by Goode, Ella
Summary
The world on the outside of the law has rules. At least, the world I run does. Rule number one—you take from me and I will take from you whatever you value the most. I will take it and I will keep it.
When a Vieth orphans kills one of my men, Karen Vieth offers her daughter as payment to soothe my anger. Cora Vieth is a quiet, beautiful woman but she doesn’t settle my spirit. Instead, she fires lusts I didn’t realize I had. I’m not supposed to keep Cora, not if I want peace with the Vieth orphans but there’s no way I’m giving her back either. If the city turns red as I claim my queen so be it.
Claiming His Queen
Goode
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter14
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Epilogue
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Chapter 1
Aidon
My crew of nearly fifty is dead silent as Poppy’s body is brought in. Bran, Hunt, Kailler, and Pole, my lieutenants, lift the blanket that he’s resting on and place it—and him—on my desk. Jason Chu, my predecessor, ordered the massive oak and steel contraption for me when he retired. When I protested that it was too big, he said that I was a criminal and that I wasn’t going to be running some Wall Street investment firm. Chu didn’t mean for me to use the desk as a death pyre. We lost plenty of men during his reign, and Chu paid his respects to all of them, but not one dead body passed into his office.
Maybe I would have done the same as Chu if he hadn’t been killed in this very room on the one-year anniversary of his retirement by Access, who’d wanted the position I held and didn’t get it. None of us clocked to his simmering resentment until it was too late. He’d knifed Chu in the back and then slit his own throat. We left Access on the floor but lifted Chu onto the desk to try to revive him, but the knife point had arrowed true, right into my leader’s heart. He didn’t even have a dying last word; his last breath had been the one he gasped before falling to the ground.
Access’s blood ruined the ten thousand dollar hand-loomed wool rug while Chu’s blood seeped into the grain of the oak surface. I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of the desk, and every day I sat at it, I was reminded of my duty to Chu. It took me a year to track down all of Access’s associates, family, friends. I killed and destroyed all of them, and in the battle, if a soldier was lost, he was brought here to be honored and remembered. When I sit at this desk, I know it is because of those who have given their life for our family, and I do not rest for a moment.
Poppy wasn’t the first body that’s been stretched out here, and it won’t be the last either, but it’s been a while, at least five years, since a casualty of war has been laid here.
Each member of the crew pays his or her respects before leaving. When the office is empty but for Kailler, I give the order with an upward jerk of my chin. Parks exits immediately, and thirty seconds later, Karin Vieth walks in. Her looks are consistent with her German heritage—light brown hair and light brown eyes. She has known associates in Baden-Württemberg who are active in the international arms trade, but locally, she moves stolen goods, mostly jewelry and tech. She has a small but active crew made up of mostly women. She’d be someone I could admire if she hadn’t killed Poppy, but now I will have to destroy her, her associates, and every person she loves. That’s how I keep my people safe.
I stand behind my desk, behind the still body of Poppy, and wait for Karin to speak. She’ll begin with a bargain, a deal, as if people can be replaced by stacks of money.
Karin clears her throat and folds her hands in front of her waist to disguise the slight tremble she was beginning to exhibit. “What do you want?”
“Poppy to be alive.”
She snorts. “Then he shouldn’t have been in my territory.”
“Are you killing people that wander into your territory? I had not heard that those were the rules of engagement. I’ll make a note of that.” I signal for Notch to send out an alert. “All trespassers shall be shot on sight,” I instruct.
My right-hand woman pulls out her phone.
Karin holds up a hand. “Wait.”
Notch keeps typing.
“I said wait!” Karin says sharply.
“Notch does not work for you. She does not take orders from you,” I say quietly.
“Fine. You order her to stop.”
I shake my head. “I don’t take orders from you either.”
“Ready, sir,” Notch interrupts.
I arch an eyebrow toward Karin. It’s her move. She does not want to humble herself to me, but there’s no way out of this mess she made for herself. She clenches her jaw and grinds out the single word. “Please.”
We have more to discuss, and it will all be painful for Karin, so I don’t toy with her. “Stand down, Notch.”
Silently, she tucks her phone away. I turn back to Karin. “Let’s try again. Why is Poppy dead?”
“He hurt one of my girls.”
Years of practice keeps the shock from showing, but surprise flickers across Notch’s face. “In what way?” I ask. Hurt is a big term and could encompass everything from accidental to intentional harm, both physical or emotional. Was he dating someone? Karin is known to hire girls based on their looks. She likes them pretty because it’s easier for an attractive person to run a con, so Poppy could have fallen for one of Karin’s girls and run into some trouble that way.
“Physically. He hurt her physically, and because of that, he had to die.”
Notch’s nose twitches. She doesn’t believe Karin. Not for a second because Poppy was the type of guy to scoop spiders up by the flat of his blade and carry them outside instead of smashing them beneath his boot.
