Page 7 of Brutal Queen

We’re in a much stronger position than we could have ever anticipated. We’re funded and informed… and fucking with Max’s operation at every opportunity.

I put my laptop down and set about making Aurora her coffee. I have it down pat now. Strong as all hell and drowning in a creamer that’s sweet enough to rot your teeth. I place it on her desk before retreating to the table with an espresso for me.

We really should buy another coffee machine, since she commandeered it, because this holding the caffeine hostage business is frustrating. However, the benefits far outweigh the inconvenience. We each appreciate having an excuse to interrupt her and quite often I use it to justify setting up camp in her office like I’m about to do.

The creak of the floorboards in the hall announces her arrival, and I can’t help but laugh at her oversized fluffy socksas she walks through the door. She glares at me, but it doesn’t scare away my smile. The woman wears skin-tight black jeans and a corset or basque every day, the badass bitch look finished off by her knee-high biker boots with fuck off thick treads. As a look, it’s both sexy as hell but also establishes a firm ‘fuck around and find out vibe’, yet under those boots she conceals all manner of themed socks.

Today’s pair are rainbows.

“Shut the fuck up, Sin. They’re comfy.”

She reaches underneath the desk and pulls out her boots, burying her feet in them and hiding any trace of her soft side as she does. Equipping herself in her final piece of armour for the day.

As I take her in, it hits me how difficult it’s becoming not to blurt out how I feel about her, but it seems selfish to say it out loud right now. One half of my heart is full—the other still mourns. That and I don’t think Aurora is ready to hear it. Her sorrow is only kept at bay by the promise of Max’s destruction. Right now, she’s buried under a rage that demands all her focus. A rage that consumes us all.

We will rain hellfire down on Max De Luca, and today’s meeting is the next step in unleashing it.

CHAPTER FOUR

AURORA

Iwalk round my father’s leather-topped mahogany desk and roll out the chair. This is the only piece of furniture in my office that I didn’t bring from his house. It’s somewhat ridiculous, but it’s comfy and it’s mine. It’s a green leather gaming chair with built-in speakers and a massage feature. Every one of my guys mocked me when it arrived, but that doesn’t stop them sneaking in here when they think I’m not watching, to play with all the features.

I notice the coffee Sinclair’s left for me and eagerly pick it up and take a sip. The almond creamer satisfies my sweet tooth while the caffeine promises to keep me going for a few hours, helping to overcome the exhaustion caused by Nico and Benny earlier.

I stare across the room at Sin, who is seemingly getting on with business like we’re not all missing a piece of our hearts, and a pang of guilt hits me. We’re in an awkward place. We all miss Enzo, but nothing we say will make us feel any better.Everything has already been said. We just have to get up every day and get on with our lives.

Even though I think all of us would rather wallow in grief and hide from the world, none of us have the balls to say it for fear of encouraging one of us to spiral into depression.

That’s my theory anyway. We’re all too afraid to be the reason one of us breaks.

So we focus on the only thing we can. Destroying Max.

“Thanks for this, Sin. I needed it.”

“Well, if you weren’t out till all hours antagonising Max’s new minions, I wouldn’t need to sustain you with artificial stimulants.”

“Where’s the fun in that, killjoy?” I snark at him, but I throw a jelly bean at him from the dish on my desk to make sure he looks up and sees I’m joking.

He’s about to say something when I hear the familiar clattering of Nico and Benny’s boots approaching the door and I’m met with a withering glare from Nico.

“Yeah. Now that you mention it, we need to clear some things up.” From his tone, I know I’m about to get an earful on safety and the importance of communication, but seeing as how I’m the boss and still on an orgasm high right now, I’m just not in the mood to listen. I roll my eyes and immediately regret my decision.

He crosses the room towards me and I’m forced to crane my neck as he stalks behind the desk, crowds my personal space, and threads his fingers through my hair, yanking my head back further, stopping just before the sensation borders on pain.

“You may be our boss, but we’re responsible for your fucking safety. You’re ours to protect, you infuriating woman. How can we possibly keep you safe if we don’t know where the fuck you are?”

Nico’s chest is heaving as he spits out the words through gritted teeth. I glance to Benedict and Sinclair to gauge their opinion on my activities last night and instantly know I’ve fucked up. They’re both giving me ‘what he said’ faces and the weight of my stupidity crashes down on me. I went out without protection to pick off the low-hanging fruit from Max’s organisation. Aside from making me feel better, it hardly served our purpose and was a massive risk.

Fuck.I’m going to have to apologise.

“What do you have to say for yourself, phoenix?” Nico grinds out.

My throat turns to sandpaper as I swallow the lump that’s formed. “I’m sorry, Nico,” I murmur and he releases his grip, leaving a trail of goosebumps as his fingers ghost along my neck and rest on my shoulder. I turn towards Benedict and Sinclair and continue, “It won’t happen again. I was angry and reckless.”

Nico leans down to my eye level and places a gentle grasp under my jaw to hold my attention. “No one's saying you can’t have your fun, phoenix. We’re just saying you can’t have it without us. One of us needs to be with you at all fucking times. Do I make myself crystal fucking clear?” His tone is a conflicted mix of emotions, veering between angry as fuck and loving.

“Yes, sir,” I say with a deference that feels natural. I may be the don, but they’re devoted to me and I disrespected them last night.

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