Page 17 of Serena (Shattered Queens #1)

After I left Serena’s a couple of days ago, I needed to blow off some steam.

Not only because I was ready and very willing to fuck her against the front door of her apartment, but because she pissed me off with that smart mouth of hers.

So I called Caleb and asked if he needed my services while he was away.

There’s always something to be taken care of when it comes to his business.

Felix, his right-hand man, and I are at one of the underground bunkers my cousin uses when he wants to indulge in serving his own form of justice or just good ole torture. I became a part of my cousin's world at a young age. I’m his executioner.

So here I am. I don’t know what this man did to Caleb, and I don’t care.

What I do know is that he won’t be leaving here alive.

It’s why I don’t bother hiding my face. I get to work.

Every punch that lands on the nameless man's face brings me some relief. I imagine it being someone who’s touched her.

Every time a bone cracks, I imagine it’s someone who’s heard her laugh, seen her smile.

No one deserves them. Hell, I may not deserve them, but I’ll still take them.

After a while, Felix steps in and stops me before I break any bones in my hands. I take a step back and admire my work. I casually pick up an unmarked gun that's lying on the sterilized table and put a bullet between the nameless man's eyes.

I fought with myself the entire weekend.

I needed to see her, to feel her close to me.

Remembering her body's reaction to my caress with the knife. I know if I slid my hand down to her pussy, she would’ve been soaked.

Giving her the small weapon was a last-minute decision.

After she shared how lethal she is, I thought, Why not add another weapon to her repertoire? It’s also one of my favorite knives.

The way she looked up at me with her big brown eyes.

How her breathing became erratic at my closeness.

Her scent that now follows me everywhere I go.

Even when I didn’t touch her, I could see the want in her eyes.

I was hard all weekend, but my wanting her isn’t new.

I’ve wanted her for so long. Stroking my dick to thoughts of her has become a ritual.

Thoughts of what I’m going to do to her consume me. She consumes me.

I didn’t expect a wrench in my week, that wrench’s name being Mila. I expected her to show up at my penthouse, which would have been preferable, so my security could have detained her. But no, she showed up at my office, of all places. Where the fuck was security?

I didn’t expect Serena to witness Mila's outburst, calling me her fiancé. I wanted to tell her that it wasn’t true, but first I needed to defuse the situation before it got out of control. I know Mila is conniving and manipulative, so I dragged her into my office.

“What the hell are you doing here, Mila?”

“Darling, I came to see you.” She attempts to wrap her arms around my waist, but I pull away.

“You need to leave right now, or I’ll have security walk you out of the building. You wouldn’t want that attention, would you, Mila?” She walks toward my desk, placing her purse on the chair.

“Darling, I came to work things out.” She bends over my desk. “Come on, I’ll let you fuck me right here, right now. Remember how much you loved it.”

The reminder makes me want to throw up. Fucking Mila is one of my biggest regrets. I was in college, and she followed me around. So I figured, why not? Now, she won’t let it go. It’s been years.

“Go to hell, Mila. There is nothing to work out. You have one minute to leave, or I’ll call security.

“Darling, we can be great together. Our families would be so happy.”

“You’re delusional. Oh, and Mila, stay the hell away from my mother, or you’ll regret it.”

She stands up and grabs her purse. “You’re going to pay for this, Ian. I promise you.” Then she leaves. FUCK!

I don’t want Serena to hate me because hating the person you’re going to spend the rest of your life with is not ideal. I know she has a temper. So I gave her space, but when she stormed into my office looking royally pissed, I couldn’t stop myself, so I provoked her.

Then she ran; she always runs. So I went after her, not giving a damn if anyone saw or heard us.

I needed her close. My hands instinctively grabbed her waist, and I pulled her to me.

For a moment, I wondered if she was going to kick or punch me, but when she tried to push me away, I didn't falter. With her, I feel whole. She’s the missing piece of the puzzle.

She thinks I’m playing a game, and her bringing up other women is an excuse to push me away.

If she still tries to run, then I’ll tie her to my bed, better yet, I’ll tie her to me.

Taking advantage of the closeness she’s allowing me, I memorize her body's reaction to mine. The way her breasts move when she’s trying to control her breathing.

The way her hands feel on my chest, searing into my skin.

Her big brown eyes, staring into my soul. She fits perfectly in my arms.

The moment is interrupted by Miles’s call.

I was pissed, but I knew it was important; otherwise, he would have texted.

As soon as I answered, he let me know it was my sister, Veronica.

It physically hurt to pull away and leave Serena, but my sister needed me.

As soon as I walked away, I called Caleb, who answered after one ring.

“Miles let me know. The plane is being prepped. See you in fifteen.”

I’m close with my sister, so when she needs help, I’m the big brother she comes to for it.

