I see the scars dancing along Q’s skin. The bruises marring her cheek and back. The tears dripping off her chin because it’s too much of an effort to wipe them away.

And it’s all because of Sei. He’s still out there. The bastard that hurt her is walking around. Free. The last of my restraint snaps. I pick up a glass from the table and chuck it against the wall. It shatters on contact but does nothing to stop me from unraveling.

I stare at the shattered glass for a few more seconds, then steady my breathing and head toward the stairs in search of Q. She deserves to know that her monster is still out there. I just don’t know how to break it to her.

And King’s right. If I’m going to be able to protect her, then we need answers.

My legs feel like lead as I trudge down the hallway toward her room. Tapping my knuckles against the cracked door, I wait for her to answer with my chin to my chest. A few seconds later, her trimmed fingernails peek through the small gap of the door before pulling it the rest of the way open. Her hair hangs wet around her shoulders, and she’s in a fresh set of clothes.

“Hi,” she greets me with pink cheeks as her gaze drops to the ground. Tight, dark jeans cling to her thighs while a sexy as hell white crop top lets her belly button play peek-a-boo. When she catches me staring, she tugs at the hem before I grab her wrist and stop her.

“You look gorgeous,” I tell her.

“You think?”

“Yeah.” A soft smile etches itself onto my face as she tucks her hair behind her ear and avoids holding my gaze. It’s almost enough to erase my conversation with King. But not quite.

“Where’d you get it?” I prod.

“Ace. She uh, she got some more clothes for me.”

“That was nice of her.”

Tucking her hands into her back pockets, she rocks back on her heels. “Yeah. It’s not something I’d normally pick out, but….”

“Do you like them?” I ask, tilting my head to the side.

That same blush spreads down her neck before she peeks up at me and smiles. “Yeah. I think I do.”

“Then that’s all that matters.” Lifting her chin with the pad of my finger, I add, “King wants to talk with you.”

“Why?”

“Because we gotta figure out who’s looking for you, Q.”

Like a bucket of ice water has been dropped over her head, she gasps and rushes out, “No one’s looking for me.”

“And we believe otherwise.” Keeping my tone gentle, I prod, “Are you hiding something, Blue?”

She shakes her head back and forth, avoiding my gaze again. Only this time, I’m afraid it’s for an entirely different reason.

“Tell me,” I push.

“There’s nothing to tell. I don’t know who’s looking for me. I’m no one special, D.”

“And I beg to differ. Come on. Let’s get this over with.” With my hand against her lower back, I lead her to Kingston’s office. My steps are slow as I search for a way out of this. But there isn’t one.

King’s right. She’s hiding something. I just wish she trusted me enough to tell me what it is without Kingston getting involved.

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