Page 55 of Unforgiving Queen

“I know.” His eyes were sharp, studying me. For what, I didn’t know. “Although, I can’t take full credit.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

He tensed slightly before answering. “Someone else hired me to watch over you.”

That caught me completely by surprise. “Who?”

“Amon Leone.” I stilled, having to swallow a few times before I could think straight. It was now the second time today that I heard that last name after three years of silence. The longing in my heart throbbed. The bruises healed, the scars faded, but the ache in my heart remained.

Darius watched me, seeing too much or not enough, I wasn’t certain. “Reina, say something.”

“So you’ve been giving me lessons because he asked you?”

He shook his head. “No. He initially hired our agency to keep you safe.”

“When?”

A muscle twitched in his jaw. “Three years ago.” I wrapped my hands around myself, that familiar ache throbbing in my chest. “He saw the girls bullying you at school and wanted to make sure you’d be safe.”

“Safe?” I felt like a robot going through the motions because I couldn’t let myself feel. It would only spiral into something darker, full of pain. “Those girls were the least of my concerns.”

“He also worried the Brazilian cartel would get to you.”

My grandmother’s warning rang in my ears as I let out a bitter laugh.

“Kind of failed at that, huh?” Before he could say anything else, I forced a smile and gave him a terse nod. “Forget it. Let’s go again. Since you’re getting paid and all.”

I should have known Darius wouldn’t let me off the hook that easily. “Amon’s payments have been rejected for the past thirty months. He’s a persistent motherfucker and insists that we follow his rules. He’s protective of you.” I scoffed at that statement. Amon was the one I needed protection from. “I’m your friend. Heck, I consider myself your big brother.”

Despite the hurt feelings, my lips tugged into a smile. “We could probably pass as siblings,” I noted. “Your hair is as long as mine.”

He let out a sardonic breath. “And as blond as yours.”

My curls had grown out following my impromptu foray into hairdressing all those Christmases ago. I hadn’t let them grow as long as before though. Why? Because it reminded me of the man with galaxies in his eyes. So I kept them shoulder length. I didn’t think I could pull off a buzz cut.

“Does he…” My voice faltered, unsure what I wanted to ask—whether Ishouldask—but curiosity got the best of me. “Does he ask about me?”

Three heartbeats passed before he answered. “No.”

And my still fragile heart broke all over again.

20

AMON

My fist slammed into my brother’s stomach. He grunted at the impact but was quick to return it.

It was his first hit to land out of the three rounds we’d gone so far… and was much needed after my mother’s visit.

It was approaching lunchtime, but factoring in the lack of lighting in the basement gym, it might as well have been the middle of the night. No outside light made its way into this hellhole—something we both knew firsthand.

Hit.

I grunted, adrenaline buzzing through me. I paused for a few seconds before shaking it off.

“What’s up your ass?” I asked as I countered him with a right hook. He barely dodged it. “Bad day for the Omertà?”

All the leaders of the organization were in an uproar, getting taunted with videos of shit that none of them wanted to share details on. Dante included, since he’d taken the Leone seat at the Omertà table when Father was killed. He even had the tattoo to show for it.