Page 60 of Serena (Shattered Queens #1)

Beep, Beep, Beep.

Everything hurts. I try to move my hand, but I can’t. I manage to open my eyes. Green ones stare back at me. There is so much fear in them. “Ian. Ian, where am I?”

“Baby, don’t move. You’re in the hospital.” I hear him call for a doctor. I try to move my head, but it hurts, leaving me wincing at the pain in my stomach. Everything comes rushing back to me. The apartment, the punch to my face, the hunting knife, me stabbing him, blood everywhere. Gus!

“Where’s Gus?” I panic.

“He’s recovering. He was stabbed and knocked unconscious, but he’s going to be fine.” I breathe a sigh of relief.

“Ian, where-where is he? Lars.”

“Don’t worry, he won’t ever hurt you again. Fuck, Serena. I’m so sorry I wasn't there. I’m so sorry.” He looks utterly broken. I hate seeing him like this.

“There is nothing to forgive. You saved me.”

“No, baby, you saved yourself.”

My voice cracks. “Will you lie with me?” I ask. I need to feel him close.

“Anything my girl wants.” He shuffles next to me and holds me. That's all it takes. I cry. I cry for my past self, who was never able to fight. Because he’s right, I survived. I thought I’d never see him or my friends again.

Ian insisted I stay in the hospital for a couple of days to make sure I was healing properly. I’m so glad Theo brought me some of his yummy food. They stopped by, but Ian kicked them out so I could rest. It was the same with his cousin and sister.

I hear a knock on the door and look up to see Mr. and Mrs. Kayde.

“Oh my goodness, Serena.” Mrs. Kayde rushes to my side. She looks well. There’s more color in her complexion.

“Mrs. Kayde, what are you doing here?”

“Ian told us what happened at your apartment. So, I asked Miguel to bring me. I needed to check and make sure you’re doing well. Or as well as you can be.” I hear her motherly tone. It’s soothing. I notice that she’s lost in her thoughts.

“Mrs. Kayde, are you okay?”

“Call me Abigail, and yes. I was just thinking.”

Mr. Kayde comes close and puts his hand on her shoulder. She looks at her husband with so much love and admiration. She grabs his hand and squeezes it. He bends down and kisses her forehead, making his way to the door. “I’m going to go make sure Ian isn’t driving the hospital staff crazy.”

We sit in silence.

“Serena, Ian told us what happened to you in college. Don't be upset with him.” I look away, ashamed. Bracing myself to be rejected by Ian’s family.

“Oh, sweetie.” She carefully wraps her arms around me, pulling back and reaching for my hand.

“This isn’t something to face alone. I know what it’s like to feel broken and live in despair.

You know, my father was a cruel man, but to his wife and daughters, he was sadistic.

The abuse he inflicted on us. Well, no one should have to endure that cruelty.

” I see tears in her eyes. She wipes them away.

“Eventually, I left that prison, but at a cost. One that I would pay again. Serena, there is nothing wrong with slaying your own demons, and if you ever need help doing so, let me know.”

Mr. Kayde comes back into the room with an irritated Ian. “Now, can I have her to myself?” Mr. Kayde rolls his eyes.

“Let’s go, love. You need your rest,” he tells his wife. Abigail hugs her son, and they leave.

“Ian, I need you to do something for me.”

“Anything, baby.”

“I need you to take me to Stephan Lars. I know he’s still alive. I need to see him.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Ian, I need this. Please. I need to move on with my life.”

“Mi Reina, are you sure you’ll be able to handle it?”

“Yes. If I feel like I can't, I promise I’ll tell you.”

He hesitates. “Okay, I’ll take you tomorrow.”

“No, today.”

“No, Serena. Tomorrow. Take it or leave it.”

“Fine.”

“You drive me crazy, you know.”

“Yes, but in the best way?”

“In the best way. Now get some rest.”

“You know it's a cliché to use a shipyard as your torture location.” We pull up to a large metal container at the far end of the shipyard.

“It’s actually perfect. It makes it easy to dispose of a body. The water, the boats.” I hadn’t really thought about it that way, but he does make a good point. “Baby, I’m going to warn you. The smell is horrible. We’ve been keeping him alive, but not in the best way.”

I take a deep breath and enter. The smell is horrendous.

It’s like shit, blood, and piss. I gag but manage not to vomit.

