Page 9 of Midnight Queen

“Yeah, like mold grows on bread.” She reaches her hand out and presses it to the middle of his face, shoving him back into his seat. “Get away from me, you giant tattooed leprechaun.”

Lor’s head falls back as he laughs at her. “Are we giving each other nicknames already? Keep this shit up and I might just fall in love with you.”

“Please don’t,” Rory grumbles, a grimace on her face.

Before I can open the door of the moving car and escape this madness, the black SUV turns onto the lamppost-lined street. This safe house is in the middle of a residential neighborhood, many of the houses are full of young couples starting their families. The street is often covered in various chalk drawings and children’s toys lie in the neatly trimmed yards. This is the last place someone would expect to find me and that’s precisely the reason I purchased this particular house.

The house is opposite of my usual taste in real estate, further perfecting the disguise. White brick with black trim, and the front door is painted a god-awful, cheery-yellow color. Duke laughed for days when he first saw the house, stating how ironic the whole thing was.

I don’t bother to wait for the driver to open my door when the car stops, instead I get out and close the door in Lorcan’s face before he has an opportunity to climb out behind me. Through the glass window, I hear him grumble, “So fucking rude.”

“Her equipment is already inside,” the guard explains, while gesturing to Rory. “We tried to set it up exactly as it was at the office, but I’m not sure we did it right.”

“I can assure you, even without looking, you didn’t.” Rory offers him a tight, fake smile. “Lead the way, no point dillydallying out here.”

Lor nods. “Yes, best we get inside. Don’t want to get caught out here with our arses hanging in the wind when the sun rises.”

It’s clear she’s confused and wants to ask questions, but the hacker remains quiet and follows the guard toward the house.

Following behind everyone, I make it up the first three steps on the front porch when the sound of a car door slamming is quickly followed by a voice calling my name. “Silas!”

Instantly, every one of my muscles tighten and the anger in my chest intensifies. She shouldn’t be here. Correction; she shouldn’t be within a twenty-mile radius of me right now. I can’t deal with her right now. I thought ignoring her phone calls would get the message across, but no, she’s somehow found a way to track me down here.

“Who’s the redhead?” I’m vaguely aware of Lorcan asking, but it sounds like he’s a mile away with the thundering in my ears.

“Silas, I tried calling—” she begins to say again, but before she can finish her statement, I’m standing in front of her, our chests just a mere inch apart. She jerks back a step, but I instantly fill the space she’d just created. “Silas—”

On the porch Rory asks frantic questions, her voice going up multiple octaves. I’m not sure what Lorcan tells her and right now, I’m not sure I care. All my concern for keeping my vampire side concealed has vanished. Rory argues with Lorcan and the guard, but after a moment, they finally manage to get her inside the house.

“Rowena.” My voice is an angry snarl. “You have an uncanny ability to show up where you are least wanted. Please do tell me what I’ve done to give you the impression I desire your company so I may rectify that oversight.”

Completely unfazed by my comment, Rowena’s painted lips lift in a coy grin, “On the contrary, I believe I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. If you’d only let me speak, I could explain—”

“No,” I cut her off. “I don’t want to hear what you have to say, Rowena. I thought by ignoring your phone calls that would be evident to you but it appears you’re more ignorant than I originally thought.”

“Silas,” Rowena scolds. “I think you really should listen to what I have to say.”

“Why would I do that? I didn’t care what you had to say when I tolerated your company long enough to fuck you. I couldn’t spare a single fuck to give you now.” I pause, a thought dawning on me. “How did you know I was going to be here?”

No one should know about this location. Ira was privy to a lot of my secrets, but even he didn’t know about my other properties.

Her eyes roll. “You’re not conceited enough to think you’re the only one with spies stationed around the city, are you? They’re the reason I know about this quaint little house of yours and they’re the reason I know things even you don’t know, Silas.”

Shaking my head, a hateful smile on my face, I take a step back. “I find that incredibly unlikely, Rowena.”

“You’re always so sure of yourself,” she drawls slowly in an appeasing manner before she asks a question that has my world stuttering to a halt. “Do you know what’s happening to that humanpetof yours?”

I feel as if I’ve been sucker punched in the gut as the blood in my veins runs cold. “Rowena.” My tone is eerily calm and controlled, a startling contrast to how I feel inside. “If you had anything to do with this—”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Silas,” Rowena interjects. “Much like you, I prefer to work in secret. I’d never do something so...publicly. If I’m being honest, I find the whole thing over the top andtacky. And it’s all over some simple human girl as well.” Her tongue clicks in disapproval. “Why would I waste my time for something so inconsequential?”

Lorcan, who has appeared at my side, threatens, “If you don’t stop talking in circles, I’m going to make it so you never fucking speak again,red.”

Rowena eyes the Irishman up and down like he’s the most interesting thing to come into town in decades. “No need to be crass,” she chastises after a beat, her painted red lips pursing. With one last lingering look in his direction, she turns back to me while her manicured hand digs into the pocket of her black trench coat. “Maybe next time you’ll think twice about ignoring my phone call.” Tapping a few keys on the device, she unlocks it before tossing it to me. “Maybe consider checking your email as well, I can only assume you were sent the same link as the rest of us.”

“Link?” Lorcan repeats at the same time. I turn the phone in my hand and glance at the screen.

Rowena’s head bobs. “Yes, a private web browser link. I almost didn’t click on it, thinking it was just spam, but the subject line caught my attention.”

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