Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 63046 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63046 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
“Victor, your grandmother is a grown-ass woman. You need to stop.” I catch up with him, and my hand clasps a portion of his massive bicep.
“The love birds!” Sarah exclaims, bejeweled fists pumping the air.
“Grandmother, what is the meaning of this? You, Burt—”
“Victor.” I connect gazes with him, attempting to signal the importance of keeping up pretenses. Sarah catches on.
“Oh, I’m so glad you’ve come, but I’m fine.” Her tone is weak, imploring. However, her mouth twists into a smile, and she looks at the empty open door before offering a wink.
“Come off it.” Victor pinches the bridge of his nose. “How did this happen?”
“I don’t think you want to know.” Her voice is light, carefree, boasting sexual undertones.
Victor snaps, lunging for Burt as I grab at him again.
“Oh, alright,” Victor hisses.
“Luxury, you’ve tamed the brute.” Sarah nods.
“You are on thin ice.” I cut in, pointing a finger at her.
“What?” Innocent eyes widen. “Actually, boys, run along. Vicky, you’re to behave yourself.”
As Victor and Burt mope out of the room, I drop a hand on my hip.
“Luxury, my dear, are you ready for Madeline and Princess Mary to pay?”
Dry air clogs my throat.
Did Mary actually assist Madeline that night in—
“For the party, Luxury.” Sarah sighs as if bringing me up to speed. “Nobility shuns outward displays of conflict. If one’s vision digresses from another, they will not discuss it amongst outsiders. Mary broke the rules. She aided Madeline in that engagement hogwash.”
“Sarah . . .” I slowly find the seat behind me. We hadn’t given Sarah information surrounding why we requested her help. Perhaps she’d gotten too nosey during alone time with Burt. Maybe he appeased her by saying the silly engagement was why we had a bone to pick?
I contemplate the dinner, and my blood pressure goes from hypertension to postmortem status in a half-second. Everyone will be at the dinner. Sarah. Graham. They’ll all know . . . know what happened with Al Rafi.
“Do not doubt correcting their behavior, Luxury. The second you put on that ring, you became my granddaughter-in-law. I will protect you.”
But I’m consumed with the idea of murdering Madeline.
I take a measured breath as we talk about vastly diverging topics.
Sarah reaches over to the nightstand to remove a golden flask. “My bones still shake at the thought of that woman agreeing to strip Victor of his duchy. See, I cannot speak ill of the old hag in public. Mary made a grave mistake hosting the party. I’d dare say the Queen will have an upset stomach by tomorrow morning, too.”
As she chuckles, I say, “I don’t understand.”
“The chef has been advised to add a safe amount of poison to their food. Not ours, doll.”
“So-so the Queen’s attending tonight?”
With a wink, Sarah adds, “That’s right, honey. Burt doesn’t even know I invited the old wench. She’s in this too.”
As I begin to tell myself that Victor’s way might be best, with him torturing the truth out of Madeline, a calm washes over me.
The Queen should be here. Shouldn’t she? This is bigger than just me and what I’ve lost. The country needs to give a flying fuck about its commoners.
Sarah senses my hesitation and slides out of bed to sit next to me. “Lux, Mary’s father never allowed me to reprimand her, not even for the most insidious infractions. She and Madeline will pay tonight. The Queen will glean that her antics have created horrible minions out of the lot of them.”
31
Luxury
Although a small gap remains between us, heat radiates from Victor. I’m still in lingerie while Victor’s donned a suit. I place the tie around his neck and slowly follow the steps I’ve seen him take.
Foreboding snakes through me as Victor’s hands frame my waist, and he’s pulling me an arm's length away. Dark eyes wash over every exposed inch of me. “Shall I handle this for us?”
My throat clogs as I slowly smooth the tie over the wide, rocky surface of Victor’s chest. “I’ve killed before. I killed the woman in the hotel.” I mention the woman I later learned had spied for Victor.
“Yes, you have.”
I move my hands over his carved chest to follow the sharp length of his shoulders. Damn, my Victor’s breathtakingly handsome.
I exhale. “If I could murder a stranger to preserve my life, I can do this. You’ve made me stronger. Going back to avenge me. Murdering Al Rafi and Noor. All of that made me stronger.”
I’m tethered to Victor Tudor in ways I couldn’t even fathom.
The first time he fought for me, he was too friggen noble to claim his reward. That instant left the Russian dead where the motherfucker stood.
Another instance, greater still, is when he told his entire duchy that he loved me.
I can’t bring my tongue, mouth, or throat to articulate that Sarah invited his Queen, his other friggen grandmother. But then I’m arrested by the deep blue depth of Victor’s eyes. Victor caresses my face with a finger. Like his edicts while holding a gun, he nurtures me. “Little One, you will give me a sign tonight if you’re overwhelmed.”