A second 3

 

3 

I woke to find myself and Stella tied up in an abandoned warehouse. 

“Who are you? Why did you take us?” Stella sobbed. 

A man with a scar across his face backhanded her. “Because of your fiancé, Kaelen! He stole my territory in the West District, cut off my lifeline!” 

So it was the West District crew. The same territory Kaelen had just acquired with my settlement agreement. They didn’t know who I was, which meant Stella, the woman everyone had seen at Kaelen’s side, was their 

arget. 

secretly worked my wrists, using a micro-blade hidden under a false nail to saw at the ropes. I always had a rick up my sleeve. 

The scar-faced man spat in my direction. “Your bad luck, getting caught with her. Call your family. Five milli- ›n, and you can walk.” 

stella was crying, her face a mess of tears. “Miss, I’m so sorry, this is all my fault. But don’t be scared. My iancé is very powerful. He’ll come and save us!” Her eyes shone with an unshakeable faith in him. 

didn’t speak, focusing on sawing through the rope. 

Scarface couldn’t get through on the phone. He kicked over an oil drum in a rage. “Damn it! Kaelen’s not Inswering? Guess we’ll have to send him a little gift to get his attention!” 

le picked up a dagger from the floor, his eyes raking over Stella’s body with a lecherous grin. “I saw you twc it the hospital. You’re carrying his kid, aren’t you? Perfect. We’ll carve the little bastard out and send it tc 

im.” 

My heart stopped. She was pregnant with his child. 

Stella went rigid with terror, her face white as a sheet. “No! Please… don’t touch my baby!” 

The other men laughed, a greasy, predatory sound, and started to close in on her. 

n that instant, my ropes snapped. I launched myself forward like a panther, slamming my elbow into Scarfa ce’s jaw. I snatched the dagger from his hand, sliced through Stella’s bonds, and pulled her behind me, shiel ding her with my body. 

‘Kill the bitch!” Scarface roared, clutching his face. 

Five or six men surrounded us, armed with iron pipes. 

I knew how to fight, but I was still recovering from my injuries. Against so many desperate men, I was quickly outmatched. The pipes whistled through the air, crashing against my body. The pain was so intense I nearly buckled, but I used my body as a shield, protecting Stella in the corner. 

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Scarface lost his patience. He cocked his pistol, the black muzzle aimed straight at me. “You asked for this!” 

Just as his finger tightened on the trigger- 

BOOM! 

The warehouse doors exploded inward. Kaelen and his men stormed in, guns blazing. He was a furious lion, charging straight for us. He swept Stella into his arms. “Stella, don’t be afraid. I’m here.” 

She let out a choked sob and fainted from the shock and relief. Kaelen carefully carried her to his car, settli ng her gently inside. 

Then, he turned and walked toward me. 

Zoe.” His voice was laced with ice. “Why are you here?” 

pushed myself up, ignoring the searing pain, and met his suspicious gaze with a cold smile. “Are you accus ng me of something?” 

Before the words were even fully out, his hand cracked across my face. The force of the blow sent me spra vling, the taste of blood filling my mouth. 

I knew it,” he snarled. “You’ve been plotting against Stella all along, haven’t you? Trying to drive her away.” 

spat out a mouthful of blood. “No,” I rasped. 

le grabbed one of the wounded thugs from the floor and pressed the barrel of his gun to the man’s head. ” 

ell me. Who hired you?” 

he man, trembling, glanced at me, and as if seeing his last chance at survival, shrieked, “It was her! She aid us to teach the other girl a lesson!” 

My heart plunged into an icy abyss. 

Kaelen let out a humorless laugh and, without a moment’s hesitation, pulled the trigger. 

le kicked the corpse aside and crouched down, his boot pressing down hard on my hand. The pain was 

xcruciating. 

fis voice was almost a sigh. “These hands… they used to be so obedient. Why are you using them now to 

urt the person I love most?” 

le pulled out a wicked-looking dagger, “I told you, Zoe. Don’t touch what’s mine.” 

A flash of cold steel. 

My breath caught in my throat. 

The dagger pierced straight through my palm, pinning my hand to the cold concrete floor. 

“AHHH!” A scream was torn from my throat as my body convulsed in agony. My vision blackened at the edg- 

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Chapter 2 

14:33 

1. The despair of it all made me roar, my voice raw with hatred. “Kaelen! I should have left you to die in tha alley eight years ago! I never should have helped you become the King of Canaan!” 

With his own hand, he had just murdered the last shred of affection between us. 

He snorted in contempt, stood up, and walked out of the warehouse with his men, never looking back. 

I waited until the sharp agony subsided into a cold numbness. With my good left hand, I managed to pry tiny locator beacon from the lining of my bra and pressed the button. 

My subordinate arrived quickly. He saw the state I was in, and his eyes instantly reddened. He carefully pul ed the dagger from my hand. My right palm was a mangled mess of flesh and bone, completely numb. 

My voice was weak, but my resolve was absolute. 

“Burn it,” I whispered. “Burn this place to the ground and erase everything.” 

“From this day on, there is no Queen of the Cards in Canaan.”