Page 91 of The Broken Queen
We were near our family wing, by the back patio, when I noticed Gio was struggling to hold his gun.
“What’s wrong with you?”
He twisted his arm around as if to stretch it. “Just a pinched nerve, I’m good.”
Brushing it off, we quietly entered the manor through the kitchen doors of our family wing, and the second we were inside, we realized what had gone wrong.
“Taylor, I’m willing to save your children. That’s the current offer on the table, but Juan will be killed.”
Gio raised his scope, moving silently through the kitchen. Benni and Renzo Adesso stood next to Markos, one had their gun trained on my mother, while the other had one aimed at Alex. Markos sat directly in front of our mother with her between his open knees. Her hands were tied behind her back, and her mouth was covered. She didn’t cry though, no. She looked angry. So did my sister.
“Come now. Think of your children,Aurelia.”
Gio glanced at me, with his brows up high as if he were as confused as I was. I remembered there were things our parents had shared with us, and Dad had said she was once promised to him in marriage. Did Mom have a different name? I knew her father’s last name was Varga…
Dad began shaking in his chair and yelling around his mouth gag as Markos stroked a finger down Mom’s face.
“Perhaps a more suited fate would be to allow your husband the opportunity to watch me defile you.” Markos laughed while he leaned in closer to kiss our mother, but she met him half way and slammed her forehead into his nose, making blood spurt everywhere.
Raising my gun, I focused on my target right as Gio fixated on his, and in unison we shot. A spray of red came from the back of Benni’s head, and then Renzo dropped to the ground. Markos lifted his head, trying to gauge what happened, but his nose was busted to shit, so he was disoriented.
“Call all your men off.” I pointed my gun at his forehead while Gio helped our dad out of his bindings. The second he was free, he pulled our mother away from where Markos was sitting and undid hers, then he went to Alex.
Markos tried to struggle, but Gio brought his gun up and shot him in the other arm. “Call them off!”
“Fine, give me my phone,” Markos spat, but now that our dad was free.
“You touched my fucking wife.” His fist flew into Markos’s face.
I sat back and watched as Dad’s fist came down again and again and again. I realized I might be able to call things off simply by sending a text from his phone. I checked the dead brothers first, using their faces to unlock their phones. Sure enough, they were texting with someone outside who was in charge of bringing all the men. I shot off a text for them to fall back and wait for further command.
I heard a gun being prepared to fire and turned around. My mother stood with her mouth rag around her neck, a smear of blood along her lip, and her hands wrapped around a pistol.
She aimed at Markos.
“Taylor?” Dad said, with his fists still clenched. He wasn’t done with him, but he movedout of the way.
Mom didn’t seem to care as she pulled the trigger.
I needed to go find Presley. Gio seemed to have the same concern as we left our family and began running through the manor.
“Where are they?” Gio yelled while searching their side of the James family wing.
Empty.
“I don’t know, but we have to keep searching.” I exited their wing with my rifle raised once more, clearing each space. I didn’t think they’d be in Carter’s wing, but we checked it regardless.
Then we rushed to the gym as a sinking, nagging feeling relentlessly crept in.
Gio kept his gun trained on the door as I yanked it open, and right as we did, everything seemed to come to a screeching halt.
Chapter 33
Presley
Iwasn’t sure what to make of what had been set up when I walked into the gym, and I was even less sure now that I’d been forced to take a seat.
It was our dining room kitchen table, but it had been moved to the center of the gym. Seated on one side, blindfolded, gagged and zip-tied were my parents. Reaper sat next to Scotty, glancing between where I was walking and where Scotty stood. He emanated a whine like he knew I was in danger.
