Page 19 of Serena (Shattered Queens #1)

As soon as we arrived from Miami, I had Augustus, my driver, take Vee home to my parents. I updated Gabe on what happened. He didn’t ask for specifics. He never does.

I asked Caleb to drive Serena to the airport.

My original plan was to show up at her doorstep and take her myself, but I was in no mood for her smart mouth, and I needed to attend a very important meeting.

Ever since I saw the surveillance footage, my mind has been a mess, creating fucked-up scenarios with Serena and another man.

A man whom I considered my friend until those videos.

It’s maddening. If anything did happen, I’d kill him and lock her up in my penthouse.

When Caleb showed up to take her to the airport, she refused to get in the car. As expected, she didn’t make it easy for me; she never does, and I know she never will. I admit, I love the chase, but not in this situation.

I’m making my way into Lobo Law Firm when I see a call from Caleb. “Is everything all right?” I ask without pause. He takes a moment before he speaks.

“Yes, the plane just took off. I like her; she’s stubborn. Good luck with that, by the way.” Laughing, he adds, “And she thought I was charming and funny.”

“I can still kill you, you know.” I’m pretty sure he can hear my teeth grinding through the phone.

My cousin prides himself on judging a person's character. He credits it as a reason he's still alive. Not that his opinion would deter me from Serena.

“There’s something you should know…I saw her hand was bandaged up. I asked her what happened, and she told me she cut herself while cooking. She looked exhausted. Need me to look into it?” Those words have me moving quicker.

“No, I'm at Lobo Law Firm. I’ll let you know if I need you.”

Miles has twenty-four-hour surveillance on Serena’s apartment building, which includes the camera in the hallway with a direct view of her front door.

Imagine my surprise when I see Elias not only walk up to her door, but he doesn’t even knock, just lets himself in.

He has his own goddamn keys to her apartment.

When he leaves, assuming it's to go home to his husband, Elias looks disheveled. The flight home was full of murder plots, corporate sabotage, and millions of other ideas on how to ruin Elias Lobo. Caleb offered to kill him for me. They don’t have the best history, but I declined my cousin's offer for now. If anyone’s going to kill him, it’s me. I’m going to make it slow and painful.

His assistant is as incompetent as the security in this building. I had to tell her my full name to get her to take me seriously. I lose my patience and push my way through. Not caring who is on the other side of the door, I swing the doors open, and there he is.

“Ian, what are you—” He doesn’t finish the sentence because my fist connects with his jaw. I caught him off guard, but not enough to have him lose his balance.

“What the fuck, Ian!” he shouts at me, but I don’t hear him.

All I see is him entering her apartment.

His having access to her whenever he wants.

Doing god knows what with her. I’m so blinded by my jealous rage.

I get ready to swing again, but somehow, he gets behind me and tightens his arms around mine.

He’s close enough for me to hear him when he yells.

“You need to calm the fuck down so we can talk about this. Ian, are you listening? Calm…the…fuck…down.” I steady my breathing.

He’s holding on to me and lowering his voice.

“So, are you going to swing at me, or can we discuss whatever's going on?” I nod in response.

He lets go and shoves me away to put some distance between us.

“Fuck, Ian, this is a gift from Theo; he’s going to be pissed.

” I look down at his blood-stained shirt and smirk.

Fuck him. He goes to close his office door, which has been open this whole time.

Shocked that security didn’t come in. I raise my head to pin him with a stare, clenching my fists ready to swing again, but he steps back and puts up his hands.

I don’t waste any time with my questions.

“Why were you at Serena’s last night? What happened? You bastard. Does your husband know?” He looks like I just told him the Easter Bunny isn’t real. Shocked and pissed.

“How the hell do you know I was there?” As soon as he says the words, the realization hits him. “You’re stalking her?” He grabs me by my shirt collar and pushes me against the wall. “Don’t, Ian, not Serena; leave her alone.”

I push him off me.

“Why? You can’t stand the thought of her being with someone else?”

“Are you serious right now? Ian, if you ever valued our friendship, stay the hell away from her.”

“No.” I won’t ever stay away, even if she pushes me away a million times, I’ll always come back because she is worth it. He’s close enough that if I swing, I’ll land a punch. I can see the questions forming.

“Are you and Serena?”

“No.” My tone is lethal because the question is a reminder that I’m nothing to her… Yet.

There is a long pause. “Since when?” His question isn’t about her and me, but me. I sigh. “Longer than you think.”

“Fuck, Ian!” He walks over to the drink cart.

He grabs an expensive bottle of whiskey and two glasses.

After pouring one for each of us, he comes to me and hands me a drink.

I watch as he drinks his, and I follow. Damn, I didn’t realize how much I needed that.

Another drink, and he crosses to the couch to sit with a heavy sigh of resignation.

“You’re an asshole, you know that, right? ”

I nod, preparing myself for what he has to say.

“Ian, there is nothing going on between Serena and me. I’ve changed, and I'm offended that you still think of me as the version you knew in college and well before Theo. It also tells me that you don’t know her at all.

She would never do that to someone she loves. ”

He’s right. As soon as I saw the footage, I jumped to the conclusion that they were both willing participants.

“Sh-she needed my help. Fuck, out of all the women in this city. Hell, the country. Why her? Aren’t you engaged? Ian…Serena…she’s been through a lot. Stay away from her. I don’t want to see her hurt by you or anyone else.”

