Page 41 of Bitter Queen (Advantage Play 4)

“Because we had a visitor asking about her,” Kingston divulges. “Do you think she’s capable of hiding something?”

My jaw tightens until I’m pretty sure I cracked a molar while praying I heard him wrong.

Who the hell would be looking for her? And why would she need to hide something?

Glancing over at her again, my chest tightens before I rub my hand over my face and focus on the phone call. “I dunno, Kingston. I think she’s pretty messed up after everything that happened.”

“I need you to bring her back here. We need to chat.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“And I don’t give a shit,” Kingston counters. “Someone contacted Dominic Castello and asked him to reach out to Dex to see where the pretty blonde virgin ended up.”

“Why the hell would someone be asking about Q?” I growl.

“That’s what we want to know.”

Searching through all the possibilities of who the hell would care about an innocent girl like Q, I ask, “Do you think the guy who contacted Dex might be…?”

“Do I think he might be the same guy trying to screw over the Romanos?” Kingston finishes for me. “I don’t know. They might be related. They might not be.”

“It’s possible,” another voice interjects. I think it belongs to Dex, my half-brother. “Dominic said the guy was willing to give me the Romano family as a gift for my loyalty. Sounded to me like he was willing to kill two birds with one stone, ya know what I mean?”

Silence ensues before Kingston grits out, “D, do we know any enemies in The District? Lou tracked Dominic’s conversation with whoever his contact is. It led us there.”

“But that’s Fed territory,” I argue.

“It is…,” Kingston confirms.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, a single name comes to mind. Jack. He’s the guy Ace introduced to us. He helped us frame Burlone the night of the tournament. It feels like a lifetime ago. But it doesn’t make any sense.

“We only know one Fed,” I mutter.

“Yeah,” Kingston breathes.

“Why would Jack double-cross us?” I ask. “Why would he be looking for Q in the first place?”

“I don’t know,” Kingston answers, his voice crackling through my cell. “But I also don’t know who else would be interested in the Romanos or any of the girls who were initially taken by Burlone who happen to work in The District. Do you?”

“Shit,” I curse under my breath.

“Who’s Jack?” Dex interrupts. He was still Burlone’s man when we met the Fed. It makes sense that he hasn’t been caught up yet.

Kingston explains, “Jack is the Fed who gave us the fabricated documents that framed Burlone as a snitch. He’s also the guy you contacted with the location of Burlone’s body.”

“So, he double-crossed us?” Dex asks.

“Either that or he works with someone who is double-crossing him,” Stefan chimes in with his two cents.

“Regardless,” Kingston states, “I think it’s time we bring him in for a little chat.”

“And if he doesn’t feel like talking?” Dex argues.

I can almost see Kingston’s arrogant smirk that I have no doubt is stretched across his face. I chuckle darkly before Kingston divulges, “That won’t be a problem. Bring him in, Dex. Lou will get you his address. And, D?”

“Yeah?” I answer.

“I wasn’t kidding about having a little chat with Q too. Understand?”