Page 274 of Vexatious Queen

Edmundo: What makes you say that?

N: Before Zigzag was tossed in jail, he tried to search for my phone. It showed up here, but not exactly where on the property. He said he was going to work on it, but then Christov and Sabastian happened, and we never got an answer.

Edmundo: I will look into it. Did the information I emailed work for you?

N: Yes. Ellis called me right away. It got Sabastian a deal for no more than two years.

Edmundo: Good, he will be out in a year for good behavior, I’ll make sure of it.

N: I guess I should’ve run the idea past you. I’m not used to considering other people’s opinions. This is a learning curve.

Edmundo: Are you talking about me, or my daughter?

Nash: Both.

Edmundo: Lol! Yes, I think it’s time we discussed what being my son-in-law looks like going forward.

I swallowed hard. Shit. Shit. Shit. Why hadn’t I thought about how this would affect Edmundo? God, I was tempted to bang my head off the locker for being so stupid.

Edmundo: Especially, now that you’re officially a Genovese.

I froze and just stared at the message.

Nash: What?

Edmundo: I should’ve waited until I could see your face. The paperwork was delivered late last night. Congratulations son, you’re rid of the Collier name.

I sagged and sat down on the bench.

Nash: Oh my god. I don’t even know what to say. I can’t tell you what this means to me. Thank you.

It felt like I was floating as a smile spread across my face.

“Hey!”

What the hell?

I looked at the door that led to the pool.

“Ahh!”

A scream pierced my heart as adrenaline shot through my body.

I sprinted across the locker room and yanked open the door, dashing out onto the pool deck. I couldn’t see Ren, but I caught a glimpse of a man running out the back exit. What the hell? Panic filled me. Where was she? I started to follow the man.

“Ren?”

“Over here,” someone called out, and I heard splashing.

I ran to the edge and dropped to my knees to help, realizing it was Chantry. She was trying to roll a facedown Ren over in the water. Fear gripped my heart as I hauled her lifeless body out of the pool and saw blood running down her face.

“What the hell happened,” I asked, my body shaking.

Chantry pushed up onto the ledge while I tried to check on Ren. My hands barely worked properly as my mind raced.

“Let me, I have first-aid training,” she said, checking for a pulse and breathing. “Call Dean Henry, he’ll alert the doc and call an ambulance,” she ordered.

I scrambled for my phone that I’d dropped.