Page 8 of Midnight Queen

As calmly as I can muster, I find the ability to explain to her what’s happened without my wrathful venom seeping into my words. “After the phone call where we discussed your findings on Gideon Rolfe, our vehicle was hit with an explosive. Duke was driving. We believe—no—weknow, it was set by the same person who is responsible for the various attacks on my businesses and the assault against Quincey.” At the time, the fear I felt when I couldn’t get to her was all-consuming—suffocating even, but it pales in comparison to what I feel now. “They ambushed my estate. People who have worked for me for a very long time were murdered.” Beside me, Della sucks in a ragged breath as she fights back her sobs. Once again, she presses the tissue she’s kept balled in her hand to her mouth to muffle the sound.

Rory looks to the upset woman. Her tough exterior fractures and sympathy seeps through the cracks. She puts on a good front, but she’s more sensitive than she’d like people to know. “So, you need my help finding whoever did this to Duke? Those files I found earlier were from many years ago, I don’t know if I’m going to find anything else in them that can help you. And as I told you, that Gideon dude is well over a hundred years old. He’s dead,” When no one confirms her statement, she repeats it, this time with her confusion clear in her voice. “He’s dead, right?”

“He sure as hell is going to wish he was,” Lor mumbles under his breath, because on top of lacking impulse control, he’s also missing a filter.

Rory’s head snaps in his direction. “Whatdid he just say?”

Having a conversation such as this in the middle of an intensive care unit is unwise. I never wanted to introduce Rory to the darker parts of my world. She was merely to deal with my human-based dealings, but unfortunately, I don’t see a way around it. Not when Quincey’s life is depending on us. I will tell her everything when the time is right, but now isn’t it, so I steer the conversation back to Rory’s earlier question. “Yes, Rory, I need your help finding the person behind all of this because of what’s happened to Duke.” I feel my monster surge forward as I prepare to tell her, “But more importantly, I need him found because he’s taken Quincey from me.”

“Shit,” she curses, her fingers digging into her lilac hair, an overwhelmed look on her face.

“The computer equipment from your office is being brought to a different location as we speak. I have video surveillance I need you to look through.” The camera feeds from my home are kept heavily encrypted, and usually Duke is the only one who has access to them, but tonight, Rory will be the exception.

Rory’s head nods, but her unfocused eyes make me think she’s not truly hearing me. She proves this false when she offers, “Maybe we’ll get lucky and see a license plate or something,” she proves me wrong.

I look to the guards that have been waiting silently by the door. “Bring the car around. We’re leaving.” When they both turn to leave, I remember something important. “There’s a body in a parking garage three blocks north of here. One of you needs to take care of it.”

“But don’t worry.” Lorcan claps one of the guards on the back with his tattooed hand. “There’s hardly any blood, so it’s an easy-peasy cleanup for you.” With that, he saunters out of the room with the usual cocky swagger that makes me want to remove his head from his shoulders.

“What theactualfuck?” Rory whispers under her breath, completely dumbfounded by the situation she’s found herself in.

Not acknowledging her comment, I take her upper arm and I pull her away from Duke’s bed. Her feet firmly plant on the linoleum floor, refusing to move from his bedside. Not looking at me, she asks, “He’s going to be okay, right?”

“He won’t be alone here as Della and a guard will be staying at his side. I have no intention of leaving him vulnerable.” I’ve lost enough tonight. Until the threat of Gideon is taken care of, everyone will be on high alert.

When Rory’s face drops and she reluctantly follows me out of the room, I realize she wasn’t referring to Duke’s safety here at the hospital.

Over the years, I’ve purchased various safe houses across the state. They were precautionary investments on the off chance I became stuck in a city or town working on business and couldn’t make it back to my home before sunrise. Each one has been fitted with sunlight-proof windows allowing beings like myself and Lorcan to roam throughout the day. Before such inventions, we would have been confined to a basement cellar until sundown. The luxury residences are much more ideal.

Normally, I would have returned to my estate, but the idea of returning to that property without her is an unsettling thought. She’s left her mark all over the previously dark home. In the grand scheme of things, the changes are small and insignificant. They’re just little adjustments here and there that let her presence be known. Like the lamps that have been kept off for so many years have been turned on, illuminating the shadowy hallways and rooms. I know if I went there tonight, those lights would be dark once more.

I had found peace with the darkness. It welcomed me with cold open arms, and it’s been my home for centuries. It wasn’t until she came into my life that I remembered how much I long for the light.

I’m also not prepared to enter a home that still has the scent of Ira’s spilled blood lingering in the air. I’m afraid the combination of her absence and the evidence of his death will be too much. My control has already slipped once tonight and it’s still hanging on by a single thread.

Rory has sat silently, spinning the silver rings on her thin fingers the entire ride. She’s trying her best to not look at me or the blond vampire that sits behind her in the rear seat. Lorcan had the option of sitting in the front seat but opted to sit directly behind the human. I wasn’t sure of his reasoning at first, but it dawned on me halfway through the ride. Lorcan finds humor in making people uncomfortable. He’s simply entertaining himself by making her squirm.

Even if she hasn’t turned her head to look at him, it’s evident she’s aware of his heavy stare on the back of her head. Her spine is rigid, and her heartbeat is erratic.

Not wanting to allow him to add to her increasing emotional distress, I scowl at Lor, shaking my head in a silent warning. His response is to shrug his shoulders nonchalantly and slouch lower in his seat. I would be more irritated with his attitude if he didn’t direct his attention to the window next to him.

The sound of my phone dinging in my pocket has me turning around. I pull the device out, expecting to find another unwanted phone call, but instead it’s a text message confirming the mess I’d made in the parking garage has been taken care of. I don’t require or ask for further detail. As long as the evidence is gone, I don’t care how it was cleaned up.

“Is that the hospital?” Rory speaks up. “Is Duke okay?”

My head cocks to the side as I evaluate the girl. She meets my gaze but chews anxiously on her bottom lip. The dark purple lipstick she’d once had on is faded and splotchy. The heavy eye makeup has transferred to the skin under her eyes. She looks like a little girl who’s gotten into her mother’s makeup and I’m reminded of just how young she is. “Interesting,” I observe. “I wasn’t under the impression you cared what happened to Duke.”

“I don’t,” she snaps instantly, sitting back in her seat with her arms folded. “I was just curious.”

“You two have shared more hateful words than nice ones in the time you’ve known each other,” I continue, regardless of her dismissive remark.

She lifts a shoulder. “Yeah, he likes to annoy me. Press my buttons.”

Clearly incapable of keeping his mouth shut, Lorcan leans forward, his arms resting on the back of each of our leather seats, “Yes baby, I do believe they refer to that as foreplay and from what I hear, it’s very important.”

Rory glowers at him, “I don’t like you.”

He smirks at her, a devious look in his eyes. “Give it time, I grow on people.”

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