Page 9 of Queen of Madness

“I’m in the black SUV right over there.” She smirks, stepping off the curb before adding, “And if you lose a hubcap or something, just honk twice.”

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Maddy’s SUV slows to a near stop before turning on a road hidden between massive oak trees. After a quarter mile, the street widens and the trees become sparser, only leaving the ones lining either side of a cobblestone path. We wind around a small curve and stop outside an equally impressive gate. Thick iron bars stretch into the distance, disappearing into the woods. Maddy sticks her hand out of her window and curses as she swipes some type of badge against a small box on a metal post.

“Stop it, Trick. I know you’re fucking with the button,” Maddy booms at a camera glinting in the top corner of the gate.

A long clank resonates in the air, and she flips the camera off before driving through the now open road, allowing the massive Embros estate to slide into my view.

Massive is probably an understatement for what I’m looking at, though. Behind a ten-foot-high fountain is what looks to be a small mansion with a coldness looming overhead despite the vast hedges of rose bushes circling around the property. About a half dozen gardeners are tending to the soft white flowers, and not one of them turns to the sound of us approaching.

Three stories of natural stone and brick encompass the front with black iron framing the windows. The same dark theme continues in the shingles atop the roof and front double doors. The metal has a matte finish, matching the lanterns posted on either side of the steps leading into the mouth of the estate.

I pull my car in behind Maddy’s, and it’s only after I get out that everything begins to settle and my heart accelerates with new possibilities. What I haven’t considered until this moment is that this isn’t a sure thing. Just because I’m here doesn’t mean Onyx will hire me. Or hell, she’ll know I’m working for the Murphys and just kill me on the spot.

Running my hands down the front of my jeans, I replay Sam’s advice in my head. He’s the last fucking person I want to be thinking about, but there isn’t much of a choice when my thoughts are beginning to dwindle, and I need to be reminded what’s at stake.

“Be quiet. Let her talk. We don’t know much about her, besides she kills first, asks questions later, so you have to just be cool. Don’t give her a reason to off you. You die, there’s no one left to save your baby sister’s cunt from being our newest moneymaker.”

My stomach churns, and even the thick swallows I take do little to push back the vomit tempting an appearance.

“You alright there?” Maddy’s already at the top of the steps. Her gaze is more pointed now, her brows furrowed as though she’s gauging my reactions.

I decide to be honest in hopes it makes me appear a little less sketchy. “Haven’t slept much the past couple nights.”

“Nervous?”

Shrugging, I climb the half dozen steps to meet her. “I wouldn’t say nervous. Cautious, maybe.”

A genuine grin tilts her mouth and I feel more relaxed. “Onyx has a type, so I think you’ll be fine. Besides, the queen is little fun without a jester to play with.”

My eyebrows lift at her insinuation, but she merely twirls and opens the door. An older gentleman nods his head at Maddy before peering up at me. His black suit hangs heavily on his frail body, but he stands taller when I step forward. “You’ve brought a guest, Lady Madeline.”

She bounces on her heels, a look of pride crossing her features. “I have. Boss in her office?”

The butler gives me another once-over before blinking away whatever thoughts he has, then backs away, opening the door wide enough for us to enter. “She is.”

“Wonderful.”

A tightness pulls across my chest as I follow her inside, stepping into the grand foyer. As I expected, it’s large—the ceiling alone is about twenty feet high. White marble tile covers the floor, and two black wrought iron staircases appear at either side of me, leading to the crossway right above. Dark sconces line the walls, providing the only dim light, while the massive chandelier dangling above the center glass table seems more for show. Behind the table, with a fresh vase of white roses, are two dark French doors.

Maddy tips her head toward them before leading the way and entering without stopping. “Boss! I got a surprise for you!”

Unlike my arrival, or stepping into the estate, I have no time to examine the office I’ve just walked into. No time to notice much about the white-haired man or the two massive bodies standing next to a large oak desk. Nor do I get to over examine or worry about the many eyes trained on me, with everyone’s right hands positioned over guns at their sides.

No. I don’t notice much of anything else besidesher.

A woman with smooth amber skin leans against the desk, her feet crossed at the ankles as her dark eyes scan over a document in her hand. At least a half dozen rings wrap around her long fingers, and the sharp tip of her black nail slides back and forth over the paper as she reads.

She nods to herself once, causing her long sleek ponytail to sway to the front of her tailored suit, and it’s then I notice she has nothing on under the jacket. A delicate chain rests between her breasts, where my eyes linger longer than they should.

There’s no way this is her. One of the most dangerous women in the fucking world, who is nothing more than a ghost to the public eye. A woman who can’t be more than twenty-five years old. There’s no way...

“Boss, this is Ezekiel Kane. Z, this is Onyx Embros.”

Fucking hell.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” Her eyes never leave the paper but the two big figures next to her move, shifting to the corner of the office as if their conversation is over. I take a second to let my eyes drift with them and notice they are a set of twins. Both tall, about my height, but packing a good twenty extra pounds of muscle. With these two, I’m a little confused why she needs to add to her security detail at all.

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