Page 39 of Midnight Queen

Lucy winces. “Yeah, I remember.”

“Great.” I clap my hands together. “I want to be that drunk in the next hour. So, you, my friend, can get a bottle and start pouring the drinks.”

Lorcan curses under his breath. “That’syour plan? Getting drunk alone in some club?”

“Yup.”

Slowly, a grin that matches mine grows on Lucy’s face. “Who said she’s drinking alone?” Waving her hand at the bartender behind the counter, she shouts, “Tequila, top shelf!”

And that’s another reason I love Lucy, no matter how stupid the plan or idea, she’ll be right there with me, lime and salt at the ready.

The vindictive monster inside me purrs at the sight in front of me, satisfied with what we’ve done to our enemy.

The ten-by-ten room is made of nothing but white marble and vampire-proof glass. Each wall of the glorified jail cell is see-through.

Even if he wanted to, there’s nowhere for him to hide. The high wattage fluorescent lights ensure there aren’t any shadows for him to slink into like the coward he is. He’s getting his wish; I can see every deceitful inch of him.

Just like he’d done to Quincey, Gideon has been left exposed and bare in his glass box—like my own goddamn zoo exhibit.

Quincey hasn’t talked about her time with him, and I haven’t pried for information, too afraid I’d push her too far and I’d inadvertently hinder her healing process, but the few bits of information she’d offered freely were small tidbits about how she thought Gideon’s psyche had completely crumbled.

I’d figured that to be true based on what I saw on the video feed but watching the man who was once my most trusted confidant sit in the corner of the glass room with his knees pulled to his chest while he talks endlessly to himself, confirms Quincey’s theory.

The final straw for this man’s mind was when I took the last thing he had going for him; his revenge plan against me. With that now destroyed, no part of him resembles the man I once knew.

A truly unfortunate occurrence, seeing as I need more information from him.

I need to know who the fuck his partner is because while he’s been here in this box, someone is still targeting me.

This time, they aren’t damaging the properties or product. They’re purposely targeting the employees I have working at those locations. Aside from when he killed my men working at the docks, Gideon hadn’t set out to kill my staff. They were simply collateral damage—civilian casualties in the war that Gideon was determined to have.

But that’s all changed this past week. Twice now, my businesses have been targeted, and the employees have been brutally murdered. Twenty human lives have been taken so far.

The guard hits the intercom button at my signal. At the loud buzz as the mic connects, Gideon jerks in surprise, but he doesn’t stop speaking his mumbled words.

His eyes dart around the small room and stop when they find me standing outside the glass.

“Do you regret it now?” I use the same words he’d asked me at the warehouse. He doesn’t answer me, but I didn’t expect him to. My head cocks to the side, my face devoid of any expression as I observe him. “I can only assume this isn’t the outcome you saw when you formulated this plan.” My hands clasp behind my back and I begin to slowly circle the glass cube. “No. You never thought you’d live this long, isn’t that right?” I fill in the blanks for him, seeing as he still prefers to talk to himself. I come to a stop just outside the glass wall he sits in front of. “You thought you could take Quincey from me, then be reunited with your Margret.”

I know this to be fact. He’s said as much to Quincey when he tortured her.

At the mention of her name, his mouth finally stops forming indecipherable words and his head snaps in my direction. Faster than any human could move, Gideon is on his feet. Standing directly in front of me, his fist slams against the glass. He violently screams, “Where is she? You took her from me!” Saliva flies from his mouth, splattering the clear glass. “I can’t see her anymore! What have you done with her?”

“Tell me who your partner is, and I’ll let you see her again.” It’s an offer I have no intention of following through with. The only way he can see her again is through death, and like I’ve said, he’s not getting off that easily.

If he’s comprehended what I’ve said, it isn’t clear, the wild—completely insane—look in his eye disguises any other emotion or thought he has.

“Margret has always been my partner.”

“That might be true, but I know there is someone else,” I press, unwilling to let this go. The lives are on the line. “Tell me who it is.”

He backs away from the glass at an unnaturally slow pace. His fingers twist together, and he turns away. Once again, he begins a conversation with himself that only he can understand.

My patience for the matter begins to wear thin. I told Quincey I would only be gone a couple of hours, and I don’t want her to be alone for too long. Though I have a suspicion that Lorcan ignored my warning to leave her be. Like a toddler, he likes to do the opposite of what he’s told. He may be over two hundred years old, but he’s never used that time to mature.

Just before I’m about to enact my plan B for getting Gideon to talk, he whirls around, a concerning grin on his face. “Bring Quincey here.”

My chest begins to rumble hearing him use her name. It’s as if he wishes for me to cut his tongue from his mouth.

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