Page 20 of Queen of Madness

“Will do. But you need to eat.”

“And I will.” Onyx looks at Russ before motioning toward me. “Have him bring it up, will you?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She gives me one last pass, her low eyes coaxing the inner beast I work so hard to keep locked away. It’s almost as if she’s looking past me and straight at him, and that shit makes me as uncomfortable as it turns me on.

Even though it may seem like I’m submitting to her, I force my attention to the food in front of me. It’s been less than twenty-four hours and this damn place is already fucking with me.

I am not these people. I shouldn’t feel comfortable here. I shouldn’t be turned on by the obvious aftermath of a murder. It’s nothing new to me. I’ve seen blood, been covered in it myself on a number of occasions. This is no different.Onyxis no different.

Even as I think it, I taste the bitterness in my lie. Like myself, there is so much more to her than what she’s showing me, and while I fucking loathe the foundation from which she profits, I can’t help but find myself wondering what she’s hiding. From me. From her people.

...From herself.

“Who are you?” Cat’s slow words pull me to the now Onyx-less kitchen.

“I’ve answered that. Who are you?”

Russ grunts, a smile barely visible under his thick mustache.

Cat scoffs, folding her arms across her small chest. “I know who I am. But since you so foolishly don’t, let me educate you. I am Caterina Mostoff. Estate manager and nurse. One of the first women saved by the Embros family. I—”

“Saved?” I cut in before shoving a forkful of eggs in my mouth. The flavors explode on my tongue and within seconds, the three eggs are digesting in my stomach.

“Animal,” she hisses, gesturing to me with her chin. “Make the street rat another serving, Russel.”

“Already did.”

Sure enough, the chef replaces my empty plate with another, this one with four strips of bacon that are browned perfectly around the edges. I mutter a quick thanks before devouring the meal, not giving myself even a moment to feel guilty. It may be only breakfast but it’s by far the best thing I’ve had in my life.

I’m owed a good meal, at the very least.

It’s then I realize, should I die here, my last meal will be five stars.

“First he interrupts me, and now he’s smiling to himself like a goon.”

“He fits right in.” Russ shrugs, going back to what I assume is Onyx’s usual meal.

“As I was saying.” Cat pulls a cigarette from nowhere like Houdini and lights the end over the stove, ignoring Russ’s pinched brows. “I was a nurse, had been for ten years before a night out at the bar ended with me in a musty white van. The scum who took me forced me to care for the other women they took. Fixing them up and getting them ready for sale.”

Her face contorts as the memories wash over her. She swallows thickly as if she’s fighting back bile, then pushes a stray hair from her face. “One night, I rode with the deliveries, taking care of a few who weren’t quite ready. Onyx’s father saved us. Slaughtered the vermin in the streets and took the women. When he learned of my skill, he asked me to work at the Embros estate. With the ongoing war running wild in the streets, I would prove to be very useful. So you see. I know whoIam, boy. The very one who may save you one day, should you go and get yourself shot. Now, who. Are. You?”

She blows a plume of smoke in my direction, which I inhale, forcing the pungent herbs down my throat and out through my nose. “I am no one.”

“Here. Take the Boss her food. Lunch is at eleven.”

I accept the plate, not bothering to tell him I won’t be around in a few hours, and I do my best to quell my raging stomach to the fact. Without another glance at either of them, I disappear into the hall and up the stairs.

Is it valiant what the Embroses do? Yes. But that doesn’t matter. They are still guilty of their own sins, such as using people for their own gain. Hell, they think I’m willingly acting as a target just for them to find out how their men are being taken. This isn’t done of goodwill. They are merely protecting their assets so they can continue whatever fucked-up shit they’re running. Besides, no matter how many women they save, the amount of blood they’ve spilled will never be able to purge their wrongdoings.

I focus on that thought as I round the hallway and find Onyx’s door slightly ajar. Stopping at the threshold, I mistakenly take in a lungful of air and am immediately filled with what I assume is her body wash.

Lemons. Just the faintest smell, with something else reminding me of the moment just before it rains.

Fuck. The fragrance embeds in my nostrils, and I know it will be too damn long before I forget her scent.

I open my mouth to call out to her, but my jaw audibly slams shut at the sight of her naked frame emerging from the bathroom. Steam billows around her, sticking to her curves as if it wishes to stay attached to her smooth skin. Her pert breasts, now clean of the blood, glisten under the warm light of the bed lamps, her dusty pink nipples drawn tight between barbells.

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