She’s also the sibling who creates the most chaos for our family.

A perfect example is the current situation she put herself in, being blackmailed with nude photos of her.

The media is always sniffing for anything related to our family, so this isn’t ideal. She is reckless and self-destructive.

“Is this going to be a warning or a disappearing act?” my cousin asks from his seat. I don’t bother to answer that; my look says it all. “I’ll have a clean-up crew waiting.” Caleb makes a couple of calls and then confirms everything is in place.

I called Miles for an update. I instruct him to wipe anyone associated with the blackmailer from Vee's social media. Yes, we know who they are because these are little fish playing in an ocean full of sharks.

“Done,” Miles confirms.

“Don’t be too hard on her,” Caleb says. I know they’re close, but he enables her too much.

“She needs to come home and deal with it. All she’s doing is running away.” Like someone else I know.

“Ian, she needs a purpose. She’s lost, and let’s be honest, you and everyone else have given her free rein, and now you want her to settle down?

Good luck with that. Plus, she isn’t like us.

She tries to see the good in others.” He’s always defending Vee.

My cousin is a killer through and through, but his only weak spots are the women in our family.

Changing the subject, we go over the plan. I updated him on Mila and the show she put on.

“Do you need help in taking care of that situation?” His immediate reaction to every hurdle is to make people disappear. It’s a sentiment I share with him, but not in this case.

“No, it would lead back to the family, and Mom would be upset if anything happened to Cassandra, so by extension, her daughter.”

We arrive in Miami and get straight to work.

Our first stop is my sister. She’s holed up in her hotel room.

She runs straight into my arms. “Ian, I’m so sorry.

I didn’t know they were taking pictures.

I swear.” She sobs in my arms. “I went shopping, and they took pictures of me in the dressing room.”

I turn to my cousin as if reading his mind.

“Shh, it’s okay. Caleb and I will handle it.

Look at me, Vee.” Her eyes are swollen red from all the crying.

“You’re going to go with Felix, and he’s going to take care of you.

” She nods. Felix carries her in his arms and leaves the room.

Two men follow them to the private plane.

Felix is not only my Caleb’s right-hand man but also a family friend.

He loves my sister like she were his own.

I know I never have to worry about them.

The anticipation and buildup of what’s next is like a drug, one that I try not to indulge in very often, but when I do, I let it take over.

By the time we arrive at the shipyard, everything has been prepared for us.

We enter the rusty shipping container located at the back of the property.

Away from anyone who could hear us. Not that anyone would.

Two men are chained to the ceiling, hanging from hooks drilled into the metal beam.

They are gagged and blindfolded. When I remove their blindfolds, the look of surprise gives me an extra shot of adrenaline.

They don’t expect to see me, Ian Kayde, the philanthropist and businessman.

Vee was right. These two followed her and took pictures of her while she tried on clothes. These motherfuckers also pretended to be her friend. Miles found them in a couple of her social media posts.

I reach inside my pants pocket and pull out another knife.

I put my finger on the switch, releasing the metal blade that reflects light from the lamp in the corner of the space.

“Who’s ready to play? I’m going to ask you a question, and any time you refuse to answer, I'm going to use this.” I hold up my knife.

“You don’t respond, you get stabbed, simple as that.

Understood?” The one on the left seems to lose his resolve at this whole situation and knows there is no way they’re leaving in one piece.

His friend, on the other hand, is trying to shout through the dirty rag that’s been taped over his mouth.

Okay, let's start. I turn to look at my cousin, who has his Cheshire cat smile on display.

Caleb and I have been doing this for over a decade, and every time is like the first time.

We both play our parts; together, we are indestructible.

The first time I killed a person was when I was sixteen and spent the summer with Caleb.

He was attacked because of who his father is.

When Caleb was on the floor bleeding from being stabbed in the chest, I pulled out my knife and slit the man's throat from behind. Still breathing, my cousin used my knife to finish him off. We disposed of the body and went about our night. We were eventually caught by his father, but instead of punishing us, he encouraged and helped feed our monsters. He taught us how to do things cleaner, more effectively, but sometimes we like getting messy. As much as I tried to keep this side of me from Gabe, he found out one night when I was home from college. He doesn’t judge me.

There are secrets my brother has that he doesn’t know I’m aware of.

He will come to me when he’s ready, and like him, I won’t ever judge him.

By the time we dispose of the evidence and get cleaned up, it’s morning. We get back to the plane, and Vee is passed out in the private bedroom. I turn on my phone and a message from Miles lights my screen.

Miles: Thought you’d like to see this.

I click on the file. There are two videos, the first with a time stamp of 10:37 p.m., and the second at 3:07 a.m. They are from the security camera outside Serena’s apartment door. I press play and watch the first, then move on to the second. At that moment, I decide I’m going to kill him.