Page 38 of Queen of Madness

“Reflective glass,” I point out. Though I heard him the second he left whatever room he was in.

He takes the necessary steps before he’s next to me, eyes following my gaze to where Onyx lays. Unlike me, he doesn’t let himself linger, snapping back to me with a stern look, straightening his lips. I like that he won’t look at her. “Are you ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

“Good. This way.” He rotates and leads me to the security room.

He stops at a black door with an odd-looking bolt—almost as if it’s a keypad missing the buttons, but then he taps the surface, lighting it up a dull blue. Trigger presses two thumbs against it. I comically wonder if a red line will appear to scan him, but instead, little blue waves vibrate outward and the door unlocks with a heavy clunk.

Inside, the space is about the size of my room. One extensive desk has been built into the wall, starting from the door, continuing along every edge, and stopping just before a small refrigerator. Monitors are posted on the expanse of the longest wall, and a year-long calendar on the other. The remaining desk space is occupied with small, locked metal file cabinets, all of which are labeled. SD, MD, BV, and M.

Trick is busy filing something away in the BV drawer before he turns around and smiles. He’s definitely the happiest person here. “Hey, man. Good morning.”

I lift my chin. “It is. So is this where you hide out all day?”

The twins huff in unison before Trick meanders to the fridge and digs inside for a few drinks. He tosses the cans one by one to me and Trigger. “Nope. The majority of the time we’re creating weapons in the workroom, but we let our monitor guys watch Onyx at the pool so we could show you the room, get you an entry code, and all that.”

I don’t miss the way Trigger tries to gauge my reaction about someone else watching Onyx—in barely any clothes, no less. But I simply nod and open my can of... sparkling water.

“Alright. Let’s do it, then.”

The rest of the day I spend locked up in the security room. I learn more about the guards, the premises, and everyone in it. I take note of all the places with cameras, which are scattered everywhere, and the angle in which they film. There are pockets of blind space throughout—thin and not enough to miss any action, but enough to bypass two bodies hunched together in secret conversation. None of the guards I watch act suspiciously as they make their rounds, and the only change comes when the rain begins to fall and they open umbrellas.

I learn the files stand for security detail, medical, business vendors, and Murphy. They make hard copies of everything on computers, just in case their computers are compromised in any way, and the twins and Onyx are the only ones with the keys.

A few hours pass before the twins leave me to watch the monitors for the remainder of the night and familiarize myself with the blueprints of the house. The estate already looks monumental, but the paper in front of me shows just how massive it is.

After jotting down my own version of the prints, I slip it in my pocket and return to the monitors. Onyx had disappeared into her room shortly after the rain broke free of the clouds, and I haven’t seen her since. Still, every once in a while, my eyes drift to the screen displaying her quiet door.

I’m self-aware enough to know my interest in her is becoming dangerous, but even knowing that, I can’t help but wonder.

Who is she?

“A farmers’ market?” I stare in disbelief as Onyx grabs her satchel and swings it over her body.

Like any other day, she’s dressed in all black, but it’s a casual look that I’d be lying if I said didn’t completely disarm me. Her dark hair lays in soft waves over a cotton tee. The shirt isn’t tight, but still conforms to her shape, draping over her breasts before dropping and pooling at her small waist. Her jeans, however, look as if they’re painted on, and I don’t bother hiding the fact that I’m fucking ogling her.

Even as she clears her throat to garner my attention, my eyes continue their descent until they land on boots.Boots.And somehow, she looks as sexy, dangerous, and stunning as with her usual clothes.

“Kane, unless you plan to eat me as the meal you’re picturing me as, I’d like to leave now.” A sharp manicured hand finds her waist.

“I wouldn’t use the word eat. Devour, maybe.” My eyes flash to hers in time to see them flare, and I’m almost certain she’s picturing me on my knees in her office.

“The best produce will be gone by the second hour,” she states simply before walking through the foyer.

I catch up and pass the older man that I’ve never seennotstanding by the front door and open it before he gets to it. “Will anyone else be joining us?”

“No. Good morning, Edwards.” She nods to him before tossing a set of keys over her shoulder and into my waiting hand and continues down the entry steps.

“And you think that’s wise? After what happened? Seems a little fucking crazy to me.”

“Whatever gave you the impression I was sane?” She spins on her heels, standing in front of a midnight-painted Jeep parked at the entrance. A Jeep with no fucking roof. In a city with consistently overcast weather. “And I’m beginning to think neither are you with as many times as I catch you grinning at nothing.”

I bypass my curiosity about her vehicle choice and move on to the fact we are about to be surrounded by people in an open area. Where someone could shoot or shank her and get away in the crowd. “I thought you didn’t leave the house much.”

Onyx gestures to her car handle, which my body automatically moves to open. It’s a reflex and I curse my mind at the knee-jerk reaction. “I don’t. But that also doesn’t mean I’m a recluse. Are you saying you can’t protect me around stay-at-home moms and rambunctious toddlers?”

“I’m saying there may be more to worry about than MILFs and their kids.”

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