“Why, because you’re in love with her?” I snap at him.

“You motherfucker. I love her, but I’m not in love with her. I’m happily married. How long have you known her? A couple of weeks. Do you know anything about her?”

“Get off your high horse, Elias, with your savior complex. Always having to save the day. You don’t need to protect her; she has me.”

“Does she know that? Does she know that she has you? Answer the question, Ian. Because from where I see it, you don’t have shit.

” He starts to pace his office. “If she knew she could count on you, why didn't she call you instead of me?” Shit, he went for the jugular. That’s all it takes for me to lunge at him.

He’s able to push me off, and I land on the couch. “Seriously, Ian. Calm the fuck down, or I’ll have to call security.”

“Tell me,” I demand because I’m getting tired of this.

“Answer my questions first.” The balls on this guy. I manage to stand from the couch, losing my patience, and face him.

“She doesn’t know, but that doesn’t matter because I’ll protect her regardless.

I haven't tried to hide my intentions from her, and I won’t hide them from you or anyone else.

I know enough; the rest is irrelevant. It's a long story, but no, I was never engaged to Mila Livingston or anyone else. Take it or leave it, that’s all you’re getting. Now, don't make me repeat myself.”

He hesitates, but regardless, I came here for answers, and I’ll push until I get them.

“Dickhead, sit down, and you may want another drink.” He pauses.

“She needs to tell you herself, but we both know that Serena, well, she doesn’t share.

You need to earn her trust, Ian. I mean it.

Don’t push her. Serena called me last night in a panic. She hurt herself…unintentionally.”

“What!?” I shout at him.

“I was working late in the office when she called. She was crying and upset. I could barely understand what she was saying. Something about glass everywhere and in her hand, mumbling that she couldn’t get it out.

I knew what was wrong the moment she mentioned the glass being everywhere.

I-I…well, I have a copy of the girls' apartment keys for emergencies. Theo has a spare as well, just in case.

When I arrived, I used them to get into her apartment. As soon as I walked in, I saw shattered glass all over the living room. Serena was on the kitchen floor. I knew she’d had an episode.” I sit still and continue listening.

“Ian, she had a piece of glass stuck in the palm of her hand. She was sobbing, and there was blood on the counter, the floor, and on her. I was able to calm her down enough to take the piece of glass out and clean the wound. The cut wasn’t deep enough to require stitches, but the damage was done.

I helped her get cleaned up. I called Theo to let him know what had happened.

He’s out of town, so he insisted I stay with her.

After a couple of hours, Serena was calmer.

When I asked what had happened, she told me it’d been a bad day at work.

There was a meeting with the marketing team that didn’t go as planned.

When she got home, she spoke with her mother, and it went downhill from there.

She insisted I leave, and she promised to get some rest before the trip.

As I was leaving, I noticed a blood stain on my shirt, so I took it off.

I have someone scheduled to go clean her apartment and replace anything that was damaged. ”

“What damages?”

“The broken television and stained furniture. Ian, Serena has aichmophobia; not many people know. It’s not something she wants to share.” Every answer brings new questions.

“For how long? Did she tell you what happened at work?”

“A couple of years. She didn’t actually share the news. Like I said, she needs to tell you, but good luck with that; she’s infuriating at times. She pushes Yuri and Theo away so they don’t worry about her. She tries to do the same with me, but I can see through her more than they can.”

That last statement is upsetting because it's evident how much he knows her. He was her first call. Just thinking about it makes me want to punch him again. He notices. “Ian, are you going to take a swing at me again?”

“I’m thinking about it.” I’m honest with him, and it seems to lighten the mood.

“Ian, how long?” I know what he’s asking. So I tell him. Stunned is too simple a word to describe his reaction.

“Damn it, Ian, I told you to stay away from her.” He runs both hands through his hair in a sign of frustration.

“Okay, then you should know what triggered her at the meeting yesterday. Byran Carson. They had a relationship in college, and it didn’t end well for her.

He was at the gala a couple of weeks ago.

She didn’t know he was part of the team until yesterday.

She told me she set boundaries, but I don't know if that will be enough for her.” Without hesitation, I tell him I'll take care of it.

“Is he the reason for the gun?”

“Gun…what gun?”

He doesn’t know. “I assumed she’d have one since it was a bad breakup.”

“Right. Well, no gun, but she does kickboxing. Ian, you’re my friend, but she’s like a sister to me. I won’t stop protecting her. Not until she tells me she trusts you.”

“You’re lucky I didn’t kill you.”

“Ian, I’m serious."

“Elias, so am I.”

“You know you’re crazy, right?” He may not agree with how I’m going about things, but he knows me well enough to know that I won’t stop.

“Now get the fuck out of my office before I call security. And I'm telling Theo, you owe me a new shirt. Asshole.”

I make my way out of the office, but I turn and look at Elias. “I’ll be changing her locks, so throw away her apartment keys.”

He doesn’t know everything about her, but neither do I, and that needs to change.

I need to be close to her now more than ever, but I need to take care of some things.

The security detail I have on her updates me on every move she makes.

Right now, the team is knee-deep in audits, and I know she's using work as a distraction. For now, I’ll leave her alone. I have a life to ruin.