Page 97 of Nash

I can’t see her suffer and not fight to fix it. I can’t listen to her murder songs in my car and not fall even deeper in love with her. I can’t feel her trembling hand on my shoulder, trusting me to protect her and not need it there for the rest of my life.

Even if it’s a short one.

The Queen was right. It is a mandate, and it’s not hers.

It’s my heart telling me I have no choice. I can’t deny it anymore. Even if I tried, there would be too many times I’d see Vale, probably with Alena, and our pain would be so overwhelming my daughter would see it. She has a big heart, just like her mom.

I’ve raised Alena with love, so she’ll want me to have it, too. She’ll accept me and Vale one day …I hope.

I call Axel with my change of plans. “We’ll stay at the marina until this system passes. And yes, I’ve found my queen.”

“Told you.”

What the fuck? This asshole barely gloats?

It’s not like him, and suddenly, I know it. “And you’ve found yours, too, you sneaky piece of shit.”

Normally, Axel would run my admission up a flag pole and let his victory whip in the wind for weeks, but he hardly blows out a candle on his victory cake about Vale.

“Who is she?” I demand an answer because this is monumental. After all Axel suffered over his first queen, I didn’t think he’d ever love again.

“Grant’s in the clear.” I hit a nerve, and he changes the subject. “No internal damage, just some wicked bruising.” Wait for the rage. “We’re going to rip the last pieces of that fucker apart when we find him.”

“We did so much damage already,” I reply, “he could’ve drowned.”

“We don’t operate on luck.Clearly.I can’t believe Grant let his guard down.”

“He feared we were losing our asset. We always check a pulse.”

I can see how it happened; Turner’s that sneaky, too. He acted like he was dying from his wounds, drawing Grant close enough to where he could go for his gun. Even with a bullet-proof vest on, firing at close range will knock any man down. It was enough time for Turner to escape. But I doubt anyone who jumps in a river in Turner’s condition could survive. The gators alone could kill him.

But Axel’s right. We run on intel, not doubts and luck.

It’s not luck that Turner doesn’t know the identities of the men who abducted and interrogated him. The numbers on Axel’s boat trace back to a bogus LLC; the same is true for mine. We wear masks. We use numbers, not names. I’m still the only one exposed—me and Vale.

If Turner is alive, we’re the bait he’ll come after.

“Alena?” Axel asks. “The other queens?”

“Secure.TheQueen?”

“With Grant.” Axel seethes, “And she wants blood.”

“She’ll get it,” I promise before Axel ends our call.

Going after a man like Turner is personal for Nadine, so it’s personal for us. Not killing him immediately was a strategic risk. His intel was too valuable. She doesn’t just want the man in charge; she wants his entire network, including the buyers. The kind of men who kidnapped, sold, and bought her at fourteen.

They’re the kind of men who, if they find Vale, will rip my heart from my chest if they hurt her. They’ll?—

“What are these?”

Her voice turns my gaze to see her standing at the top of the galley steps with sunglasses in her trembling hand.

Oh, fuck. She found my trophy.

Now, they’re my judge and jury.

“Why do you have my ex-boyfriend’s sunglasses on your boat?” she presses.

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