Corrupted Queen - Nicole Fox Page 0,34

he might be Irish.”

Relief balloons in my chest and I let the soldier go. Alexis didn’t jump. That means she’s inside somewhere, and I need to get to her.

A loud bang rips through the air and the assembled onlookers gasp and whisper amongst themselves. The front door is open. The two soldiers draw their guns and are about to enter when I race over to them.

“Behind me,” I order, striding between them and then racing up the stairs, gun drawn.

We reach Clara’s door and I kick it open, sending it cracking back on its hinges. Two terrified sets of eyes snap to the doorway and Clara lets out a little scream.

“Put the gun away,” Alexis hisses, her arms wrapped around her quivering friend. They are sitting on the ground, and Clara has her knees pulled up to her chest. Behind them I see the shattered frame of glass overlooking the street.

Alexis is safe. She’s safe. I shove my gun back in its holster and let out a sigh of relief as my men scout the room for potential hostiles.

“He was going to kill you,” Clara whines, a sob wracking through her. “I didn’t mean to ... I only wanted to …”

I approach the girls, noting with a level of disgust the sorry state of Clara’s apartment. It stinks of stale beer and filth, and every available surface is covered in empty booze containers and garbage. My men never told me it was this bad.

I squat down just as the tiny blonde starts to hyperventilate. Alexis leans over her, running her hand down Clara’s back and whispering in a soothing voice. “You did what you needed to do. It’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“What happened?” I ask.

Alexis looks up at me, and I take the opportunity to inspect her for signs of damage. Her face is unblemished, though her hair is messy and her red-rimmed eyes dart around the room. She is trying to be calm for her friend, but Alexis is rattled.

“Clara’s boyfriend, Killian.” Alexis licks her lip, taking a deep breath. “He, uh, he tried to hurt me. Clara pushed him and …” She glances toward the window.

I deduce the rest on my own.

“Come on,” I say, closing my fingers around one of Clara’s tiny hands. “I’m taking you both back to the mansion with me.”

Clara shakes her head. “No, no. They’ll be looking for me.”

“All the more reason to come with me.” With Alexis’ help, I lift her to her feet. “The police will be here soon. We need to go.”

Clara takes a shaky step forward and nearly collapses. She is moving too slow.

I sigh and lean down, bundling Clara in my arms and striding out of the apartment with Alexis following on my heel. She weighs nothing, as though her bones are hollow like a bird’s. I should have never let her get this bad. She isn’t my responsibility, but she’s Alexis’ best friend and if I’d acted sooner, I could have avoided this whole mess.

I throw Dom the keys to the Porsche and get into the town car with Alexis and Clara. David takes off toward the mansion as sirens ring through the air from a distance.

I pull Alexis across my lap, cradling her to my chest like I used to when we were lovers. Before all the ugliness. I am surprised to find that not only does she let me hold her, but she cuddles in against my chest and buries her face in my shirt. I rest my lips against the crown of her head and breathe in her flowery scent.

12

Alexis

It has been two days since the attack at Clara’s apartment, and I’m still on edge. You would think after being held hostage and threatened by Andrew Walsh for days on end I’d be more used to people trying to kill me, but as it turns out, the experience still sucks.

I see Killian’s bloodshot eyes and dilated pupils in my dreams. I remember the bloodcurdling fear I felt as he broke down the bathroom door, and my last panicked run to try and escape. He grabbed me by the leg and I hit the ground hard, and it was at that point I knew it was all over. I was going to die in that apartment, just another rotting plant.

And then the unbelievable happened. Clara pushed him, hard enough that he went tumbling toward the window. It smashed, the sound ripping through my eardrums. And then it was quiet.

It all happened so fast.