Regal Queen by Ivy Mason

Twelve

The dead eyesof Knight across from me met my own. I shifted uncomfortably but didn’t look away, even though I wanted to.

Ever since he'd been captured and imprisoned with me in Russia, I'd had this never ending guilt every time I looked at or even thought about him.

And he was constantly in my circle, moving in and out of the craziness going on around us, making it impossible to forget. And yet, we were never alone so that I could express my thoughts to him.

Though we didn’t speak much, he was always in the back of my mind, like a loaded gun to my head.

We were on a boat, anchored a few miles off the shore of California, waiting for the signal from Torian. He was going in as bait, with plans to attack the carrier ship with a small team to distract Coulter and Bourbon's attack from the other side.

Bourbon was sitting next to me, dressed in all black and loaded up with weapons, as silent and calm as the dark sky above us. His hand was on my leg, and the only notion that he was nervous was the slight squeeze on my thigh.

I was also nervous but eager. I’d literally had a three hour argument with both Coulter and Bourbon to be able to show up tonight.

They wanted me to stay safe in the apartment.

I needed to be there to see Dimitri take his last breath.

The man had killed my whole family, had taken away my inheritance, and currently had the tip of my finger in his private freezer. Was it wrong to need the satisfaction of watching him die?

I didn't think so, and it was frustrating that Bourbon didn’t understand that. I’d argued that I’d stay close to Bourbon's side, that I would do anything he asked, but still, he’d refused.

Surprisingly, it was Knight who’d spoken up for me.

In the end, it had been Knight’s determination to bring me in on this that had convinced Bourbon and Coulter. Knight had promised he would stay with me the whole time, once again, giving up his freedom for me.

Bourbon had been surprisingly open this past week, and every confession from his lips made me more and more addicted to the god-like creature I worshipped and adored. He was no longer Gothel, the person keeping me hostage against my will, but rather, my King, the capturer of My Heart, and Destroyer of My Soul.

Still my captor because, when it came down to it, he trusted Knight over me.

And that fact, despite everything else he’d done for me, wrecked me.

After everything I’d been through for him, he still wouldn’t let me all the way in.

I was split in two, half of me wanting to rip my heart from my chest and lay it at his feet, while the other part needed to build my walls as high and as thick as they would go to protect myself from him.

And now, as I sat next to the man I loved, Knight and I stared each other down. All the words I wanted to say to him were stuck in my throat.

Why did you come after me? Why did you put yourself at such great risk? For me.

As far as I could tell, he held no great regard for me, and he'd barely said more than a few words to me since we'd returned.

But tonight, he was saying it all, without even moving his mouth. His haunted eyes spoke volumes.

My throat was suddenly full. I had no doubt that what he'd gone through was much worse than mine own imprisonment. I would never be able to repay him for what he'd done for me, but I determined to at least try to do something that would give him some kind of retribution.

“Diesel.” The radio squawked out Bourbon's code name and he straightened, pulling it to his mouth. Only then did Knights' gaze shift from me to Bourbon, alert and prepared.

I didn't understand much of their coded talk but I did understand that Torian was ready to attack.

After Bourbon's confirmation, there was a flash of light arcing across the sky like a diamond glistening into the dark shadow across the sea. The resounding boom told me it had hit it’s target, lighting up the ship for a second, where it had earlier almost been undetectable, except for the absence of light against the sky.

I jerked upwards, my heart suddenly pounding like mad. My fingers tingled with unspent energy, the need for revenge simmering through my blood. My stomach was simultaneously churning with fear. We could all die tonight.

It didn’t take long for our boat to unmoor from the dock. My hair whipped my face as we flew across the ocean. The radio garbled again as they communicated. In the background I could hear the sounds of large, echoing booms, then the pitter patter of responding guns.

Bourbon's hand on my thigh grew tighter and I lowered my hand, clenching it on the gun on my hip.

