Page 56 of Serena (Shattered Queens #1)

“No one leaves this fucking building until they’re cleared.

” I’m running to the car with Serena in my arms. Goddamn it.

I knew we shouldn't have come. I went against my better judgment for her.

That will never happen again. “Get Veronica out of here, and get the doctor to my penthouse now!” I yell at my brother.

All I'm doing is barking orders. “Tell Elias Lobo to meet me.”

I was searching the party for Serena when she called.

I heard the panic in her voice and knew something was wrong.

I pulled up the tracker and rushed to her.

I could hear him taunting her. “Pretty girl” is what he calls her.

She was smart. Kept quiet by removing her heels to stay hidden.

My blood boils at the sound of his voice. “How’s the scar?” is what he screamed.

I take off my suit jacket and wrap it around her. She’s cold but alert. “Serena, look at me.” She follows my orders. Good. “I have you.”

“He was there.” That statement is playing in a loop. Augustus gets us to the penthouse in record time.

He turns to me as I exit the car. “What can I do?”

“Shoot any motherfucker that tries to get up to the penthouse. If you don’t know them, put a bullet in their head.”

“I can do that.” Augustus isn’t just a driver. He’s an ex-army ranger. Being my driver is his cover. You give him an order, and he’ll carry it out.

I enter my living room and place Serena on the couch.

“Ian, he wants to kill me.” It’s not a question. She isn't crying. She isn’t yelling. She's just there. I can see her spiraling. Her walls are going back up.

“He will have to go through me. Do you understand?” She doesn't answer. The doctor finally arrives. After he examines her, he comes to me.

“There are no physical injuries, but she’s in shock. I’m going to prescribe her some medicine to sleep.”

I look at her; she’s staring at the night sky. I know she’s lost in her trauma. Fuck, she was doing so well. I hear the elevator open and see Gabe walk in with Elias and Theo.

“Serena!” Elias calls out, followed by Theo. She turns and runs to him.

“Elias, I was right. I was right. I wasn’t going crazy,” she yells at him.

Fury in her eyes. Then she turns to me and runs into my arms, shattering, but there aren't any tears. You don’t need tears to express how broken you feel inside.

She’s afraid to sleep. Afraid of the nightmares.

So I force her to take a pill and promise to always be near.

Theo lies with her on the couch. I turn to see that Elias is on the balcony with his head hung, and I join him.

“Elias, what did Serena mean by that?” He looks at me, and I just see a worried friend.

“There was a witness who reported seeing three men leaving the back of the bar right before she was found. When the stalking began, Serena thought that the third person might be her stalker, but she wasn’t one-hundred percent certain.

She could only remember two men attacking her.

By then, the witness had recanted their statement.

When she started to receive the messages, that’s when she was certain the third person was her stalker.

The police took the messages as an angry ex-boyfriend or someone she’d pissed off.

Every time she brought it up, she was ignored.

Her parents told her she was being paranoid.

That she needed to move on. No one knew how to help her.

Eventually, she just shut down.” He looks back at his friend.

“She did the best she could. We hoped her winning the lawsuit would help her start a new life. But money can’t buy peace.

” He looks at me. “You love her.” It’s not a question.

“With everything that I am,” I respond.

“Then do what none of us could.”

“What’s that?”

“Give her peace.” I stand and look at the stars, then I turn to look him directly in the eyes. “I promise.” I see my brother motion me inside, and I follow him into my home office.

“Everyone was cleared. We checked the area and found a small gate that leads down to the beach. That’s how they must have gotten in,” my brother reports.

“What’s the point of having security if they can’t even do their job?” I scream at everyone sitting in my office. In a single, abrupt movement, the entire contents of my desk tumbles to the floor. “Goddamn it. I promised that I’d protect her.”

I need to be with Serena.

I moved Serena to our bedroom and gave her the space she needs.

I lie and watch her sleep, feeling the mattress move—she’s restless.

I sleep a few hours while she sleeps off the medication.

It’s midday when she walks into the kitchen.

She usually sleeps naked, but I dressed her in one of her favorite T-shirts of mine.

She’s still wearing it, and it does something to me.

It feels so right having her here with me. Even in this situation.

As usual, she grabs my coffee mug and takes a sip. “Why didn’t you tell me you hate sweets?”

“I don’t hate sweets. I hate cake. Ever since I was a kid. My mom would bake them, and I’d eat them to make her happy. Any other time, I simply gave mine to Vee or Gabe to eat.”

“What about coffee? Felix said you like it black.”

“I did, but now I like the flavor.”

“Ian, I was thinking about whoever’s been following me. I think it may be the bar owner.” I let her continue with her theory. “What if he didn’t die in the fire? What if he somehow managed to survive? I know it sounds crazy, but it has to be him.”

“That’s very unlikely.”

“Why wouldn't it be? You weren't there.”

Shit, well here it goes. I've been trying to find a way to tell her since we returned from Caligo Valley weeks ago. I just put it off every time. “Actually, I was, and believe me, Bruce Lars is definitely dead. I killed him.” You can hear a pin drop.

“What?”

“I killed him and set his bar on fire.”

I carry her to the couch and face her. She just looks at me. “That's impossible, you didn’t know until I told you a couple of weeks ago.”

“No, Mi Reina. I’ve known for a long time.”

I see the hurt in her eyes. “Since the balcony?” I shake my head. “Since when, Ian?”

“After the wedding last summer.”

“You’ve known all along?”

“Yes.”

“You’ve been lying to me?”

“No, Serena, I’ve been protecting you.”

“From whom?” she shouts. “From whom, Ian?”

“From anyone and everyone. You’ve been my everything since the moment I saw you.”

“You did a background check on me?

“Yes, a VERY thorough one. Miles did it, and he’s the best at what he does.” I see her connecting the dots.

“That means you know.” She’s holding on to the pendant that surrounds her neck. It’s become her favorite and, at this moment, her anchor. “Yes, Amanda Serena Nunez.”