Page 72 of Rebellion of a Kingdom

“You win okay, I'll marry you, just stop. Let Taylor go and free Jace and I'll marry you.” I rush my words out as panic attempts to assault me. She isn’t bleeding that much, so he probably hasn’t hit anything vital, she just needs to get to a hospital. If I can just get them both out of here, then everything will be okay. It has to be.

Greg preens with satisfaction, “You got yourself a deal, Miss King, or should I say, Mrs. Donovan?” He hollers out in celebration, bringing the knife up into the air.

“Except for one thing.” The silver blade glints in the flashing light and then it happens so fast. His sadistic cheer, the grief-stricken scream, the vacant stare. I don’t realize what he’s done until he lets Taylor’s body drop to the floor next to Jace.

“My wife needs to learn her place.” He gleams, “do not defy me again.”

I don’t say anything, just stare at her lifeless body at his feet.

He slit her throat.

Chapter 43

MARCUS

Eleven minutes and forty five seconds. That's how long it takes us to get from the South Side up to the house. A house we haven’t been to in weeks, not since the night we left to get Cassie. I never thought I would be scared to come here, but right now, as we pass the line of trees up the driveway, I’m fucking terrified. There’s two bodies here, dumped onto the gravel like trash. Bodies that might just belong to my brother and my girl. A fact I try to prepare myself for, but how can I? What could ever prepare you for seeing something like that? Trust me, I know. My father’s dead body has been imprinted onto my brain since the night I found him. I can’t add to that.

The stones skid beneath the tires as I slam on the breaks and dive from the car, Asher right behind me. We didn’t wait for Max’s guys and I don’t give a fuck about them right now. The only thing that matters to me is the identity of these bodies. I spot them lying side by side, one male and one female.

My knees give out and I stumble to the ground, as I stare at them. The hands and feet are bound and there is a bag on both of their heads. The girl is wearing nothing but her underwear and her blood. Please don’t be my Ells. The bitterness of heartache bites at the back of my throat as I try to find any distinguishable markings, but there is just too much blood.

Asher passes me, slowly approaching them and crouching down. For the first time ever, I see him hesitate, like what could be under that bag is going to kill him as much as it would me. Grinding his jaw, he slowly reaches down to pull the bag off the girl’s body, and I close my eyes, waiting in agony.

“Fuck.” He mutters and my eyes snap back open as an anguished noise escapes me.

“It isn’t her.” He starts and I wish those three words could bring me some sort of comfort, but the next ones out of his mouth change everything. “It’s Taylor Kennedy.”

What? Oh God, no. I rush to my feet and move towards them just as my phone rings. I pull it out, answering it blindly as I stare down in disbelief at Taylor’s corpse. What the fuck? How did they get to her?

“Marcus?” Linc’s voice cuts into my sorrow. “We see you there, who is it?” His words are rushed and laced with panic, nothing like my quiet and reserved brother.

“It’s Taylor.” I choke out, bringing my fingers to my eyes, forcing them closed. So many memories assault my mind of her from when we were kids. She was the only true girlfriend Elle ever had, the only person from the North Side who didn’t treat me like a fucking pariah after my dad was killed. She was getting close to us again, too close, and now look at her. Caught in the crossfire of a war we shouldn’t even have to fucking fight. We should have done better, she deserved better. So why is it, the only thing I can think is, thank god it’s not Elle. It could still be Jace.

I bend down, ripping the bag from the male’s body and almost choke on relief when it isn’t him. Instead, Mason’s lifeless eyes stare up at me, his face battered and bruised. He put up a good fight before they killed him.

“Brother?” Lincoln whispers out and I know he’s waiting for me to tell him who it is. Waiting for me to tell him our world isn’t falling apart.

“It’s not Jace.” Is all I can manage. He might not be laying here dead, but all that does is remind me that he is alive somewhere and no doubt suffering. What’s going to happen when he finds out about this? He didn’t want Taylor involved at all. I know things were starting to change between them. Even if he wasn’t ready to admit it, I saw it, we all did. And now she's dead. He probably already knows, it’s probably the reason they were able to get to them in the first place. Fuck, how did we miss this?

“Fuck.” Lincoln curses bitterly, and I can hear people in the background mirroring his sentiment. This changes things. Elle is strong, the strongest person I know. She would fight to the death if she had to. She’s done it before, and she’d do it again. So many things could have broken her, but she never let it. She’s always fought back bigger and harder and without remorse, because she knew she had her own back. Only now, it isn’t just her own back she will be worried about.

“Marcus!” Asher snaps, and I open my eyes and lock in on him. He’s holding a bloodied piece of paper in his hand so tight that I’m surprised it doesn’t rip to shreds. I don’t need him to tell me who it’s from. Only one person in this town would drop off a pair of dead bodies with a fucking note. He holds it out for me, and I snatch it from his outstretched fist to read it.

I’ve got the Kingdom. I’ve got the King.

We’ll seal the deal with a diamond ring.

I want a wife. Those words plunge to the forefront of my mind. That’s what Greg said on the phone the night he took Cassie. That he would hand her over in exchange for a wife. The perfect wife. He’s going to make Elle marry him. Except I know Elle, my Ells would never agree to something like that. But then I look down at Taylor’s cold dead body and I know she already has. This is why they were dumped here for us to find. The message isn’t their bodies, it was just proof of Elle’s submission. Mason would have been killed before Elle and Jace were taken in order for Greg to be able to get to them. But what about Taylor? Owen is supposed to be guarding her, he isn’t with Max and he isn’t here, so where the hell is he?

I look down at Taylor again and grimace. This would have pushed Elle over the edge. Taylor may be dead, but Jace must still be alive. She will do anything to protect him, even if that means she has to tie herself to a fucking psycho.

“Fuck!!!” This is bad, worse than I thought. We are well and truly fucked. Another car speeds down the driveway and before it even stops, Liam is jumping from it, followed by Oliver after he kills the engine.

I push towards them and halt them, I know these won’t be the first bodies they’ve seen or dealt with, but their friend is here. “Wait a minute,” I start, but Liam cuts me off.

“It’s Mase, isn’t it.” He asks in a pained tone and all I can do is nod in confirmation. They both push past me so they can look for themselves.

“Fucking bastards.” Oliver curses, as he looks down at his friend. “Spineless fucking bastards.” He shakes his head in disgust as he looks back to me. “Owen?”

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