Page 92 of Bitter Queen (Advantage Play 4)

I’m seconds from slipping under. The damage from his punishing brutality is too much to handle. But at least I fought. At least I tried. That has to count for something. Maybe Diece would be proud of me even though I didn’t get away.

I can feel my face swelling as the darkness threatens to pull me under when a loud bang breaks its way through my ringing ears. Sei’s head snaps toward it before he delivers a final, brutal punch.

One that sends me into oblivion.

35

Diece

“What’s the plan?” Dex asks from the back seat as our car rolls past the stop sign. At least the intersection was empty.

I squeeze the steering wheel a little tighter and wait for Kingston’s orders, but the bastard doesn’t say a word.

“Boss?” Stefan prods next to Dex in the back.

Glancing to my right, Kingston stares back at me from the passenger seat.

“Depends on what Diece wants,” he returns.

“You’re the boss,” I counter.

“Today, it looks like we’re at your disposal. How do you want to handle this?”

This.

As in, how do I want to handle the motherfucker who has been holing up in Ace’s apartment, scrambled our cameras, kidnapped Q, and has likely been raping her ever since?

My jaw tics before I push the gas pedal down further. The streets blur as I race toward the rundown apartment like a bat out of Hell.

“D?” Kingston prods.

“If she’s still alive, then she deserves to look the bastard in the eyes when he dies. We’ll take him with us to the shed.”

There’s a heavy silence that sucks all the oxygen from the cab of the black Cadillac before Dex clears his throat. “And if she’s not?”

“Then, he’s mine.”

The tires screech against the black pavement as I turn into the parking lot. Shoving the car into park, we open our doors in unison then scan the area for witnesses. Other than the homeless guy near the back of the lot, it’s empty.

The light near the entrance flickers like a horror movie, hinting at the climax that is guaranteed to chill my bones. I shake off the thought, then pull out my pistol and let the stairs take my weight as we creep up them.

When we reach Ace’s door, I brush my index finger against my lips and strain to hear anything on the opposite side.

A loud thump reverberates through it.

My blood is pulsing in my ears as the unfamiliar rush of fear damn near chokes me. Dex lifts his chin toward the handle.

It’s locked.

“Six. Six. Six,” a soft voice whimpers through the door. And it’s more than I can take.

The door flies open with a heavy kick, and I raise my gun in the air before surveying the apartment that once belonged to Ace. The small family room is trashed but empty, along with the barren kitchen that’s littered with empty take-out containers. He’s been holed up in here for a while.

Elbows locked and my finger on the trigger, I take another step into the apartment and study the dark hallway that leads to Ace’s bedroom. An unconscious Q lies on the floor. She looks more like an abused ragdoll than the woman I’ve fallen for. And it confirms my worst fears.

I close the distance between us as fast as I can when a large shadow catches my attention from my periphery. Running on pure adrenaline and instinct, I dive for the figure at the last instant, catching us both by surprise. He scrambles for the knife at the foot of the bed, but I yank him back by his long, greasy hair before slamming his body against the floor with all my strength. Like a little bitch, he squeals when my fist connects with the left side of his face, but it only fuels my fury. His blood splatters along my arms and once-white shirt before a set of arms drags me back.

“He’s out, man. He’s out.”

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