Rise of a Queen (Kingdom Duet 2)

Then another one.

From: Jonathan King

To: Aurora Harper

Subject: I’m On My Way

You better be ready for that arse to be turned red.

I power off my phone. Dad didn’t deny that Jonathan could be the one behind Alicia’s poisoning. If he is, this will get ugly.

“Miss.” The bodyguard hands me his phone with a pleading expression. “Please answer or he’ll fire us all.”

The fucking tyrant.

I swipe the green button.

“If you don’t put her on the fucking phone right now, consider your future ruined.”

My heart picks up speed at the sound of his voice, and I want to murder that heart. I want to bury it with Alicia so it never beats again.

“I’m on my way home,” I say in a bland voice that I don’t even recognise. “And stop threatening people.”

I hang up before he can say anything.

By the time we reach home, Jonathan has called the guards’ phones a few more times, but I took them and powered them off.

“Tell him I did it,” I say to the men as I leave the car and stride into the house.

They nod, but their expressions remain unsure.

My steps are long and confident. Jonathan better be ready for the hell I’m going to bring him the moment he walks through the door.

He’ll tell me everything, and he better be convincing, because I’m not in the mood to be trifled with today.

A shadow passes in my peripheral vision, and I freeze. The screeching sound of my heels echoes in the silence.

Oh, no.

No, no, no.

I make a run for the entrance. The security guys are there and —

A body hits me from behind and we both crash to the ground. I scream, thrashing and clawing at them. A hand covers my mouth from behind, muting any sound I have to make.

I manage to roll onto my back and claw at the mask covering his face. I remove it, my nails pulling at his hair, then I freeze. The dragon tattoo. How come I didn’t see it before?

“You,” the word falls from me in a murmur.

Renewed energy rushes through me and I hit him in the crotch. He wails and I use the chance to jump to my feet. Adrenaline tightens my muscles and I’m about to make a run for it again when something prickles my nape.

I fall into the shadow’s hand, eyes rolling to the back of my head.

“J-Jonathan…” I whimper as the world turns black.

30

Jonathan