Page 46 of Pretty Vengeful Queen

Once we finally clamber out of bed and head down to the kitchen, Maddoc immediately gets us all back on track, reminding us that West Point has a serious advantage over us now that McKenna is in control of Riley’s inheritance.

Dante starts up some coffee as we begin to discuss how to fucking deal with that, and I pull out meat, vegetables, and eggs to start an omelet for Riley and my brothers.

“He got all the money,” Riley says as we review what we know, a stricken look on her face. “I signed everything over. Shit. Why didn’t I fight him?”

“Because you needed to stay the fuck alive,” Maddoc growls as Dante smooths his hand down her hair, the vibrant colors twining around his fingers.

“You did what you had to, princess,” he adds. “That’s all we fucking care about.”

“Austin can do some terrible things with the money though, can’t he?” she asks, her eyes flicking between us.

“He can fucking try.” Rage flashes in Maddoc’s eyes for a moment, then he slips his calm mask of leadership back on and scrubs a hand over his face. “Hewilltry. But having a few more resources is about the only advantage that piece of shit has, butterfly. West Point will never take us out, because McKenna doesn’t actually know how to build something that will last. He’s got no fucking loyalty, and it’s gonna come back and bite him in the ass at some point, when money can’t help him.”

I agree with Maddoc’s assessment, but Riley doesn’t need to be coddled. The facts are that McKenna isn’t going to win here, but he can still do a lot of damage along the way.

I share a look with Dante, seeing the same thoughts brewing in his green eyes.

Maddoc catches it.

“Fuck,” he says with a sigh, his expression grim. “Yeah, okay, he’s gonna cause some problems. We need to do damage control and try to predict where he’ll strike us first.”

“And what his endgame is,” Dante throws in.

We discuss a few potential scenarios as I crack eggs into the pan I just heated and whisk in the other ingredients, and the mood in the kitchen shifts to something grimmer with each one.

“What about the other gangs?” Riley asks, accepting a cup of coffee from Dante as I start to plate the omelets. “Will you lose allies over this? Or will Austin go after some of the others? Not to sound cold, but maybe that will buy you some time?”

“Us,” Maddoc corrects her, taking the coffee out of her hand as she lifts it to her lips and grabbing her chin to hold her in place. His eyes drill into hers. “Buyussome time.”

“Us,” she repeats, smiling.

He dips down to steal a kiss, then hands her back her coffee.

“But yes,” I tell her, “we’ll lose allies, and McKenna will try to take over some of the weaker gangs’ territories now that he’s got access to so many resources, but he won’t do it strategically.”

Riley blinks. “Why not?”

Dante laughs, a dark sound that he’s not suited for. “’Cause he fucking hates us. It will cloud his judgment.”

Maddoc’s lips compress into a thin line, and he nods sharply. “We’ll do what we can to protect our holdings and set up some lines of defense, but we’re flying blind until he shows his hand. Right now, we only know two things for sure. He’s got a lot more resources than he used to, and Dante’s right. McKenna hates the Reapers, so he’s not gonna be strategic. He’s going to make this personal.”

“He already has,” I say, my knuckles whitening as my hand tightens on the spatula I’m holding, picturing those marks he left on our girl.

She may like pain, but onlymypain. Only from me or my brothers. If Maddoc doesn’t kill him for what he did to her, I’ll do it myself.

“He was trying to make it personal when he offered to trade for me,” Riley says in a strained voice, looking at Maddoc. “He doesn’t just hate the Reapers, he hatesyou.”

Maddoc nods. “And now that he knows what you mean to me, butterfly, he’s gonna become an even bigger threat.”

She makes a strangled sound, her hand flying up to cover her mouth. “So, if I wasn’t—”

“Don’t,” Maddoc cuts her off sharply. “That’s not what I meant. That’s not ever gonna be the answer. You’re ours. That isn’t negotiable.”

“Having you here just gives us more to fight for, princess,” Dante says, a deadly gleam in his eye as he grins at her. “And it puts things into perspective when it comes to the Reapers and West Point coexisting here.”

“How can we?” Riley asks. “Austin will turn the city into a war zone.”

“That’s right,” I say, slipping the omelet onto her plate. “Dante meant we can’t coexist. It’s no longer possible. This isn’t just about territory anymore. We’ll have to end it.”

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