The boat finally slowed, and Bourbon wrapped an arms around my waist. He gave me a rough kiss before standing, letting me go to grip the side of the boat. His face was focused now. Ready for battle.

In a flash, Bourbon was gone, climbing up the precarious ladder to the deck of the ship. He quickly disappeared from sight, along with the rest of his men. The only people left on my boat was the captain, Knight, and me.

Even though Bourbon allowed me on the boat, I still couldn’t go inside. I was to wait here until they killed Dimitri, then they would bring his dead body to me.

"Knight," I decided to take advantage of the only time I would probably ever be alone with him. "I just want you to know--” Dark eyes met mine, combined with a ferocious gaze that made my words falter. I forced myself to press on, “—that what you did for me-“

"Stop." That sharp word sliced through me. "I did it for Coulter and Bourbon. I’ve sworn to protect them and their interests.”

"Oh." Their interests. I suddenly felt very stupid. Of course he did. He was one of their top leaders, wasn't he?

"But that doesn't mean I didn't do it for you, too," he added softly, "though in the end, I didn't do much."

“No. You did." I stood up, coming to sit next to him. “You have no idea how scared I was. How much courage you gave me, just by being on that plane. I couldn’t have faced it if it hadn’t been for you.”

He didn't look at me now, his eyes staring down at the floor, his fingers tight on the rifle in his hands and his voice husky. “Really?”

"Of course. You have no idea how much your presence gave me courage.”

He stared for a long moment, then finally met my eyes again, and something had softened in them. "Okay."

It wasn’t much of a response, but it was everything at the same time.

Leaning forward, I wrapped my arms around him, needing to touch him to really let him know how I felt. After only a brieft moment of stiffness, he returned the hug, and we held each other for just a few moments, bonding over what we'd gone though together.

When we pulled back, he had a small smile playing at the edges of his lips and a mischievous glint in his eyes--a look I hadn't seen from him before.

He stood up. "You ready to bust this popsicle stand?”

"What about Bourbon? He’ll kill you if you take me up there.”

He held his hand towards me. “Fuck them. This is for you, isn't it?"

Fear wretched up inside me but a strumming, thrumming need to take control of my own destiny overcame me.

Knight was offering me something I never thought I'd feel in a long time, the power to do whatever the hell I wanted, instead of waiting for permission to act.

"Hell to the yes." I grinned, I jumped to my feet and took his hand as we walked across the boat towards the great carrier ship.

With great difficulty and Knight's help, I managed to leap across to the ladder and climb up it. When I got to the top, I was immediately overwhelmed with the sight and sounds of their battle.

There was fire everywhere, and dead bodies lined the top deck. I caught sight of someone I recognized and, leaving Knight's side, ran towards him.

I didn't know his name, but he had definitely been one of the men who'd tortured me with Dimitri.

I met Knight's gaze across the dead body to see that determination had filled his.

He recognized the man too.

This was the right ship.

We fell in together as if we'd known how to work with each other for our whole lives. Guns out, he lead the way with me closely behind him. We ran across the deck, quickly flinging open the door hatch and lumbered down the stairs to the large space below deck.

Shots fired from all directions, the sound loud and glaring. The smell of gunpowder filled my nose. The ship was huge, filled with rows of containers and we could easily make out Dimitri's men once we reached the lower levels.

"Follow me," Knight said. "I think I may know the way."

“How?” I yelled over the noise, but he didn’t answer. He walked with a stealth that was admirable, seeming to know exactly which turns to take. As for me, I was lost in the maze of rows, people running, shots firing and men fighting. My heart was pounding a million miles a minute. My breathing sounded like I had just run a hundred miles really fast. I searched for Bourbon and Coulter every step of the way but they were nowhere to be found.

I suddenly realized it didn’t matter.

If we found Dimitri, we weren't going to wait for anyone else. We were going to put a bullet through his head.

I stayed close to Knight, determined to see this to the end.