I walk further into the metal box, and I see him.

He’s tied to a chair. He’s in his underwear; his face is black and blue from all the beatings.

It’s so swollen that I can barely make out his features.

He has some fingers missing too. This scene brings a smile to my face.

It's like all the ugliness I felt inside me has been brought to life, and it’s sitting in front of me.

I look up and see Damon and Felix standing in the corner. They don’t speak, just observe. Next to Stephan is a table full of bloodied surgical instruments. I also see a gun.

“Hey, pretty girl.” Those fucking words.

“Why me?” I get straight to the question that’s been eating at my soul for years. He laughs, mocking me.

“Oh, you came for answers. Well, I'm not feeling very helpful.”

I walk to the table and grab the gun. I check the chamber and aim at his leg. I pull the trigger, shooting him in his right thigh. “Ah, you fucking bitch!” he screams.

“Son of a bitch,” I hear Damon say. I step back and stand by Ian.

“Again. Why me?”

“Fuck you.” I point the gun at his other leg and shoot him in his left thigh.

“Let me tell you something, Stephan Lars. I’m a really good shot, just ask my boyfriend here. I point at Ian. I hear him move and groan.

“I've seen her shoot, and it's all bullseye,” Felix says, taunting him.

“The next bullet is going between your legs.” It’s not a threat if I plan on doing it. “Goddamn, baby,” Ian whispers.

I aim the gun. “Okay. Okay.” He’s trying to breathe through the pain.

“Your ex owed my brother money.”

“My ex? What ex?”

“Byran Carson. He was a regular customer. He started using in high school. He was a regular. Pills to be exact. Then he moved away. He came back to town that summer. His first stop was the bar. When it was time to pay, he didn’t have the money.

We knew his parents were loaded, so we knew he had the money.

His parents had bailed him out before, but they didn’t want to help.

So, he decided to skip town. Bruce warned him that we would collect somehow; he didn't listen. We followed him and saw you two together. So, my brother decided to send him a message. When you walked into the bar, it was too easy.”

I take in every word.

“Want to know something? We told him you were at the bar that night, and he never replied. He knew you were in danger.” He smiles.

“You looked so pretty and sad. I wonder why.” I feel Ian’s eyes.

“Lester and I decided to have some fun with you.

We were going to do our usual—he started, and I finished.

The X was our thing. The asshole almost got us caught.

We rushed to leave, but we couldn't just let you go. Everything was going as planned. Blame the promiscuous college student who came to the bar looking for a good time.”

I instinctively touch my scar. “Then Kyle grew a conscience. Lester was caught and sent to jail. My brother and I decided to tie up loose ends.” I listen to what he’s saying, and something in me just snaps.

“I killed Kyle and made it look like a suicide. My brother heard Lester was going to snitch, so he put a hit on him. I kept the knife as a souvenir.”

“You stalked me. Why not leave me alone?”

“That was payback for the money my brother had to pay you.

Almost one million dollars. Do you know what that did to him?

To his business? But you started going to the police, drawing more attention to the case.

My brother had someone working for him in the police department.

That's how we knew about the calls and reports you made. He made sure they were buried. We figured you would slit your wrists or jump off a cliff. We really did a number on you.” He sounds so proud of himself. I take a step closer to him.

“How did you find me?”

“You went to Caligo Valley. I was there. I took a picture of you. I thought I was seeing things. So, I paid our friend Byran a visit in rehab.”

“What rehab?”

“Oh…you don’t know. He started using again after you got him fired.

He was very salty about that, by the way.

His dad threw him in there. Imagine my surprise when he told me all about your new life and your new name.

So, I came to look for myself. I have a thing about unfinished business.

I almost had you at the party, but your knight…

” He motions to Ian. “He ruined the moment. Did you like the flowers?”

“Did you attack my friend?”

“The redhead? Yes. That was a message. I thought, ‘Why not have some fun?’ but she started to scream. I’ll tell you more if you want.”

“Do—”

I aim the gun between his legs and shoot.

His screams fill the small space. The men around me groan in discomfort as if they got shot in the dick as well.

“Goddamn, Serena.” I heard one of them say it, but I’m not sure who it was.

I point the gun and put a bullet in between his eyes, then empty the magazine into his chest.

“Magnificent,” I hear from Ian’s direction. I throw the gun onto the table and walk toward Ian.

“Can we go home?”