Page 61 of His Kingdom

“What? What happened?” I’m already walking towards the door.

“She’s talking in her sleep. I want to know what happened to her. Who the fuck is she talking about?” Emmanuel asks.

I stop. Dead in my tracks. “She’s probably having a nightmare. She has them from time to time. They’re not real,” I lie.

Thereisa reason for Evie’s insomnia, but her secrets are just that. Hers. I’m not going to be the one to tell this maniac. Until something occurs to me and I aim my glare on Emmanuel.

“How do you know she’s talking in her sleep?” I ask him.

“I was watching her,” he says, pointing a finger in my direction. “And you’re lying to me.”

Louie steps between us. “Don’t fucking speak to her like that,” he growls.

“I’m going to find out. You might as well tell me, Charlotte. Someone did something to her, and I want to know who it was,” Emmanuel says.

“I think that’s something you should ask her. When she’s awake,” I tell him. “But don’t expect her to open up to you. She doesn’t talk about her past.”

The only reason I know about it is because we got drunk once and she let it slip. The nightmare that Evie has lived isn’t one I would wish on my worst enemy.

Then again, if I tell Emmanuel, would he seek his own sort of justice for her?

“But say they were real… If you could find the person who caused those nightmares, what would you do about it?” I ask him. I would never betray my friend’s trust, but maybe knowing her real-life version of the boogeyman was gone would help her move on?

“You don’t want to know what I’ll do, because those are the kind of nightmares that will keepyouawake at night.” Emmanuel smiles, like he’d enjoy whatever it is he’s imagining.

“Look, I don’t know the full story, because like I said, she doesn’t talk about it. But I’m sure if you dug into the pageant world, you’d find the reason behind her nightmares. That’s all I’m saying,” I tell him. “Anything else you want to know, you’ll have to ask Evie.”

“Thank you.” Emmanuel nods. “I will ask her. When do you think she’ll wake up?”

“I have no idea.” I shrug and watch as he walks out of the penthouse. I look to Louie. “Are you okay?”

“Am I okay?” He turns to me, his face hard as stone. “I asked you to go back to the bedroom, Charlotte. There was a literal madman waving a gun around in here.”

“That madman is your friend, and he wasn’t pointing it at me,” I explain. “He was pointing it at you.”

“That’s because he knows if he’d directed it at you, I would have shoved barrel up his ass before pulling the trigger.” Louie walks past me, through to the kitchen.

I follow him, about to respond, when we’re interrupted by another one of his lunatic friends barging in.

“Louie, SOS!” Carlo yells out through the penthouse.

“Kitchen,” Louie yells back, then gestures to me. “Sit. You need to eat.”

“First of all, I’m not a dog. You can’t just saysitand expect me to follow orders,” I tell him. “Second, I am starving, so thank you.” I reluctantly lower myself onto the stool.

Louie stares at me, a bewildered look on his face. “I love you,” he says at the same time Carlo walks into the kitchen. Except he’s not alone. He has a child with him. A little girl. I didn’t know Carlo had a little girl.

Louie looks at the girl and then up at his friend. “For the love of god, tell me you did not steal someone’s kid.”

ChapterTwenty-Nine

Of all the shit I’d expect Carlo to bring to my doorstep, a child is the last thing on that long-ass list.

“He didn’t steal me. He’s my daddy,” the kid says.

I blink. “He’s what now?” I direct my confusion to Carlo.

“She, ah, was dropped off with a note,” he says.

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