Bitter Queen (Advantage Play #4) - Kelsie Rae

Prologue

Diece

Her legs wobble as she follows me toward the shed. The brisk air is turning warmer as the sun peeks over the horizon in the distance, but even the blinding sun can’t tear my gaze away from the sexy stranger.

Who the hell is this girl?

“I’m Diece, by the way,” I introduce myself, breaking the uncomfortable silence. “I know Kingston mentioned me, but I figured I should probably introduce myself. And you’re Queena?”

The only response I get is a piece of gravel being kicked across the sidewalk leading to the shed tucked behind Kingston Romano’s massive house.

“Well, it’s uh…it’s nice to meet you.” I sound like a damn pussy. “I don’t know how long we’re going to be together but—”

“We’re not going to be together.” Her voice is cold. Indifferent. And laced with disgust. Like I’m a piece of shit she stepped in, and she doesn’t know how to clean it off.

My annoyance spikes, but I shove it aside. She’s been held against her will for the past two weeks. Of course, she’s going to be leery of strange men, especially when they’ve been tasked with keeping an eye on you for the foreseeable future.

“Sorry, Q,” I apologize. “But you’re stuck with me until Kingston tells me otherwise. You put a target on your back when you told a room full of very powerful men at Burlone’s poker tournament that you work for the FBI.”

She freezes when Burlone’s name rolls off my tongue, but I don’t blame her. He kidnapped her, tortured her, and planned to sell her as a sex slave before Kingston stepped in and framed Burlone for working with the FBI. But it was Q who stepped in and verified his bullshit accusation. I just wish she saw us as an ally instead of shoving the Romano family in the same box as Burlone Allegretti.

“Don’t get me wrong. We’re grateful,” I continue, attempting to tread lightly. “There’s a big possibility none of you would’ve made it out of there alive without your help. But it doesn’t change the fact that you kind of screwed yourself over because of it. Kingston recognizes your sacrifice and is offering to protect you. You need to take him up on it.”

“And if I don’t want to?”

“Then you’ll wind up in a ditch by the end of the week,” I answer bluntly. She flinches at my brashness, causing a bolt of guilt to hit me straight in the chest. With a sigh, I try again. “Look, I know you’ve been dealt a shit hand, but now’s your opportunity to make the most of it.”

She peeks up at me through her thick upper lashes. “Are you asking me to trust you?”

I shrug. “Yeah. I guess I am.”

“And what if I can’t?”

“Listen, I don’t know what happened—”

She starts marching toward the shed that holds Burlone and cuts me off. “I’ve trusted a lot of people in my life, and every single one of them has let me down. What makes you any different?”

Her candor takes me aback, causing me to ask myself the same thing. I’m not a good guy. I’ve killed people. Crippled them. Sold drugs and weapons to people who definitely shouldn’t be touching them.

The realization is harsh as I murmur, “I guess I don’t know.”

“Then I guess I can’t trust you.”

“Listen—”

“Where’s the bat?” she asks as we reach the shed that holds Burlone. I’d promised she could use one against the bastard when we were in Kingston’s office a few minutes ago. She’s a feisty little thing. I’ll give her that much. And bitter. So damn bitter that I’m surprised her pouty lips aren’t pursed twenty-four-seven.

The shed door has a metal padlock hanging from the front, and I search my pockets for the keys Stefan handed off to me as we left the office.

“The bat’s in here. Listen, if you want a chance to make Burlone hurt, then I’m going to need you to promise me something.” Her eyes flash at the prospect of finally exacting her revenge against the guy who put her through Hell, and I know I have her full attention. “I need you to let me watch out for you until it’s safe for you to leave.”

“No deal,” she grits out, looking around the expansive yard like a caged beast.

“Then I’m afraid I can’t let you in here.”

“Diece—”

My name on her lips makes my cock hard, but I ignore my physical response and try to focus on the conversation.

“I want to keep you safe, Q. But you need to

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