Page 218 of Vexatious Queen

I smiled at her.

“Because I’m Nash Fucking Collier. I know everything.”

“You’re making me want to throw this pillow at you again.”

“Love you, too, Princess. Now go to sleep, we’ve got you.”

Turning, I headed back to my chair.

“Nash?” I glanced over my shoulder. “Thank you.”

I winked at her.

“Anytime.”

Ren settled down under the covers and closed her eyes as I sat watching her. I made sure that she was sound asleep before I grabbed my gun and leaned my head back, watching the door. Nothing and no one was getting in here.

In my heart, I truly believed that Yuliana was not here to harm Ren, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t try to take her. That—would only happen over my dead body.

MARCH 8 – SUNDAY 9:30 AM

Ren

It took an hour of arguing, but we had finally reached a consensus. I agreed to stay in the house, and the guys agreed to stay out of my conversation with my mother. I knew they were just trying to protect me and be supportive, but this was something I needed to do on my own. This was between her and me and no one else.

I found Mum in the den, staring out the window like a figment of my imagination. I pushed down the emotions clawing up the back of my throat and took a deep breath. Part of me wanted to run to her, wrap my arm around her, and never let go. But that couldn’t happen until I had answers.

Detective Conway was sitting on the arm of the chair, while the other guard I now recognized and remembered his name to be, Mylo, stood by the fireplace. They looked at me right away, but it took my mother longer. Seconds ticked by, and I refused to be the first one to acknowledge her.

“Detective Conway, such a surprise to see you here,” I said, not even trying to hide my sarcasm.

The Mikhailov polar bear on his right hand was hard to miss.

“Funny…I don’t remember seeing your tattoo when we met at the police station. Makeup really does work well to cover things you want to hide. I’m not used to detectives being so deceitful.”

“There is no reason to be angry with Vlad or Mylo. They have protected us your whole life, and they were just following my orders,” Mum said.

She sipped something steaming from the cup in her hands and then slowly turned to face me. She looked the same, but there was something different there, too. Something colder, harsher. I’d seen it last night, and even though her eyes were warm when she gazed at me, the iciness was all around her. In the way she held her head, her hands. Even the way she stood was different.

“Hello, Ren. I have been dreading this conversation,” she said, and it stung like a slap to the face.

“Oh, really?” I folded my hands in front of me. “Funny, since I never pictured us having it at all.”

The corner of my mother’s mouth twitched. She walked toward me, and I lifted my chin, held her gaze, and didn’t back away.

“You have grown so much in such a short time. I’m so proud of you.”

“Can we please just stop with the pleasantries? I want to know what the hell is going on. I deserve answers,” I said.

“There is nothing I can say to make what I did any better. There is no excuse good enough to wipe away what you’ve endured since I left.”

“You mean since you faked your death. Lied to the world. Then thought it would be a great idea to show up at Dad’s dinner to announce your comeback by threatening to kill a man at the table.”

“I know you’re angry, and you have every right to be,” she said, and that only pissed me off more.

“You’re right, I do.”

Mum nodded and finished her drink before sitting down.