Page 55 of Midnight Queen

In the past couple of days, Quincey has taken to sitting out there for a few minutes a day. Sometimes she talks to him and sometimes she simply just looks at the roses he left behind, but either way she goes out there alone and mourns Ira.

But tonight, she’s not alone. Lorcan is with her, sitting next to her on the bench. He nods as he listens to whatever she says. She speaks in such a hushed tone, I can’t pick up on it through the glass.

Suspicion and a tinge of distrust mix in my gut when I push open the doors and walk into the night air.

Lorcan hears me first, his brown eyes looking over his shoulder at me as I approach. His tattooed elbow nudges Quincey, drawing her attention to me too.

A happy smile breaks out across her face. “There you are. I was worried you were going to lock yourself in your office all night.” Her lack of guilt or concern for interrupting them quells some of the unease I’m feeling.

“What are you two doing out here?” I ask, still feeling curious about their whispering.

Lorcan leans back on the bench in a relaxed slump. “Quincey was telling me a little about that Ira fellow and how he basically played matchmaker for you two lovebirds.”

Quincey was his parting gift to me before he died. I’m thankful to him for a lot of reasons, but I owe him everything for bringing her into my life.

She smiles fondly at the memory while looking at the rose bushes that surround us. “I’m glad that he’ll get to spend the rest of his time here where he was happiest.”

After having to put everything on hold to tend to Quincey, Ira will finally be put to rest here in the garden. His wishes in his will was for his ashes to be scattered in a place of my choosing. Ira stressed in depth that he didn’t want‘his urn to be left on some shelf to collect dust’, which illustrates how well the human knew me. It was Quincey’s idea that they be spread in the soil of the roses.In them, he will continue to live.

Lorcan’s head bobs in agreement, but there’s an idiotic look on his face that tells me an equally idiot comment is about to be made. “If I ever die, stuff me like one of those deer, but instead of mounting me on some wall like humans like to do, put me on wheels so you can move me room to room. That way I’m still involved.” His lips curl in a smirk at Quincey. “You can put me at the end of your bed. You know I like to watch.”

And there it is.

Quincey’s mouth drops open, appalled, while I feel my face darken and a low growl form in my chest. I think we’re both equally troubled by his remark, but when her lips curl into a smile and she begins to laugh, I learn I’m wrong.

“Oh my god. That’s brilliant. I could put you on the porch as a Halloween decoration. It’ll scare the shit out of trick or treaters and the mailman,” she jokes between laughs.

Frowning at this, I remind her, “We don’t have mail delivered to the house and we definitely do not have children in costumes coming to our door. It’s a safety hazard.”

Wiping the laughter-induced tears from her eyes, Quincey looks at me and shakes her head. “Yeah, no shit, baby. It was a joke—I know you know what those are.” She and Lorcan share an amused glance before she stands from the bench. “And let’s not forget that this house is in the middle of bumfuck nowhere. Not exactly an ideal stop for trick-or-treating.”

“I don’t like neighbors,”

“Really? That’s a startling revelation and brand-new information to me,” she drawls dramatically as her arms encircle my waist. “I never would have guessed that about you.”

Lorcan chuckles but doesn’t add further to the jest.

Even if her good mood and jokes are at my expense, I’m enjoying seeing her laugh and smile. I hate to ruin it for her, but it must be done.

Observant as ever, she senses my shift and her face falls. “What happened?” All the humor that had just been present in her voice is gone.

Lorcan’s relaxed posture also stiffens, and his face becomes serious. He shifts forward, prepared to act if necessary.

“There is reason to believe that Gideon wasn’t working alone.” This isn’t new information to the blond vampire, but it is to Quincey. Her eyebrows pull together in question, but before she can voice her confusion, I continue. “There have been four attacks this week, all of them have been directed at various businesses of mine. It’s similar to what Gideon was doing prior to taking you. Before, it was my property and inventory. Now the employees—my employees—are being targeted.”

Quincey jerks back, her arms loosening from my middle. “What? This has been happening fordaysand you haven’t thought to inform me untilnow?” Her eyes blaze with anger.

“I was hoping I would have more answers and a better solution before I informed you.”

What I truly hoped was that I would be able to get the answers from Gideon myself and she would never have to come face-to-face with the monster who chained her and carved into her. You would think that with all my years on this planet, I would have learned my lesson when it came to wishful thinking, and yet, here I remain.

She stares at me like she’s looking for any falsehoods in my expression. “Why are you telling me thisnow? What changed?”

“A bus exploded in front of Blackwood’s downtown building today. Many lives were lost.” I steel myself adding, “Children’s lives were lost.”

“Fuckinghell,” Quincey curses under her breath, her hands gripping the strands of her hair. “How do we stop this? How do we figure out who his partner is?”

“I don’t believewewill be figuring out anything moving forward,” I tell her, hatred for Gideon burning through my veins. “That’s a job that has unfortunately fallen into your hands, Quincey. Gideon says he will only tell you who his partner is.”

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