Page 71 of Brutal Queen

A glimmer of relief washes over her face, and I let out a pained breath as Nico lifts me from the floor. Considering I’ve taken a bullet in a daring shootout, I have to admit being carried bridal style away from the action is knocking my confidence right now.

This most definitely is not the vibe.

I bury my head against his shoulder and hide my face, trying to fend off the waves of nausea that batter me as he and the men surrounding us make sure he gets me to safety.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

AURORA

As I march out of the room and down the hall, I finally respond over comms. “Benedict is alive and heading for the loading bay. I want anyone down there with medical know-how looking at his injuries.” Enzo and Sinclair come back over the line immediately, talking over each other, asking what the fuck happened.

“He’s alive and talking and refusing to leave until we have Max, so someone better give me some good fucking news right now,” I reply.

I’m running along the upper corridor towards the stairwell, my men trailing after me.

“We’re just waiting for you, hummingbird. Meet us in the south corner. We have a gift for you,” Sinclair replies with an eerily gleeful undertone beneath the low rumble of his voice.

Taking the stairs two at a time, I make short work of them and burst through the door at the bottom to find a majority ofmy men surrounding one of the labs, weapons raised and poised to fire.

“We didn’t have time to gift wrap him, but we figured trapping him was the next best thing,” Enzo tells me.

I walk around the space carefully, trying to get a peek at Max. The lab walls are built with opaque lower panels underneath wide glass windows. There are a few still standing and it seems Max has been manoeuvred into one of them like a rat in a test maze. I can see the top of his head leaning with his back against the wall. Looking around the room, I consider my options. I could talk to him, ask him to come out with his hands up, but I have plans for this man and I’m done waiting.

Raising my hand towards Stefano’s men, I flick my wrist. “Bring him to me.”

They leap into action, making short work of the door and bursting into the room. Max does nothing. He’s either out of ammunition or has realised the fruitlessness in fighting back. He’s alone and outgunned. My men have systematically taken out every one he brought with him and now he’s fucked.

I watch through the glass as he’s pulled off the floor. He turns towards me, his icy blues fixed like a laser on mine. A chill weaves a path through me, triggered by the creep of his gaze as he takes me in from head to toe.

I don’t give him the satisfaction of buckling under his malevolent stare.

Not even when he focuses on my abdomen and darts his tongue out, eagerly wetting his lips before biting the bottom one. Max’s expression twists into a cruel and self-satisfied smirk. I can guess exactly what he’s thinking.

It’s like he’s lost in a memory and I know with every fibre of my being that he’s reliving the moment he buried his knife in me.

He remains statue still as they search him and toss hisweapons aside, but my interest is piqued when the only time he reacts is as Dom removes a shiny object from his inside pocket. Because of course he stormed a warehouse in a fucking dress suit.

“Bring. That. To me,” I shout, feeling a tidal wave of anger threatening to crash over me.

Dom immediately exits the lab and presents his find. I hold my hand out for him to drop the item in my palm and the second the weight of it lands in my grip, I know what it is. I’m very fucking familiar with this particular item.

I run my thumb across the macabre inscription.

Enzo and Nico move to stand at my back as anger rolls off me in waves. They each lay a hand on my shoulder and I settle a little, but it doesn’t stop the rage coursing through my veins. It builds until I feel like I’m choking on the acrid fumes of a blazing inferno.

Shrugging away from their touch, I slowly stalk to the centre of the open space before me.

“Bring him to me.” My tone is hushed, but I have the attention of everyone in the room and my command is obeyed immediately.

I catch Enzo and Sinclair in my periphery moving towards me and I raise my hand, turning my head slowly to the side and stopping them in their tracks. Fixing my eyes on Enzo, an entire conversation passes between us without words. I know he wants his vengeance, and I will grant him his moment. But right now—this ismymoment. And I won’t be denied my satisfaction.

They step back into the ranks with every man who helped me tonight. I watch as more men filter through from the loading bay, among them Nico and Benny who move to stand at Enzo’s side, and I dip my head towards them, feeling a huge weight lift off my shoulders when I see that Benny is okay.Standing tall, shoulder to shoulder, every Bianchi here holds a perimeter around the edge of the warehouse floor. They all bear witness as Max is brought before me.

He doesn’t struggle or brawl with his captors as he’s presented to me. He holds his head high and lifts his chin.

“Kneel,” I command, my voice steady and even. That one word is the first time I see a crack in his armour. His face flinches into a sneer, as if the mere idea of kneeling before me is abhorrent to him.

“I said, kneel,” I repeat, only I don’t wait for a response, pulling my gun out of the back of my waistband and firing twice, one in each kneecap. He’s felled instantly, dropping like a stone. I can see the agony etched on his face and smirk at his futile attempt to hide it.

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