Page 44 of Unforgiving Queen

“Stop playing,” Phoenix scolded them. “Let’s chop him up.”

Her knife slid down Leone’s dead body until she reached the spot between his legs. All of us gasped as she tore the material of his pants, exposing the limp flesh. Then, without warning, Phoenix sliced his dick off.

“What the—”

Isla ran and fell to her knees in front of the toilet. Athena turned to the sink. The sounds of gagging and retching swirled around me, and the bile in my throat rose and rose until I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I turned toward the stand-up shower and threw up what little I had in my stomach.

This would be a long night.

* * *

It took us two hours to cut up Angelo Leone into manageable pieces we could stuff into trash bags and carry out of the apartment, and another two to make our way deep into the catacombs where we disposed of the pieces and the gun.

It was past five in the morning when Raven parked her beat-up VW Beetle in front of our apartment. Thankfully, the sunrise wouldn’t happen for another few hours and Parisians were safely asleep in their homes.

The crisp cool air smelled earthy as we exited Raven’s car and made our way to the building. Flurries started to fall, sticking to the pavement and my hair. It felt like a cleansing. Maybe a new beginning. Or an ending.

I didn’t know.

We entered our apartment exhausted, the lack of sleep slowly creeping up on us, but the evidence of my crime awaited.

“Go to sleep,” I told them all. “I’ll clean up.”

They ignored me, rolled up their sleeves, and started cleaning. The clothes Angelo Leone wore were burned in the wooden stove that was lit up for the first time since we moved into this apartment. Probably the last too.

Slowly, we erased the evidence of what we’d done. No, of whatI’ddone. As I scrubbed the kitchen floor, my eyes burned. Not from the bleach but from the realization that my sister and our friends had my back without question.

Tears sprung from my eyes, rolling down my cheeks, and I batted them away angrily. It was time I stopped this crying and self-pity.

“Are you okay?” Isla’s whisper startled me, and I quickly wiped my face with the back of my hand.

“Yes.”

Phoenix’s eyes zeroed in on me. “You’re not okay.”

“I am,” I repeated stubbornly.

“Then why are you cutting yourself?” It was instinct to deny it, to lie about it. Instead, I froze, shame filling my every crevice.

“You’re cutting yourself?” Isla hissed. I shook my head, but the lie refused to leave my lips. “What the fuck, Reina!”

“Promise me you’ll stop,” Phoenix demanded. She must have seen the question in my eyes because I’d been so careful to hide it. “I saw your legs when you were changing.”

I swallowed, realizing that secrets and roommates just didn’t go together. “I promise,” I murmured.

“It might help to talk about it,” Raven suggested, suddenly appearing in the kitchen along with Athena. “Yes, we heard.”

I reached for my necklace, twisting it and hoping for comfort that never came. All I could think about were Angelo Leone’s words about Mamma. About Phoenix.

I took a deep breath in and then exhaled. “I’m sorry. I’ll get it under control.”

“Please talk to me,” Phoenix begged. “Ever since—” She faltered, reluctant to mention him. “It’s not good for you to keep it all in.”

“It’s going to be okay,” I vowed. “Everything will be better.” The stress and anguish from the last six months had caught up to me, as I knew it would. I had to get back to my old self. Yoga. Therapy. Physical exercise. Fashion. “I know the year didn’t end well, but it has to get better.”

“What time did you—”

Phoenix cut her off. “We shouldn’t talk about it.”