“You should have brought the issue up to me, and I would’ve meted out the punishment. You know I don’t condone that kind of behavior.” I clean up my own messes. “This does not look like a killing done in the name of passion.”
Poppy wears a bullet hole in his forehead. The back of his head is almost gone, suggesting that it was done at close range and from above. It’s execution style.
“I’m only telling you what my girls told me, and they wouldn’t lie to me because if they did, they’d suffer worse at my hands than from anyone.”
This sounds like the truth, and I don’t like it. “Bring me proof then.”
“It will take some time.” Karin is stalling. I also don’t like that. “I knew you wouldn’t believe me or give me time to sort things out, so I’ve brought a token of my good faith.”
There’s a knock at the door. Notch pulls her firearm and checks the security screen. It’s a young woman with her head bowed. I can’t tell who it is, but behind her are Bran and Hunt, and neither of them are letting someone through who could hurt me. I give Notch the okay, and she opens the door.
The young woman walks forward, her eyes pinned to the floor and her long dark hair curtaining either side of her face.
“This is Cora, my daughter. Cora, meet your keeper, Aidon, the ruler of this hell.”
Chapter 2
Cora
I stare down at expensive black leather shoes knowing I’m already failing at my mission. The one that includes me seducing Aidon so that
he falls in love with me. As well as getting him to cross lines that he’s going to tell my mother he won’t. I’m to allow him to take my innocence and so much more. If I succeed in doing all those things then he won’t be able to kill my mother.
That is the plan in case my mother came back empty handed. A plan that was really made without my knowledge, but this is my chance to prove to my mother I am worthy of her love. That I too can be like all the other strong women around her that she protects with such fierceness. So when she clued me in to what I was to do, I nodded my head in agreement to it while the rest of the girls all tried to give me a crash course in the art of seduction. Something I knew nothing about.
It’s a silly plan when you really think about it. They want me to seduce a man. It’s almost laughable. My mother has spent most of her life keeping men away from me. Now I’m to seduce one?
While all the ladies offered advice, my mother reassured me that I didn't need any. She was confident in her plan, but she always is. Or at least she always pretends to be, but things do tend to go her way.
I try to find comfort in the fact that this will be the same. That whatever her plan is, it will work out because I can’t even bear to think about the consequences if it doesn’t. Aidon Kasteros is not a man to be toyed with, and his reputation for protecting his family precedes him.
The sound of blood dripping off of the desk drowns out most other sounds in the room. It's loud when it hits the shiny wood floor. I swallow down the lump that is trying to form in my throat as I force myself to lift my head to meet the gaze of the most powerful man in the city. One I’ve heard the other girls talk about many times before. Some call him handsome while others call him deadly.
I have to tilt my head almost all the way back to meet his dark gaze. He looks both handsome and deadly to me. He’s polished and put together in a way that only money can do. He screams power, and his presence demands respect. Everything from his clothes to the hard set of his jaw tells you he isn’t to be messed with. His stare is knowing, as if he’s watching my every move and trying to figure me out.
It’s obvious that he hasn't spent his life behind a desk like the giant one inside his office. The one that currently has a dead body laying on it. He looks more of the hands-on type. His nose has clearly been broken more than once, and there’s a scar over his right eyebrow that mars his handsome face. Yet somehow it only adds to his appeal. He shifts, moving in front of me more fully to block my view of the blood that is still dripping. Each drop seems to ring out so loudly in my ears.
“What is this?” he barks, startling me and causing me to jump back. He grabs my arm before I can fall backwards. My mom grabs my other arm. Both of their reflexes are faster than mine will ever be.
“My daughter.”
“You don’t have a daughter.” My mom releases my arm, but it takes Aidon a moment to do the same. His touch is gentle for a man who yields such power.
“I do. You know better than anyone that you keep the things you value the most secret when you live in a world such as ours.”
I pull my eyes away from the man to meet my mother’s gaze. It’s no surprise he doesn't know about me or believe I’m her daughter. My mother reminds me of Xena the warrior princess while I’m Ariel from the Little Mermaid that can’t find my voice.
“You’re offering your daughter as collateral?” His eyes trail down me and then all the way back up. I can feel them on me like a touch. The girls tried to doll me up before we left, but there wasn't enough time. Plus, my mother told them no. I’m in a long, flowy dress that goes all the way to my feet, hiding my sneakers.
“She is special to me. I’m sure you see it.” I turn my head again to look at my mother. I know she loves me, but it’s nice to hear. “Not one hair on her head is to be touched. She is a good faith offer so you know I will be back with what you have requested.” She gives Aidon a look, and I know she is delivering some message without words.
“Wait outside.” He motions for me to leave. I don’t move; instead, I look to my mother. She starts to speak, but Aidon barks at me again. Still I stand there staring at my mother, waiting for her direction.
“Wait outside.” She gives me a nod, and I turn, fleeing from the room and the sound of the dripping blood. I step outside of the office door to see three giant men standing there.
