Page 71 of Daddy's Reluctant Queen

The side of his face is already welting up as he glares angrily down at me, his jaw clenched with anger. He reaches into his jacket and pulls out his gun.

“Enough games,” he snarls at me. “Time to go, whore.”

The door opens behind me and he looks up and freezes. Above me and behind me, a gun goes off, and a puff of smoke appears in my attacker’s shoulder. He stumbles, dropping the gun. At the same time, an arm wraps around me and I’m lifted to my feet. The sweet, musky smell of Titus’s cologne envelopes me.

He carries me inside, closing and locking the door behind him. He keeps eye on the glass door, his gun drawn and one arm pushing me behind him.

“Are you hurt?” he asks without looking at me.

“N-No,” I tell him. Instinctively, I grab onto his sleeve and lean into his back, grateful to be safe.

Cyrus appears at the door as the sound of footsteps rush up behind us. He locks eyes with Titus, then yells through the glass.

“You should know Ignat is dead.”

Chills rush over me and I start to shiver. His arm pulls me closer.

“And we’ve got your boy,” Cyrus adds. “Did you think you could hide him forever, Titus?”

Titus’s arm stiffens. “You son of a bitch,” I growl.

“You’d be surprised how many people in this town talk with the right motivation,” he said. “We’ve known about the little bastard for years now.” He tilts his head, glowering at us. “If you ever want to see him alive again, you’ll come out here and we can handle this like men.”

Titus takes a step and I tighten my hold on him. “Don’t,” I say, my voice a desperate growl. “It’s a trap. He’s baiting you.”

He stops. A second later, he shoots the glass. The bullet hole exits just inches past Cyrus’s head. Cyrus flinches, but he doesn’t leave.

“That’s the second time I’ve spared your life,” he says. “Bring me my son or there won’t be a third.”

Cyrus’s smile spreads across his face slowly. “You are getting soft,” he says. “I’ll give you some time to think things over… then I’ll be back and we can settle this like men.”

“Shoot him,” Titus says. I close my eyes as his men open fire on the doors. Glass and gun smoke fill the hall. When the shooting stops, I open my eyes. Cyrus is gone. “Get after him. I want his fucking head.”

His men rush off, feet stomping down the hallway. Titus lowers his arm, but I can’t let his sleeve go. My knees are shaking and I can’t stop shivering. He pulls my hand from his sleeve gently and looks down at me, taking my face in his hands.

“Are you sure you’re all right?”

All I can do is nod. I want to cry, break down, something. I don’t. I clench my jaw and hold it together. He looks into my eyes, studying me, then takes my hand and walks me away from the broken glass and plaster.

24

TITUS

Cyrus managed to get off the property before any of my men could catch him, but he won’t last long if I have anything to say about it. I’ve got every available man searching the city for him.

I don’t know how he found out about Luka, and right now, I don’t give a fuck. I want his head. It’s all I can do not to go out searching for him myself.

I can’t leave Sofia alone. He tried to kidnap her tonight. Who’s to say he won’t try again if given the opportunity?

It’s been hours and I’ve been waiting by the phone for any updates. I can’t believe that Ignat is dead. I won’t believe it, in fact. Ignat isn’t as good of a fighter as Cyril and he’s not the strategist that Cyrus is, but he’s resourceful. If there were a way for him to survive, he would find it.

At least I hope he found it.

The sound of banging through the halls is grating on my nerves, but I’m dealing with it, gritting my teeth with every bang of thehammers being used to seal up the shattered door. The sixes I called in to fix the door came about an hour ago and have been working to board up the glass doors ever since. They’ve been careful to keep their questions and conversations to a minimum.

I’ve got snipers on my roof, men patrolling the grounds and the gates. If either brother dares to set foot on my property, they’ll be blown to bits before their feet fully settle on the grass.

I’m in the living room watching the patrols through the window in silence. I want to be the one out there. I feel like I need to be…