Page 140 of Tarnished Queen

But this time will be the last.

Tonight, this all comes to an end.

Her message told me to come alone, so I ease through the unlocked front door and into the long, narrow entryway by myself. Christo is parked nearby, a group of my men on standby a few blocks away. But I don’t think I’ll need them.

The last time Christo and I were here, I knew instantly the building was empty. The air was stale and every noise rang through the space like a hollow drum. But today, there’s an electricity in the air. I feel myself being drawn forward like there’s an invisible string attached to my chest.

Belle is here.

I know it.

My gun is on my hip. I rest my hand there as I step through the door into the main space. Dust swirls in front of the fluorescent lights in the ceiling and dim shafts of moonlight cut through the few windows that aren’t blacked out. It’s into one of these patches of light that Xena emerges.

“You came,” she trills happily.

I fight an eye roll. The woman is staging this like a fucking movie. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had some of her men come and stir up the dust just to make it more cinematic.

“Did you think I wouldn’t?”

She lifts a lazy shoulder. “Maybe I had doubts about your true feelings for your darling bride. I wondered if she’d be worth the trouble.”

“You clearly thought so,” I reply. “You’ve tried to abduct her three times now. Maybe we should question if you’re the one in love with her.”

Xena laughs. “You know I only have eyes for you, Nikky.”

“You only have eyes for yourself. The only reason you give a shit about me is because I don’t give a shit about you.”

Proving my point, Xena’s smile sharpens. Her eyes brighten, and I half-expect them to shift into something predatory and inhuman. She doesn’t scare me in the slightest, but she’s a hunter, no doubt about that. I’d be foolish to underestimate her.

“Don’t provoke me, Nikolai. I still have your wife. Or have you already forgotten?”

I’ve been actively working not to scan the room. I don’t want Xena to think I’m panicked. But the fact I haven’t seen any proof that Belle is here—or alive, even—is weighing on me.

The last conversation we had… Things between us can’t end that way.

“I haven’t forgotten a thing,” I tell her. “I’m just not surprised. I held up my end of the bargain and showed up, but I doubted whether you’d hold up yours. Maybe no one has told you this before, but you’re kind of a sneaky bitch.”

Xena tips her head back and cackles. The light glints off her teeth, and for a second, they look like fangs. “Such a charmer. Shame our wedding didn’t pan out. Though maybe we’ll get a second chance. Nothing is guaranteed. People die all the time these days. Especially people close to you.”

I gnash my teeth. “Where is she, Xena?”

Xena stares back at me for a few seconds, her brow arched. It’s a wordless challenge. A quiet game of Chicken.

I bite my tongue and wait. She can’t bait me the way she can everyone else in her life. I won’t fall for her tricks.

Finally, Xena sighs and waves an arm over her head. “God, you’re no fun.”

A door at the back of the warehouse opens and two figures break through the gloom. Even in the shadows, it’s not hard to figure out which one is Belle.

She’s small and pale, and her head snaps in my direction the moment the door opens. She has a gag belted around her mouth, and at the sight of it, my hands ball into fists so tight I think my knuckles might burst.

The man holding her, however, keeps his gaze trained on Xena. As they move across the room, he holds onto Belle’s arms. I’m distracted by his hands on her biceps, by the delightful thought of breaking his fingers one by one for even daring to touch her.

But when they step into the light next to Xena, my anger bubbles to the surface. A low growl rumbles through my chest.

“Makar.”

He turns to me, and sure enough, my ex-soldier is the one manhandling my wife. He grimaces like he’s tasted something bad. The feeling is more than mutual.

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