Page 34 of Queen of Madness

Her head tilts slightly, her blinks becoming slower as a heat darkens her eyes to a near black. “I need you to find them all. Every last one who lets money dictate who they are loyal to.”

“What will you do to them?” I know the answer, but something in me wants more specifics. Perhaps out of curiosity, or maybe to know exactly what she’s capable of, I’m not quite sure.

A smirk lifts one side of her pink lips. “There’re plenty of things I plan to do. And for every one I find, their punishment will be different. But for their deaths, they will all end the same.”

She leans forward, the tip of one of her nails sliding down my jawline until she reaches my neck. I know she can feel my pulse thrumming beneath the pad of her finger as she speaks. “My blade will slice through their jugular, draining them dry with every feeble beat of their heart. Then just as their light flickers, and the reaper comes to steal what’s mine…”

She pauses, watching my throat as I swallow, though I partially hope she thinks it’s from fear rather than the arousal coursing through me. “Their heads will roll.”

I’ve never believed in taking chances, and now is one of those painful times reminding me why I don’t. I can’t ask her to help me.

Onyx drops her hand, straightening her spine. “Tell me, Kane. Why work for people you despise? Do you let money guide you as well?”

I ignore the way my name sounds on her tongue. “Are you asking me if I’ll let a few extra zeros change who I work for?”

She shrugs, placing her hands on either side of her hips, clenching on the edge of the desk. “I do wonder why you work for someone who you clearly dislike.”

“It’s not you. It’s what you do.”

“I’ve explained my piece. But you’re not answering my question.”

“Which one?”

She runs her tongue across her pearly teeth and my blood rushes through me, filling my ears with the sudden increase in my pulse. “Either.”

I sigh, running a hand through my hair. “The money will get my sister and mom away from here. Start over.”

“There is no such thing as starting over.”

My eyes bore into her, agitation taking over. “Maybe for you. But for her, forus,it’s never too late to start fresh.”

“So to answer my original question, you’d answer yes?”

“If I was given extra money, would I turn sides and get the hell out of here?”

Before she can answer, I’m up, grabbing the letter opener from her desk and have the flat pressed to the inside of her thigh next to her arterial vein. In the same second, the barrel of the .380 Trick gave me is grasped in her hand, pushed into the underside of my jaw. Our mouths are a breath away from each other, and every inhale we take in unison has her breasts brushing against my chest.

I lower my voice to a gravelly whisper. “As you said before, if someone wants a person dead, they’ll find a way. I have nothing to gain by killing the woman who is signing my checks and working with a scum who deals women.”

“And did Madeline tell you what you’d have to do for those checks?” Her hooded gaze drifts down to my mouth, and something deep in my soul says the last thing she wants is a kiss.

The idea flashes through my mind before I have time to think over it. I need to get inside her room, and as fucked up as it sounds, this is my way in.

Fuck it.

I flip the blade over, pressing the handle into her palm before pushing between her legs, forcing her to sit on her desk. She holds the gun steady, observing me with a bored gaze.

The look does something to me. Something deep in my core that incinerates everything, leaving only the thoughts of her mask shattering as she comes unraveled. I want to see her raw, uncovered, completely naked to how I plan to make her feel.

I hate my inherent need to take care of her, but at this moment, I use it to fuel me. Use it to flood my body of each thought, keeping it from acting out something I’ve wanted since I laid eyes on her.

The need to have this powerful woman at my mercy overcomes me and drives my quick reflexes to take the small knife from her hand and slice down the middle of her tight dress, starting at the hip.

Other than a sharp intake of air, she makes no move to cover her exposed thighs, nor the thin black lace covering her pussy. Instead, she removes the gun, dropping it on the desk, and snatches the knife from me. “I liked this dress.”

“I still do.”

The corner of her mouth twitches, almost as if she wants to smile but thinks better of it. To put a crack in her resolve urges me on as I kneel, keeping my eyes on hers. My hands find her hips, the soft skin beneath my fingers sending jolts of shivers through my forearms. I slip my thumbs through either side of the lace and tug hard, ripping them away from her body in a loud snap.

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