Page 97 of Queen of Ruin

“We found her! Tabitha! The chances were so slim and I know no one said it, but I knew everyone was giving me the side eye when I would ask every fucker we came across if they’d seen her. But this poor little boy appeared which, y’know, confirmed there were kids in the penthouse, and we saved a bunch, but then I found her! Tabitha! She was alive!” Valentina lets out a deep breath as if she’d been holding it since she came in, then she pauses and her face crumples slightly. “They were using her as bait ever since someone bought the last kid they used. She was used to lure in other kids and then also me. I can’t imagine what that will be like for her to deal with.”

Valentina stands in her underwear, one hand on her hip and her skin stained with the blood of those she killed.

She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life.

“But!” She smiles once again. “We reunited her with her family after getting her checked at the hospital. She’s got a long recovery ahead of her, but we’ll take care of everything for her and her parents. The important thing is she’s safe and home.”

“Val—”

“Ew, gross.” She glances down at herself and grimaces, then looks back up at me. “Hold that thought, I really need to shower.”

Then she’s gone through to the ensuite and silence falls around me.

What a woman.

Some of the guards around here made jokes that I was able to tame someone as cold and as bristly as Valentina, but she’s the warmest person I’ve ever met. She saved my life. She never gave up on looking for Tabitha and thankfully, it paid off. Weeks of pain and agony have finally paid off in something good, and I couldn’t be happier for her.

For us.

Joining her in the shower is painfully tempting, but my doctor would have a fit if I got the bandages around my thigh wet, so I remain on the bed and set my phone aside while mulling over everything she told me.

She killed those people. Evil men and women doing evil things. Over the past week, she’s weeded out all the ones they could track down in New York, and people all over the world are doing the same. In the ever-changing world, a victory like this is huge.

And it’s all because of her.

I close my eyes and picture that elated look on her face once more. It’s a far cry from the wounded, unsure woman caught on my bed with no way to remember her own name. All the bad I’ve done in my life, all the way fate has twisted the knife… have I finally done something good?

Saving her led to the dismantling of a child slavery ring and countless children returned to their families. I can’t take all the credit but I’m pretty sure I helped.

I mull it over until the shower clunks off and two minutes later, Valentina appears in the doorway with her hair wrapped up in a silk wrap and an equally silky nightdress covering her body. Her skin, still dewy from the shower, glitters as she slowly walks toward me.

God, I fucking love her.

I love all of her.

Every single inch.

She could break me apart and I’d let her.

“What?” Valentina tilts her head as she approaches, then she eases herself onto the bed and very slowly crawls over me.

“What, what?”

“What are you staring at?” she asks softly, easing me back down onto the bed as she crawls high enough over me that we’re face to face.

“You,” I murmur softly, resting my head back on the pillow.

“Did I miss some blood?” She glances down her body and checks her arms and legs for any missed splatters while I close my eyes and breathe in the sweet honeysuckle scent from her body wash.

“No,” I say as I open my eyes. “I was just thinking that I can’t quite believe that you’re real.”

Her eyes flit up and she gazes warmly down at me. “Really?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Because I brought such a nightmare into your life?”

“No.” I lift my hand and gently curl my fingers underneath her warm chin. “Because you’re like something out of a dream and I can’t believe how fucking lucky I am to know you.”