We came to a room far within the back reaches of of the ship and Knight stilled outside it. I pulled up next to him, my heart pounding so loud in my ears that I wished I could make it stop. The combination of fear and need for revenge inside me was driving me crazy.

Knight didn't speak, just took in the shadows around us. There was a strange stillness in this area of the ship compared to the rest.

Knight was holding his breath, melting in to the darkness around us. I tried to be patient, even though I was so jittery with nerves that I felt the need to jump up and down.

Finally, he spoke. "I know he's in here. I can feel it."

His voice was void of all emotion and a frightening chill skated down my back.

"How do you know?" I whispered in return, trying not to give us away.

"Because," he stated simply. "I just know. I have experience with these things. Someone important is in here.”

I nodded, accepting it.

Knight took in a deep breath and stepped in front of the door, shooting the lock. The sound ricocheted in my ears, slamming into my senses. Knight didn’t seem bothered. He slammed the door open with his booted foot. The door snapped back against the wall. He immediately fired in the room, not waiting to see what was waiting for us inside.

Responding shots rang out and pieces of the door blasted through the air. Knight staggered but the bullets hit his body armor.

Peeking inside the room, I aimed straight for the man inside. Both Daniel and I shot him at the same time, and the man fell to the floor in a shower of bullets.

We both paused, and I had to force myself not to keep on firing. Adrenaline rushing through my veins made it hard to stop.

Doing a room check first, Knight rushed inside, with me on his heels. He grabbed the man we’d just shot and yanked him off the floor. He roughly shoved him into the only chair in the room.

I smelled blood. The man was pretty torn up, and not wearing a vest like us.

There was another man in the room. But he was on the ground, his body still in death.

I closed my eyes, shuttering out the sight and turned to focus on Knight, who had gripped the man by his shirt.

Knight shook him, “Looks like the tables have turned, asshole.”

The man, with dark eyes and a mop of brown hair on his head, grinned. His teeth were tinged with a soft red, his own blood.

"Not for long." He laughed, and a soft foam slid down his lip and dribbled onto his chin.

"You fucker!" Knight shook him again, then smashed his fist into his face. Once, twice, then three times, until all he was doing was punching the man over and over.

The man slouched over, taking it, his bullet ridden body making it impossible to defend himself.

After a while, I placed my hand on Knight's shoulder, griping it tighter than necessary to get his attention. He slacked, heaving as he let go of the man, who fell to the ground in a crumbled heap.

I leaned over, pushing the man onto his back. He was near death and yet, I couldn't find it in myself to care all that much. He’d probably tortured Knight as much as the dead man in this room.

He began to choke and more foam dribbled down his mouth. I shook him harshly, then slapped his face. “Wake up!”

His eyelids flew open and, after a few moments of trying to focus, finally met my gaze.

"Yo--you," he choked, his arm lazily coming up to pat at my thigh. "it's you."

"Where is he," I growled, growing more pissed off by the second. I had a sneaking suspicion that he wasn't here. I shook him again. "Where's Dimitri?"

The man shook his head, trying to raise it. "Tell her," his words slurred, as if it was a struggle just to get them out. “…tell her."

"Yes," I said, shaking him awake again, desperate to do whatever it took to get answers. "I'll tell her whatever you want. Just tell me where Dimitri is first."

He shook his head lazily. "He's not here."

"Where is he?"

"He left. To find the girl. To meet the informant.”

My stomach dropped.

No. this couldn't be happening.

I turned to Knight. He was giving me a blank look. The man on the floor choked again and Knight pulled out a gun. "Stand back."

I fell backwards just as Knight put a bullet in the man's head.

The man’s words ricochet through my mind like a bullet to my brain as the realization that Dimitri would find out where Aster was.

My mind screamed with the possibility, with the thought that, this very moment, Dimitri could know where she was.

I stared down at the dead man below me, now disappointed that he'd died so quickly, wondering if he could've given us more information.

