Page 66 of Queen of Ruin

Diego glances at me and shrugs. “Because they’re in power? The boss? I dunno.”

“Exactly. We’re in power. And you, Valentina, are part of it. That’s why you have the tattoo. The card you carry is your identifier, which is why it is only activated for you. That’s why we’re here.”

My head squeezes slightly and it’s like I’m caught in a dream. I’m being told things I feel like I should know and yet it’s all brand-new at the same time.

“I-I don’t know what to say,” I choke out eventually. “You all sound insane.”

“But it feels right, doesn’t it?” Cassian leans forward. “It feels like we’re telling the truth.”

I lock eyes with him and nod slowly. “Yeah. Sort of.”

“Just as well you didn’t judge me for being a drug dealer,” Diego snorts suddenly, and the snap of the joke somehow breaks the tension I didn’t realize was building in me. I laugh, despite the raised brow of alarm from Raven across the table.

“That would have been embarrassing,” I admit, and I give him a warmer smile.

Thank you.

“There are five of us,” Bradley continues. “I’m the King. You’re the Queen. Cassian is the Jack, Ruslan is the Ace, and Raven is the Joker. Each person is voted in unanimously and the only way to join or leave is if one of us dies.”

“And Ivy?” I ask.

“An outsider,” Bradley replies. “She and Ruslan… connected and she became one of us in the sense that without her, we wouldn’t have him.”

Love.

Isn’t that romantic?

“Wait…” I turn back to Bradley. “You said you liaise with law enforcement? What does that mean?”

“Anyone breaking the rules, disturbing the peace, or any criminal that’s really fucked, we hand them over to the law. We help them as much as they help us. This system is very much a balance of give and take. On one hand, we’re powerful enough to overthrow the government and the police, but no Mafia King or Queen wants to be a president. And on the other side, they could try to wipe us out, but no one wants to return to the carnage that came before.”

“A balance,” I repeat softly. “So that man, that cop who tried to kill Diego, you really sent him?”

Diego’s hand twitches in mine.

“No,” Bradley replies firmly and he glances over at Cassian, who rises from his seat.

“Raven and I have been leading the search for you,” Cassian says. “The cop trailing you isn’t a cop. Not anymore, at least.” He takes the clicker from Bradley, and the screen fills with the man’s face alongside some old employment forms and an older ID badge. “He was a patrolman several years ago but couldn’t hack it when he tried to arrest someone who would disturb the balance. Most cops know how the world works, but this guy decided to change sides and now he’s a hitman. He was the one who put the bounty on your head and it’s still active.”

“Why?” My stomach knots. “Isn’t that something you can take down if you’re so powerful?”

“It is. But this guy is working for someone else and until we track down who that is, we don’t want to let anyone know that you’re home safe with us. Not until we can work out who is after you and who would be stupid enough to take on the Suit.”

“A common stupidity,” Bradley remarks.

Another click and a map of the city appears with several red dots. “Here is where you were seen last by Zira, Bradley’s girlfriend. You two had lunch together to discuss finalizing wedding plans for Ivy and Ruslan. After that, no one heard from you. Here is where you were supposed to meet Ivy to get ready.” He taps another dot, then reaches across the map to another. “Here is where you got into Diego’s car. We’re still tracking who cleaned up the crime scene and what happened to the men you killed.”

Diego jolts suddenly. “You know about that?”

“CCTV,” Raven replies. “They wiped footage, but there’s always a way.”

“Am I in trouble for that?”

“No,” Bradley replies immediately. “You’re not in trouble for anything.”

I glance at him and he flashes me a relieved smile.

“We’ve been piecing together your journey, including where the bounty hunters were when they received news of you. Unfortunately, after that chase, all activity on your bounty has gone quiet.”