Page 16 of Vexatious Queen

“Nah,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s Lip. He’s acting out, and it’s only day one. I don’t know what to do. Should I drop out and look after him for the rest of the year?”

“No, don’t do that, at least not yet. You need to keep him on the right path, but you don’t want to have to redo the whole semester again either. Not just because we won’t be there, but you’ll regret it.”

“Can you take me to Golden Oak? I should get there before anything else happens.”

Nash glanced at the showers where Ren and Liam were and shrugged.

“Sure, they can wait for us to get back or call a ride share,” he grumbled, making me smirk with amusement, despite the situation.

“Yer just jealous that you didn’t get to fuck her in the shower.”

“You’re right, and now they can have all the time in the world, until I bother myself with coming back to get them. We may even have dinner first.”

“Ya do know that’s not very sharing of ya…right?”

He shrugged as he stood.

“Don’t care. Let’s go.”

Changing quickly, I grabbed my coat and shot Ren a text letting her know where we’d gone and that we would meet them at Grillie’s for dinner. Stuffing the phone in my pocket, I followed Nash out to the truck with my stomach in knots. Just like that, the calm was gone, and I was once more a ball of tension.

JANUARY 14 – WEDNESDAY 11:11 PM

Yuliana

My father’s cigar lounge was so overly masculine that perhaps he was compensating for his own insecurities. I hated being in here.

There wasn’t a single thing in this room—or the house for that matter—that said he had a family outside of my mother. A lone framed photo of her sat on the desk, and I stopped to pick it up.

Running my thumb over the glass, memories of my mother surfaced. We had been so at odds in my teen years, but had found our way and ended up the very best of friends. In my greatest time of need, she had been there. She had helped me to sneak off with Eddie and had encouraged me to paint and explore the world. She had even helped me and Ren escape when staying meant death.

“Please, I don’t know where he went,” the man tied up in the middle of the room blubbered. He’d fallen off the chair when Vlad hit him and was now in the fetal position begging for a life that was already past it’s expiration date.

I placed the frame down in the same position it had been, because some habits never die.

Vlad hauled the man up and dumped him back onto the chair. I slowly walked around the desk. Leaning against the dark wood, I crossed my arms, emotionless as I watched the blood ooze down his face.

This was what time had done to me. After my cancer diagnosis, I realized that I couldn’t die without making sure Ren safe. What that looked like…I didn’t know, but it had become the singular thought that had consumed me when the chemo had made me wish for death. Now I was finishing what had been started, so that the Lawrences of the world didn’t show up at her fucking door, as they had mine.

The front door opened, and I looked up from the book I was reading.

It had been two weeks since we got word that my cancer was in remission. To celebrate, Neil went to pick up burgers, fries, and milkshakes from my favorite diner. We were going to binge watch our favorite shows, and eat junk food.

I hadn’t been able to keep anything substantial down during treatment, and even when I could, everything tasted terrible. I’d ordered Ren to spend some time with Lizzy and get out of the house. Most of all, I wanted her to stop acting like she was the mother and full-time caregiver and just be a teen for the night.

“I’m in here, Neil.”

My smile fell when he walked around the corner holding the bag of food in one hand while his other hand was in the air. He had a gun pressed to the back of his head.

“I’m so sorry,” Neil said.

Putting my book aside, I slowly stood.

“Hello, Yuliana. It’s been a long time,” Lawrence said as he stepped around Neil, and a dozen armed men fanned out.

My heart pounded hard in my chest at the evil look in his eyes.

“You look…” His gaze traveled up and down my body. “The same. If anything, you’ve grown more beautiful.”