Page 72 of Queen of Ruin

“Oh, I was actually coming to find you because I have to go and check on some things, y’know?”

“Check on things?” I frown at him and then clutch his shoulders. “I’ll come.”

“Valentina!” Bradley suddenly yells from down the hall, and I peer past Diego to where he stands. “You remembered something?”

“I did!” The exhilaration swells again, and I lean in, capturing Diego’s lips in a quick, sweet kiss. “I have to tell them what I remembered, but then I’ll come back, and we can go together, alright?”

Diego meets my gaze and there’s a flicker of something I can’t quite decipher in his eyes. “Sure.”

“Great! Wait for me, and then I’ll tell you everything. Oh, my goodness, it was such a rush and I—” I catch myself and smile. “Everything doesn’t feel as empty anymore. Promise you won’t leave without me?”

28

DIEGO

Ishould tell her yes.

I should tell her I’ll wait.

It’s the easiest four words.

I’ll wait for you.

But they don’t come.

The past few days here have been some of the best, but also some of the worst. Watching Valentina be around people who love and care for her has been one of the best feelings. She might not remember these people yet, but a part of her does, and that part is very obvious when it comes to interacting with them, cooking with them, cleaning with them, or even just sharing a drink together. She’s gaining knowledge about herself and her life here and even if she crawls into bed exhausted at the end of every night, there’s a growing light in her eyes.

And I’m happy for her.

I love her. I want her to have her memories and her life back. I want her to feel cemented in her identity again, and I want her to be safe.

But I don’t fit in here.

These people are extremely powerful and capable of keeping her safe better than I ever could, and the work they do here is incredible. I don’t even care that it’s criminal. I’m not here to judge. What they do is amazing and she is a part of that. She will always be a part of that. But the more I learn, the more I see that I don’t fit in here.

The more she remembers, the closer I get to that morning when she wakes up and realizes she doesn’t want to be with the person who found her during the worst moment of her life. If I don’t serve as a reminder, I’ll definitely serve as a hindrance.

So her desire for a promise weighs heavily in the air between us as I smile at her. “You look good,” I say.

She beams at me and kisses my cheek again. “I’ll be back!” Then, she turns and races down the hallway to where Bradley is waiting, and she takes a part of me with her. A part that will never leave her.

Granted, my confusion might just be fueled by a sense of inadequacy when surrounded by people with more power and skills than I’ve ever seen in my life, but it doesn’t help that Mindy’s been blowing up my phone for the past four hours, begging for help.

If ever I needed a reminder of how different our lives are…

It’s not unusual for her to beg for my help, but her last message was worryingly cryptic. I’ve received suicide threats from her before and yet, something about the way she texts so cryptically gets to me.

[Mindy] This time, it really will be your fault. I hope you’re happy, cunt.

What does she mean by that?

Tapping my phone against my fingers, I glance back up the hallway. Valentina wants me to wait, but each minute I wait is a minute closer to a dreaded future where I do end up with her death on my conscience.

And as much as I hate to admit it, she is right. Mindy’s life is a mess because of me. I didn’t put the drugs in her hand, nor did I force her to shoot up that night, but I did lay it all out for her and then pass out. I’m indirectly responsible, and as much as I’ve fought for distance between us, leaving her at a time like this feels like the final nail in my corrupt moral coffin.

Valentina needs to focus on her memories. The sooner she does that, the sooner she can catch whoever hurt them and then do… whatever these people do to people like that.

I need to help Mindy.