Page 76 of Midnight Queen

“I sure hope so, Q.” Even now, his smile is as contagious as it’s always been.

Smiling back, I wave before leaving the room.

Lorcan is with Silas visiting some business partner or something and couldn’t come with me to see Duke. Two of Silas’s guards are with me tonight instead. One is downstairs in the car watching the entrance while the other waits outside Duke’s room in the hallway.

He pushes off the wall he’s been leaning on when I shut the door behind me. He’s a giant and he doesn’t talk much, so when his head cocks, I know he’s asking me if I’m ready to leave.

“I’m going to go use the bathroom, and then we can leave.” I point to the door that’s at the other end of the hall. The one that’s close to the stairwell door.

His huge head nods once in understanding. “I’ll wait here.”

As calmly as I can muster, I walk down the quiet hallway. When I reach the bathroom door, I place my hand on it like I’m going to push it open. Looking back at the guard, I find him thankfully looking at the opposite end of the hallway.

As quick as I can, I turn and push open the stairwell door and slip inside before he can turn back to me.

The second the door closes softly, I jump into action. I take the stairs two at a time. At some points, I feel like I’m going to lose my balance, but my grip on the chipped railing keeps me upright.The sound of my shoes clanking against the cement stairs echoes through the cavernous space.

Down the two flights of stairs, I have to slow down so I don’t draw attention to myself as I move through the lobby of the facility. People mill about, completely unaware of the turmoil I’m feeling. My vocal cords beg me to scream and ask for help. I bite my tongue to make sure that I don’t do just that.

My plan for how I’m going to get to St. Sin is up in the air until I see the black SUV sitting in the parking lot where we left it. A plan—albeit apoorplan—comes to me. I don’t have time to second-guess myself or really think it over.

I must commit to it and hope that the guard sitting in the driver’s seat believes me.

Taking a deep breath, I release all the emotion I’m holding inside. My eyes start to water, and pure panic takes over my features.

Like someone is chasing me, I dash toward the idling car. “Help!” I scream, my palms slapping dramatically on the tinted windows. “Oh my god, you have to help him!”

The guard swings the door open and jumps out, his gun already drawn. “What’s wrong? What happened?” he demands, his observant eyes scanning the parking lot for danger.

Through the theatrical sobs, I spin a lie. “There someone in there! He has a gun. He shot the other guard.” My hands pull at the sleeves of his black blazer. “Please, you have to go get Duke out of there.”

Bringing Duke into this lie isn’t fair, but I know it will work. As loyal as these guards are to Silas, they’re just as loyal to Duke. Part of Duke’s job is overseeing all the hired guns. Many of them have military backgrounds just like Duke and I know that bond runs deep. They won’t leave a man behind.

He pushes me toward the back door of the car, and I don’t fight him. “Get in and lock the doors. I’m calling for backup now.” His arms wrap around me and he all but throws me into the back seat.

Before he slams the door, I tell him, “Please be careful!”

I stay where I am until he reaches the entrance to the building. The second he disappears through the doors, I ungracefully climb over the middle console and into the driver’s seat.

Looking at myself in the rearview mirror, I wipe away the tears that stopped falling when the door shuts. I compose myself as much as possible, putting on my own version of Silas’s granite mask.

I know what Rowena wants and I’m not going to give her the satisfaction of seeing my tears.

With one lass steadying breath, I throw the car into gear and peel out of the parking lot.

And while I drive, I wish upon every star in the sky that the kiss Silas gave me before he left tonight wasn’t our last.

Iknow something is wrong when I approach the entrance of St. Sin. The yellow neon signage is turned off, and the front door is locked. It’s a club that sits on Bourbon Street; it’s never closed.

A pair of drunk partygoers walk up to the dark windows and tap on the glass. “Hello? It says onYelpthat you’re open,” one of them slurs, making the rest break into laughter.

With my sweaty hands balled into fists, I turn away from them and run to the alley. The manager, Ray, was always forgetting his keys when I worked here, and I know where he stashes a spare for the back door.

On my tippy-toes, I pry the loose brick out of the siding and retrieve the brass key hidden inside the cavity. I glance down the dark alleyway to make sure no one is watching as I open the door. It’s funny, the last time I used this key was the night I first met Silas. This very alleyway I stand in is where our story started.

It would be a neat, full-circle moment if I wasn’t about to try and save my friend from a malicious redheaded bitch.

The inside of the building is just as dark as the exterior. Only the emergency lights remain on. They grant me just enough visibility to not trip over my own feet or into something.

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