Page 69 of Midnight Queen

For days? What the fuck has she been up to?

She leans against the metal chair with her ankles crossed. The bite mark I’d left there just days ago remains as a faint bruise. “Remember that website link you were sent? You know, the one you couldn’t stop yourself from clicking on, and then when you saw what it was, you couldn’t stop yourself from watching it? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I understand why. I’m a very entertaining individual.” No matter what the situation, her sarcastic mouth remains. Her hand gestures toward the man who’s questioned her. “What was your favorite part? Was it when he hung me from the ceiling or when he used his knife on me?”

Quincey waits patiently for an answer, but he remains silent. “It’s okay, Pietro, if you won't tell me yours, I’ll tell you mine.”

The room goes still when she reveals she knows his name. I’m struggling to remember what it was, but somehow, she’s managed to figure it out.

“My favorite part was when you were busy watching my pain, the website you had willingly logged into was implanting a virus into your computer. Or phone. Doesn’t really matter what device you were using; it worked all the same. It opened a door to your most private files. Each keystroke you made, every message you sent and every dime you spent were being monitored and uploaded to another server.” The lingering displeasure that had been on their faces morphs into concern. “I’m not sure what Gideon was going to do with the information, but we can assume it wasn't good. Don’t worry though, I’m the only one who has access to it now.”

I’m at a loss for how she managed to pull this off. There is no doubt in my mind that she recruited help, and I would bet my entire wealth that a purple-haired hacker had something to do with it.

“She’s bluffing, the website was shut down,” Pietro snaps.

“Was it though?” Quincey’s head cocks to the side as she stares at the vampire. “Or did it just lock everyone out?” She waits for a second for them to answer her again, but they never do. “Fine, I’ll just tell you. You were locked out. This was clearly a big disappointment for you, Pietro, seeing as you’ve been trying almost daily to log back into it. Were the copious amounts of online porn no longer cutting it? Thought you’d up the ante a little bit?”

“You’re lying—” he begins to defend himself, but her fingers snapping together as if she’d figured something out, cuts him off.

“Oh, that’s right,” Quincey exclaims. “You prefer to make your own movies with the underage girls you smuggle into the country.” Her blue eyes slide to me when she shares the next detail about Pietro. “And when he’s in a pinch, he likes to bribe a certain dockworker at your port to sneak them in.” Before I can react, she shakes her head. “Don’t worry, the dockworker has already been dealt with.”

“How?” I manage to bite out.

“I sent a friend,” she answers simply before addressing the group once again. “So, here’s the point I’m trying to make, other than the obvious one about Pietro being a child molester.” That will be dealt with accordingly when this is over. I’m not a moral man, but I draw the line at children. “I now have a file on each of you. I know all your dirty secrets. I know who you’ve fucked, and more importantly, I know who you’ve fucked over. For many of you, those very people are sitting in this room with you.”

She pushes away from the chair, her relaxed, carefree posture morphs into one of pure confidence. “I suggest you consider this information the next time those thoughts of eliminating me cross your mind. I’m not as strong as you, but I have each of you by the balls—well, some of you I have by your necks.”

On cue, the side door across the room pushes open and Lorcan emerges from the doorway. The exhilarated look he wore the night we rescued Quincey is back, giving him a slightly unhinged appearance.

But it’s not him that holds my attention, it’s the six people who shuffle out behind him. Each of them looks dirty and disheveled, like they’ve been held somewhere filthy.

“What the hell is going on here, Silas?” Rowena jumps to her feet in dismay. Many of the others follow suit and stand with her so they can get a better look at the new arrivals.

I know each of them and half of them sit on the council. The woman at the front of the line is someone I’ve been acquaintances with since the first Great War. She looks at me, wide eyed. “Do something. This is insanity!”.

I make no move to stop or change anything. “Why would I do that?”

This isn’t my show, and I want to see what else my girl has up her sleeve. I didn’t think I’d ever feel prouder of her than I did when she held her own against Gideon, but watching her take complete control of a roomful of ruthless vampires is on a whole other level.

I’m both extremely proud and turned on by her blatant show of authority. If there weren't so many eyes on us right now, would take her right here on my throne.

Quincey steps down from the platform and leisurely weaves between the prisoners that have been revealed. She smiles at each one of them, but it’s a smile that tells everyone that she has something devious planned.

I’m trying to piece together how Lorcan and Quincey have managed to keep control of six powerful vampires. Lor is strong, but not that strong.

Looking at the Irishman, I tilt my head in silent question.

Knowing what I mean, Lor gestures to the silver collars around each of their necks before he mouths a single word…“Boom.”

Explosives.

Jesus fucking Christ.

While a bomb detonating around a vampire’s neck is a surefire way to kill them, the idea of Lorcan and Quincey playing with explosives is a wildly unnerving thought. I barely want to trust Lorcan with a pair of children’s safety scissors.

Like he’s unable to sit still, Lorcan fiddles with the remote control in his hands like it’s a toy to play with, and not something that’s connected to multiple explosive devices.

“Some of you may recall that Gideon had planned on auctioning off my blood.” I will forever be grateful that we were able to find her before he took too much from her. “Remember how he went on and on about how much money people were bidding? You six were the highest bidders… by alot.”

The rage roars to life inside of me at this revelation. It was always my plan to hunt down the ones that participated in the auction, but Quincey’s already done it for me.

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