“I can answer for myself,” I say, a fake smile on my face. Can I please catch a break here? Moving toward the pickup area, I stop behind an older couple who are too busy looking at some photo on the woman’s phone. Grandkids, I think. “Go away.”
“We need to talk.” There’s an urgency to her tone that puts me on edge. She’s not looking at me, but up ahead while holding her phone tight in her grip. “Now.”
“No.”
“This isn’t a request, Gabby. I’ve had enough of your shit.”
“Of my shit?” Her audacity makes me laugh, a loud sarcastic one that catches the attention of the couple and a few other people around us. “You’re still the same self-absorbed bitch you’ve always been, Elise. It’s always someone else’s mistake. Always someone else’s responsibility for your happiness and worth.”
“Don’t talk about things you don’t understand.”
“I just don’t care anymore.” The couple grabs their order and after giving us another side look, they walk out, leaving me at the front. “Nothing you say will make a difference in how I see you. We’re done.”
“You stole him from me,” she hisses, her hand gripping my forearm. The talons she calls nails dig in and I feel them break skin, but I keep the pleasant smile on my face as the lady with my order comes to the counter.
“Gabriella?”
“That’s me,” I say while snatching my arm from her grip before stepping up and taking my food and drink. The coffee is piping hot, and the bagels smell amazing; I can’t wait to get home and eat. Elise hasn’t moved, eyeing me, but I wave as I walk by her. “Have a nice life.”
The sun feels good on my skin as I step outside the busy cafe toward home, but before I can make it to the crosswalk, I’m pulled back by a hand on my arm. I almost stumble at the force they use, dropping my bagels, but somehow saving the coffee. The food is in a sealed box, and I yank my arm free once again, bending to grab it before looking at Elise.
Her perfume is unmistakable. She really stinks.
“You have two minutes before—”
“You’re going to drop the lawsuits, Gabby. Drop them, and disappear from Seattle, or I’ll be forced to remove you.”
“No.” I’m not sure which lawsuit she’s talking about since I’ve let Theo handle the copyright issue; we can’t do more than present my rightful ownership and wait for a judge to decide. Denying her, however, is bringing a smile to my face. I’ve had enough of her pushing me around. No more. “Don’t make this worse for yourself, Elise. You did this—” My words are cut off by a hard smack to the face, my head whipping to the side while I taste a bit of blood in my mouth. She caught me by surprise and my grip on my breakfast is tight enough not to drop them, but my coffee is done for. The squished cup has spilled, and my skin is red—hurts.
“You will do as you’re told, or that will look like a gentle pet compared to what I’m capable of.” Before I can stop her, she has my chin in her grasp and is tilting my face to inspect the damage. “Ruining your pretty face would be a pleasure, a motherfucking aphrodisiac, but I can’t afford to have attention on me right now.” Her face lowers to mine, her lips teasing my own. “Someday, though, I will.”
“Promise or threat?” I ask through squished lips.
Elise throws her head back and laughs. She’s deranged. “I’m going to miss your idiocy the most.”
“And I’m going to enjoy this.” Before she can ask, I throw my arm back and snap it forward, landing a punch square to her stomach with the mangled to-go cup—I make sure to spill the rest of my coffee on her. Elise doubles over, releasing my face, and clutches her midsection. And while she groans, I drop what’s left of my food on the ground with a longing look before bringing my knee up, landing the next blow to her face. “That looks painful,” I taunt, giggling a bit just to annoy her.
“You bitch,” she seethes, moving out of the way before I can kick her again. “I’m going to kill you, Gabriella. Mark my words, I’m going to—”
“What seems to be the problem here?” a female voice comes from behind me and Elise pales, stepping further back away from me while I look over quickly. Meera’s eyes meet mine and she winks before a stoic expression overtakes her pretty features. “I asked you a question, Miss Scott.”
“Nothing.” Her reply comes quickly—too obvious, and I snort. Elise’s hands clench at that, her posture almost coiling into herself. She’s afraid of Meera. “I tripped and my friend was helping me.” She looks away from Tero’s wife, and her eyes turn icy. “Nice to see you, Gabby, and thank you for the help.”
I don’t glare at her. Instead, my smile is saccharine sweet. “You’re welcome, and I’ll be ready when you are.”
My ex-best friend opens her mouth to say something, the nasty retort sitting on her tongue, but Meera pulls out her phone and takes a picture. “Mr. Astor will be hearing all about this friendly encounter, Miss Scott.”
“That’s unnecessary.” Elise coughs at that, a nervous gesture. Her eyes are also wide and alarmed. “I’m sure he has better things to do than worry about girlfriends catching up.”
“He doesn’t when it comes to her, Miss Scott.” Why did she emphasize her last name? “Have a nice day, and don’t make a habit out of tripping into people because there are loyal guards out there willing to return every favor tenfold.”
Their exchange is weirder than mine with Elise, and when my former friend hurries away as if Hades himself was after her, I look at Meera. “I need more than a vacation at this point.”
“I’d say you do,” she says, looking at my face where Elise hit me. Her eyes narrow and expression hardens, but she doesn’t ask. “But better times are coming, sweetheart. Trust me on this.”
“I’ll try.” I shrug. At the moment, it’s the best I can do. “But now, I’m going to double my coffee and bagel order so I can pig out when I get home. Are you interested in joining me?”
“Can’t. Tero’s waiting on me with Mr. Pickles at the park for a walk.”
“Ahhh, little guy must be loving that. What time are you dropping him off?”
“He is and later this evening. Is that okay?”
“That’s fine.”
Her concern is written all over her face, but I’m thankful she doesn’t question me. I have no doubt that her boss will do enough of that at some point. “My car is here, though. How about a ride instead before I meet the boys?”
“You don’t need to do that. This is a ten-minute walk—”
“I wasn’t asking, sweetheart. Go get your food.”
I laugh at that. “So bossy.”
“More like I’m loyal.”
31
King
I take in a deep breath and hold it as her scent infiltrates my senses. It owns me. Tortures me, and I’m here to return the favor.
I’m done waiting.
It’s time for my queen to rise while our enemy falls.