Page 9 of Unforgiving Queen

“You never lose your cool.”

I went over to the sink and washed my hands and the knife. My shirt and pants were black, so nobody would notice blood on them.

“Dante, stop looking at me,” I growled when he still hadn’t moved. “And call someone to clean up this mess.”

I left him standing in the room and headed out, car keys in hand. I prowled through the club and hit the street, spotting my red Ferrari F8 Spider. I turned on the engine when Dante slipped in through the passenger-side door.

Turning my head to look at him, I gripped the wheel. I didn’t have the patience for this. I wanted to get back to my place, wash up, and get back to the hospital in case Reina woke up.

“What?” My control was teetering on the brink of madness, and somehow that beeping sound was the only thing that could calm me down.

“I hope you’re not going back to the hospital.”

I sent him a warning look. “Don’t start.”

It didn’t faze him at all. “Whatever. The cleaning crew is on the way,” he drawled, getting himself comfortable.

“Fuck!” I rammed my fist down on the steering wheel, hitting the horn. “I can’t do this with you now, Dante. Get the fuck out of the car or I swear to God, I’m going to—”

He raised his hands, shaking his head. “Fine, fine. Have it your way.”

I peeled out of there the moment his boots hit the pavement.

I needed to get back to Reina.

4

AMON

Iarrived at the hospital full of hope, which felt like a heavy brick as it sank, fast and steady.

“She’s having trouble breathing,” the doctor explained patiently. “There’s a rattle when she breathes and she’s wheezing a lot.”

Fear gripped my throat. It sounded bad. Very bad. “What does this mean?”

“She has fluid in her lungs. We’ll have to drain them so she can breathe without the assistance of a machine.”

“Then do it,” I demanded, tensing my jaw as I willed myself to calm down.

“We need her next of kin to sign off on it.” This fucking doctor was starting to piss me off. The fact that he was on Illias’s payroll was utterly pointless and useless. “In case there are further complications,” he added. “I can’t risk my medical license forthis. She’s too visible.”

Goddamn it! He must have seen all the fucking posters searching for her.

Desperation clawed at me. I knew what I had to do, yet I couldn’t bear not being with her until she opened her eyes. I needed it to keep my sanity.

“You know what needs to be done, Amon,” Illias said in his dry voice. “It’s a miracle I was able to keep Romero and his family off his daughter’s trail for the past three days. He’s tearing down this world and ready to start a war that he cannot win.”

“Let him fucking fight it.”

“You’d let his daughters become orphans?”

My chest twisted. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind right now to make any decisions. I just needed to see her wake up. I’d give it all—even my own life—just to see her blue eyes open. However, I knew the moment the Romero family showed up, my access to Reina would be cut off.

“I can read it on your face, Amon. You’d never hurt the girl.” I let out a bitter-filled breath. He was so fucking wrong. I already hurt her. “Do the right thing.”

Do the right thing.Nobody else was doing the right thing. Her family would have her for the rest of their lives. I just wanted another day to see Reina pull through. Why couldn’t Illias just keep throwing them off the trail until then?

My jaw clenched, resentment slithering through my veins. “Don’t you have anywhere to be?”