Page 56 of Queen of Madness

I glance at Onyx. There’s a weariness in her eyes, faint shadows under each. “Tell me what happened first.”

A full-blown smile breaks across her face, the whites of her teeth stark against her tan skin. She struts to the table, taking the bat off the surface while twirling a playing card in her other hand. “How about during.”

She’s not asking, so I accept, nodding and standing in front of the man who’s been quietly observing until now. His eyes are wide, but somehow still angry, his brows furrowed and a grimace drawing down his mouth. “What the fuck are y’all talking about? I’m not telling you shit about—”

“If I wanted you to talk...” Onyx swings, connecting with his back so hard it sends a brutal crack echoing in the space. “I would have asked you a question.”

The man’s yelp falls on deaf ears as I walk to the back by the bathroom and grab two folding chairs. I put them both out and take a seat in one, lazily stretching my arm across the back of the other and crossing one leg over my knee. “So who’s it about?”

“Him,” she says over the man’s grunts.

His breathing is rattled, but he remains angry. I’ve always found these Murphy clowns fairly entertaining. Whether they are tied to chairs, walls, or staring down the barrel of my gun, they all keep their defiant faces to the end. Like they actually do any of their dirty work themselves. Their false bravado is outstanding, really.

“This him or that him?”

“That one.”

I bite into my lip to keep from smirking. It was more than obvious something was going to happen between her and Ezekiel sooner or later. When he first laid eyes on her, he was smitten. Not in the creepy way that makes me want to scoop his fucking eyes out, but in adoration.

And Onyx... well, she’s not one to give a fuck. So my curiosity is piqued. “Did he do something?”

Onyx takes another swing with the bat, knocking into the side of the guy’s knee. It folds inward, and if it wasn’t for his scream, I’d still be able to tell from the displaced bone it’s broken. “Yes.”

I know it isn’t bad, or else he would be here rather than the driver we didn’t need. The driver who can’t stomach a broken knee and is yelling slurs left and right.

“Fucking stupid bitch! What—”

I’m up before he can think about finishing the statement, my elbow at his neck. He’s pulled back as far as he can go, and with a bum knee, only one is able to kick out. Onyx takes care of it by jutting the fat part of the bat into him, breaking the other one.

“He made me feel vulnerable,” she sighs, throwing the bat toward the table. It clanks against it before clattering to the floor.

I’d dare to say the confession was hard, but the way her shoulders relax, it seems like a relief.

I let the man go, falling back into my chair with a dramatic shriek. “Whateverwill we do? He made you feel!”

She narrows her eyes at me, grabbing the scissors. “Your theatrics aren’t required nor desired, Trick. You know the issues at hand.”

Leaning over, I rest my elbows on my thighs, watching as she cuts his shirt from his body. “I know. But Onyx, I was taught the same things. If I’d lived by Antonio’s words, I’d never have Shi. Trigger and I would be lost. Souls bound for Hell without ever having a taste of Heaven.”

And ShiisHeaven. Her spirit is our clouds, her heart our sun, and her cunt our euphoria. Life without her is worse than any hell.

“You and I are not the same.”

“So? That means you can’t enjoy him? Even if he makes you uncomfortable?”

“Especially because he makes me uncomfortable. Besides, his fate is decided. After we deal with the Murphys, I’m killing him.” Her last words don’t come out as strong as the first.

She snatches the man’s ponytail, wrenching his head back while sliding the opened scissors next to his throat. “Tell me, how many women have you stolen? I’m curious.”

“Fuc—arghhhhhh!” Blood immediately pools near the small cut she makes. It’s low, near his collarbone, but now she brings the sharp end up.

“A cut so similar to the one you gave Natalie. Now. How. Many?”

“How the fuck should I know? I just do what I’m told.”

She takes the scissors and moves to his cheek. I near them, grabbing hold of his jaw so he can’t move as she makes small nicks on his face into the clear shape of a heart. “How many did you rape? Give a test drive before selling them off? Tell me the truth or I’ll make this so much more painful than it needs to be.”

“Only two,” he yells out, thrashing against his chains.

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