“You’re scaring her.” I glance over my shoulder to see Aidon standing in the door that I exited out of moments ago. “Back the hell up and don’t let her go anywhere.” I spin around.
“What if I have to go to the bathroom?” I blurt out the ridiculous question.
“You’ll sit.” He points to a chair. “I said sit.” I shake my head no. His nostrils flair. I’m pissing him off. I will myself to tilt my chin up in defiance.
“You can’t give me orders unless you’re agreeing to the deal.” I expect him to shout another order at me, but he doesn't. Instead he smirks.
“Deal.”
Chapter 3
Aidon
Karin Vieth is a wily one. She couldn’t have built a better honey pot to trap me if she tried. Beautiful, vulnerable, with a dash of sass was the perfect combination to lower my guard. She will seduce me, pleasure me, and when I’m dizzy with lust, she’ll take the knife and stab me in the back.
I don’t believe this girl is Vieth’s daughter. There’s never been a whisper on the street of Vieth having any family. The beautiful girl out in the hall pretending to be a shy virgin, but failing miserably, is one of the Vieth orphans. She finds these girls who don’t have families and promises them riches and safety in exchange for their blood devotion. It works for her, but I wouldn’t be where I am today if I fell for tricks like these.
“She’s your parlay?” I ask Vieth, whose eyes keep darting toward the door. Is she worried that her lure is being eaten up by the hungry men outside? I suppose she has to be used to the worst of men’s appetites. She trades in them, so she knows how depraved we can be, but how easily led by the cock as well. Or how easily led we could be if we allow it. I’m not a monk by trade, but in practice I am. Too many men have been felled by dipping their dick in the poisoned pot, and so I have abstained all these years.
Vieth’s eyes snap back to meet mine. Clear brown eyes very similar to the girl’s meet my gaze without a flinch. “She is. I bring my only child to the priest knowing that you will not touch her. She’s safe here. Seven days and I will bring you the proof that the body lying on your desk does not deserve the honor you are giving it. Seven days and I’ll be demanding reparations from you. Touch her and I will demand payment regardless, and it will be a price that you will not be able to pay with coin.”
Vieth rises as if she can get the last word here in my office. I let her reach the door before replying.
“You better hope she is not your daughter, Karin, because the stories she will bring home from this place will not be the kind a mother wants to hear from her child.”
Vieth’s shoulders tighten, almost imperceptibly. I want to applaud the woman. Even on a stage, I’ve hardly seen better acting.
“Bring the girl in to say goodbye to her mother,” I call out.
The door immediately opens, causing Vieth to jump out of the way. Bran, Hunt, and Pole bring the delicate flower in. Cora’s eyes aren’t on the floor anymore. They fly to Vieth, waiting for more instruction. I’ll give them the room.
“Give us a minute and you may say your goodbyes.”
I motion for my men, and together we carry Poppy’s body out. “To the basement,” I order. “Kailler, when Vieth is done, search the girl and then take her to the tower room. Make sure you lock the door and turn the cameras on. Do not trust her. The Vieth orphans are experts at weaponizing your sympathy.”
“Yessir.”
Not for the first time, I’m relieved I have a woman as my second. She’s not going to fall for any of Cora’s tricks.
“The truck is here,” Pole tells me.
I shake my head. “No. We’re taking P
oppy to the basement. I want an autopsy.”
“We know how he was killed,” protests Pole.
“No. We know how it looks like he was killed. His lips are blue, which could be from rigor mortis or it could be from poison. Vieth is claiming that Poppy was into some shit I wouldn’t approve and is promising to bring me evidence. Let’s make sure we aren’t missing something on our end.”
After we place Poppy in the basement freezer, Pole leaves to call for a medical examiner. My other men are sent off to do some evidence gathering while I return to my office. Someone has cleaned up, and it smells slightly of bleach and some faint hint of perfume.
My wool pants feel tight as I imagine how Cora must’ve prepared for this encounter. She would have bathed specially, rubbed lotion over each limb, dabbed scent at the back of her knees, behind her wrists, at the base of her neck, above her pussy. Her bush would be trimmed and tidied so that her pink pussy would be laid bare for my mouth.
I run my tongue over my lip and turn on the security cameras. Twelve in total flicker to life on my screen. Cora is in the one at 3 o’clock, arms folded protectively across her chest, staring pensively out the floor-to-ceiling windows in the sitting room of the suite. She keeps up the role well. If I was a more trusting man, I’d believe she was a shy virgin forced into this situation against her will instead of what she truly is—and that is an agent ready to bring me—and my empire—to its knees.
The tower room is a collection of three rooms—a living room, a bedroom, and a bathroom. It’s spacious for a prison cell, with thirteen-foot ceilings and luxuriously appointed in custom furniture from a famous designer in Italy, but there’s only one access in.