And yet, I knew, that I knew, that I knew that James was the informant. He was thirsty for money, and he would find a way to figure it out. Now that I'd thought about it, James would have to know how to reach out to them in order to plan a meet up.

I had to talk to James, now. I couldn't risk going straight to Aster, to leading them there.

I would have to find out where the meet up was.

My mind immediately went to Bourbon, who was the only one who could help me. And yet, could I tell him about this? I wasn’t even supposed to be on the ship in the first place. What if he tried to stop me? What if we wasted precious moments arguing about going to rescue my sister?

Or worse, what if he din't care about Aster? What if he took me again, locked me up, and didn't let me go to her? All in the name of protecting me.

I would fucking kill him if he did that.

No, I had to do this on my own.

The weight of the outdated Nokia sat in my pocket like a heavy brick. This was my ticket out of here. Luca had given it to me as part of our negotiations. Now was the time to use it.

Saving Aster was the only reason I would ever use up my favor with him.

My eyes tracked up to Knight, who was staring down at the man like he wanted to shoot the guy all over again. The look on his face revealed everything he was thinking.

In that moment, I knew that I owed Knight this.

I could offer Knight his chance for retribution and at the same time, he would help with James.

At the exact moment I was trying to decide, Knight looked up at me, and the pain and anguish he was feeling was revealed in his eyes.

Yes. I owed him this.

“What do you want to do next?" he asked.

I gripped his arm. "Do you trust me?”

"What?"

"I'm going to need you to make the choice right now, Knight. I can get you your revenge, but I need you to trust me, wholly and completely. You can't tell Bourbon or even Coulter where we're going, or what we're doing. You have to do what I say, when I say it. I need your complete, one hundred percent co-operation."

He ddin't answer me right away, just stood there heaving at me, his dark eyes locked on mine.

I stood with bated breath, waiting for his reaction.

I'd taken a risk by telling him this. He could easily overpower me, drag me to Bourbon and tell him what I'd just told him.

For a brief second, I thought I'd trusted the wrong person. Nerves clenched my stomach and my breath was coming in and out in spurts.

Then his head tilted forward, his red hair falling into his eyes, covering the emotions in them, but he spoke one word, and everything inside me released.

"Yes."

"You will? Are you sure? You might have to go back on your oath to the Kings."

"Tell me what to do, and I'll do it." His voice was a dark growl, and there was no uncertainty in it.

I stepped forward, my hand clasping the front of his uniform and stared into his eyes.

"Swear an oath to me right now, Knight. Swear to me, the lost mafia princess of the Bratva outfit." Knight's eyes widened as big as saucers, but I kept going. "Swear your allegiance to me that you will do every single thing I say, that you won't question my commands. If I tell you at some point to toss your phone, you'll do it. If I even tell you to kill Bourbon, you'll do it."

He stared into my eyes, and the tension in the room was as tangible as the turbulent sea underneath us.

"If you swear to me that you'll let me have my revenge, I will give you my allegiance."

I nodded. "You'll have it."

He stepped back, lowering himself to one knee. He pulled a knife from his pocket and sliced it across his palm. Then clenching his hand into a fist, he squeezed a couple drops of his blood to the floor and, staring into my eyes, he made his oath.

"I swear my allegiance to you from this day forward. I will follow you to wherever you lead me. I will obey your command. If I betray you, let my blood flow from me as deep as the ocean below us.”

I grasped his fist, pulling it up to press my lips to the top. "I accept your offering."

He stood up, putting the knife back in his pocket and I reached into my pocket and pulled out the phone Luca'd given me. Taking a deep breath, I made the choice right then and there.

I was going to do this.

I was in charge of my own destiny.

I wasn’t going to let anyone else determine my path in life.

I was going to do whatever it took to save my sister.

Grabbing my own destiny by my fucking hands, and punched in the number that would change everything in my life from here on out.