Page 48 of His Princess

I stretched and took off my gloves, throwing them in the open back of the Hummer, before I walked toward him and dragged him against my chest. He went without a fight, melting against me like every bone in his body had turned to jelly, and I held him up, giving him my support.

“I killed her.” His quiet words barely made a sound in the peaceful field. Somewhere, a coyote howled, a noise so haunting that Quin trembled against me.

He was covered in a stylish trench coat that was cinched at his waist by a belt, and underneath he was dressed in pants and a thick cotton turtleneck that I’d helped him put on. It had taken too long to make him move from the crime scene, but after some coaxing, I’d gotten him into the shower, sent his clothes to a funeral home to be burned—more specifically, one that belonged to a biker named Undertaker—and made sure there was no blood on him.

Then, I’d called for help from Royal and Derek.

It didn’t take much to lift Bethany—she wasn’t a heavy woman—but we’d had to wait for the cover of night. These were steps I’d taken a hundred times, even before we had a team specifically for body disposal. Normally, I would’ve let Royal handle it, but when someone who had a personal attachment was murdered, like a legal wife, I made sure to have a part in it.

It was always good to know where your skeletons were buried.

“She killed herself,” I finally whispered to Quin, stroking my palm down his back and shushing him. “Whether from your hand or not, it would have happened eventually. She messed with the wrong men, baby girl.”

He shook his head against my shoulder and sucked in a deep breath. “It was me. I shot her.”

“Did you?” I grasped his upper arms in a gentle hold and dragged him back so I could stare down at his face. “It was her gun, she pointed it at you, and you defended yourself. She was to blame.”

“If that’s true, why didn’t we call the police? Why are we hiding her body?” He raised his chin, teeth clenched. Tears flooded his hazel eyes, but they didn’t fall. His irises glinted green in the darkness only cut by headlights. Beautiful and out of place in this awful spot. He was keeping it together, and I couldn’t ask for anything more from him.

“Because the courts drag this kind of thing out and it’s exhausting. They’ll make assumptions because she’s my wife who left me and you’re the one I want to marry.” I smiled down at him and caressed his cheek. “This is easier for all of us. We’ll forge her signature on the divorce papers and say she’s gone. She left me in the middle of the night. Your mom has no one but you who cares for her. No one will go to the police about her disappearance.”

The crunch of snow and dirt brought my attention to Derek, who shifted to our side. He winked at Quin and tugged his ski jacket closer around his body. The air was particularly chilly tonight, and our breath created a dance of steam near our faces.

“Colt’s right, Quin. It’s safer this way. God knows what Colt would do if something happened to you, courts or otherwise.” He laughed and crossed his arms. “He’d tear New Gothenburg apart, and I need my business partner to be of sane mind.”

I rolled my eyes, but he wasn’t wrong.

Quin bit his bottom lip and nodded carefully. “I suppose you’re right.”

“Of course I am,” Derek drawled with another chuckle. He shivered. “Now how about we all go home? It’s colder than a witch’s tit out here. My sack packed up its balls and moved into my body.”

“Those big motherfuckers?” I teased, and Derek laughed in response.

“Careful, man, sounds like you’re getting very interested in man parts.”

I snorted and gripped Quin tighter against me. “There’s only one man’s cock and balls I’m interested in, and they belong to my baby girl.”

That got a smile out of Quin. He buried his face against the crook of my neck and sighed. His fingers gripped the back of my coat, and he held on to me tighter than he ever had. I got the sense that he was still agonizing over what he’d done. I’d much rather be home than stand out here and talk about it, so without another word, I put him in the Hummer. It didn’t take long to reach my house.

Once I’d said my thanks to Royal and Derek, I led Quin inside. Our living room was already immaculate thanks to some very proficient cleaners Derek used for situations like this, but that didn’t stop Quin from freezing and staring at where his mother had been hours earlier.

I stayed behind him, offering my silent support until he inhaled deeply, then released his breath again. I touched my hand to his shoulder and squeezed it. “She was going to hurt you, Princess. I should’ve been there for you. I shouldn’t have left.”

He spun toward me, squinting, and he sighed as he tugged his hair, yanking some of the strands out of the tie. “No, I asked you to give us space. I never thought....” He broke off and clenched his jaw. “I never thought she would have a gun on her, that she’d do something so stupid, but I shouldn’t be surprised. You’re right, she made a lot of enemies out of powerful men.”

I slipped my hand into his, interlocking our fingers. “Come with me, baby girl. I want to show you something.”

He didn’t argue as I guided him toward my den. When I got him inside, I led him to the leather couch and helped him sit down on it. I laid a gentle kiss on his lips, hands cradling his face with the kind of softness he deserved, before I left him there to go to my desk. I opened the bottom drawer, pulling out the box, and then clutched it tightly in my hand as I made my way back to him.

He watched, eyes widening when his gaze landed on what I had in my palm. “Is that...?” He seemed too afraid to finish the sentence.

I smirked and stopped in front of him as I lowered myself to my knee. I opened the blue velvet box, and inside a ring sparkled under the lights of the den.

The centerpiece was a three-carat diamond shaped in a heart at the top with smaller diamonds extending around the band. It cost me a hundred grand, and I didn’t regret the purchase one bit because it fit Quin. He deserved only the best. The jewelry his mother had gotten had been worth twenty.

“Oh my God.” Quin’s mouth dropped open.

“Will you marry me, baby girl?” I asked, grinning.

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