Page 83 of Daddy's Reluctant Queen

“If you kill me, you’ll never find him. You have to know that.”

Shit. Sofia’s watching right now. She’s probably waiting for me to make a move before she shoots. If she jumps the gun?—

“Your backup isn’t there, Titus,” he says, his black eyes boring into me. Then they narrow, seeing something in my face that hedoesn’t expect. “I’ll be damned. Don’t tell me your little ally can shoot, too? I can see why you caged her. She’s a rare bird.”

“What did you do?”

“Nothing.” He laughs. “Cyril probably tried to take her down, but I’m willing to bet that she did the smart thing and ran for her life as she should have done ages ago. You didn’t really think you could trust the little bitch, did you? She’s the daughter of your sworn enemy, remember?”

I don’t believe him. And even if that were true, I simply can’t believe that she would abandon me and Luka like this. “You’re a fucking liar.”

“Maybe,” he says. “But if I am, then I’m a fucking liar that knows where your kid is.”

He takes another step toward me and my hand itches on my gun’s handle.

“What was the plan here supposed to be, exactly?” he asks. “My brother and I and your son show up and she shoots us? In a populated area from a high building office, no less? How good of a shot is she supposed to be?”

“Better than you think,” I say. “If your brother failed, you’re going to find out any second now.”

His face splits into a slow smile. “Oh, I doubt that. I’ve got my own snipers around, you know.” He waves a finger around me. I glance around and see several faces that I know. Disguised with sunglasses and hats, all with guns hidden by newspapers in their laps and in their pockets. No doubt trained on me.

“Take your hand off the gun, Titus.”

I don’t want to. Every instinct I have is telling me not to. I want nothing more than to put a bullet in his fucking head.

“It’s over,” he says. “You’ve lost the game.”

“If your plan is to kill me, Cyrus,” I say, “You’d better do it now. Because if so much as a hair is out of place on my son’s head, I will not stop until you and your entire line have been wiped clean of this planet.”

His smile falters a little. “I remember when that threat held weight. You’ve lost your edge, old man. Who would have thought a little pussy would have you making such weak choices?” He adjusts his jacket and adds, “You’re going to die today. Unlike you, I never planned on doing it here in public. I would much rather you die as alone as you’ve managed to make yourself during this misguided death mission gone wrong.”

I still don’t move, my mind trying to find some way to shoot him in the head and get away with it.

“Take your hand off the gun,” he says, his smile dropping. “Or else I will risk a massacre to make sure you’re put down.”

“You will pay for this,” I say as I take my hand off my gun slowly. “If it’s the last thing I ever do.”

He snickers. “Stand up.”

I stand and he walks up to me. He reaches around me and pulls the gun out of my belt, keeping his eyes on me. He takes a couple of steps back and says, “Don’t worry. I have no plans on killing your son. He’ll do fine in foster care, I’m sure.”

The cold on my skin and in my bones switches to fire as rage rushes through my body. “You son of a bitch.”

He pulls a small box from his pocket and before I can move, a bolt of electricity leaps out at me, sending electrical shocks through my body in rivers. My body shakes out of control and my knees give. I fall to the ground, unconscious.

I wakeup in the dark, ice water drenching me and shocking my body back to life. I gasp, my arms straining against their bonds. I peer through the darkness as water drips down into my eyes. A hot light comes on over my head and the familiar setting comes back to me. I’m in one of the many rooms in the warehouse. I’d know these walls anywhere.

A quick rush of panic reaches me as I jerk my hands. The bonds don’t feel like metal. I pull at them and they cut into my wrists.

“Wakey-wakey,” Cyrus says as he sets an empty water bucket down. “Time to pay the piper for your crimes.”

“You must be out of your mind,” I growl at him. “When I get out of here?—”

“You’re not going anywhere,” he says, clasping his hands together. The blade of a long knife protrudes from his gloved hands. So, that’s to be my proposed torture.

I snicker. “You’re going to cut me? That’s the best you’ve got?”

His smile drops.