Page 72 of Queen of Madness

“I’m scared. I—”

“It’s going to be okay. Just give me a couple more days and I’ll figure it out.”

“If they don’t trust you enough by now to give you codes or keys or whatever, what is a couple of days going to do?” She’s trying not to yell, but she’s failing, her voice muffled by tears. And when I don’t answer fast enough, it’s as if something’s clicked in place she’s been trying to put together.

“You already have the codes, don’t you?”

“Fi, wait. Just wait. Let me explain. Things aren’t what we thought. I can still fix this. Plea—”

“You have forty-eight hours, brother. Two days until I run out on the grass and let them shoot me like a dog because I refuse to give them my body.”

Before I could respond, the line disconnected, and I was left standing in the middle of my living room like a fool. Iama fool.

The realization, or maybe the acceptance of it, caused me to lash out, tearing the home to shreds and hurting myself in the process. The worst of which was when the old metal chandelier fell and hit the side of my face. But the physical pain is almost nonexistent next to the war raging through my body.

I know what I have to do. Iknow. But it doesn’t make things easier. Or right.

I’m trading one life for many, yet Ican’tnot do it.

My eyes squeeze shut, the burning in my throat nearly unbearable. I have twelve hours.

Twelve fucking hours.

“Thinking about your mother?” Onyx’s voice jolts me from my self-inflicted torment. “Do you need to go be with her?”

My chest caves in under the weight of her words. The theoretical hitting of the nail on the head, knocking me further into my shitstorm of guilt. “No. She’s with someone I trust.”

Onyx nods, leaning on the passenger door. “Despite what onlookers might think, my mother was a worrier. My father even more so.”

I raise a brow, following Trick’s car in front as it turns down a long road. “Oh yeah?”

“Yes. But only about family. It was the one thing they would do anything for. The one thing they would risk their lives to protect. My parents did the stupidest thing imaginable to save me.”

She swallows, and it’s one of the few times I see her tender walls threaten to curl in. But as always, she clears her throat and straightens her back. “Family makes us weak; makes us do stupid things. Try not to judge your mother too much.”

The corner of my lips lift. “Yes, ma’am.”

Pulling up to Embros Hearts, it’s exactly what I saw from the pictures online when I first did research about Onyx. It’s a two-story building, with an all-glass front and bright curb appeal. Wide green bushes line the front walkway, while a valet sits under the overhang in the roundabout. Onyx directs me to the man standing post at the booth, where I park and hand him my keys.

When we exit, we find the twins standing near Shi, engulfing her small body between them, while Maddy and Kilo have a wildly funny conversation, spoken at a pace only they can understand.

It’s the first time since our first meeting that I’ve seen them all together and it’s oddly familiar.

Onyx pats my shoulder, leaning close to my ear. “This is what started it all. I hope you see what I do here isn’t half bad.”

She brushes past me, and the rest follow behind, entering the center. Inside, the lobby is far less medical than I’d imagined. Instead, it’s more like the entrance to a grandiose hotel. There’s a fountain in the middle, ferns around the brown leather couches, lots of glass and chrome to match the massive chandelier, and a bustling café to the right of the entrance.

If I brought my mother here, she’d think it was some type of resort.

A woman with large brown eyes and an ear-length bob stands behind an elevated counter. When she sees all of us entering, her pupils widen like moons, sparking her to life as she bolts around her counter.

“Miss Embros, it’s so lovely to have all of you with us today! Everyone will be so happy to see you.” She juts a small, manicured hand out, gesturing toward an open hall surrounded by windows. “Please, follow me.”

Onyx merely nods, and rather than trail behind her, she walks next to her, leading us down the wide hall.

On the left, the parking lot can be seen through the tall windows, but on the right, an incredible atrium. It’s large—about forty feet wide— and bustling with women. A large tree rests in the middle, surrounded by benches. A small path made of wooden slats leads from one end to the other, and over a small bridge covering a koi pond. Some of the women are walking around, some feeding birds, while others tend to plants growing along the edges, and more are reading under the branches.

Although very serene and peaceful, I notice something that makes my stomach tight—they’re all similar. They are all small and borderline malnourished. They also all bear faint scars that shine silver and pale tan that reflect off their skin.

---