The queen is angry
Chapter 11
The Queen Is Angry
The ride to the Vitale estate was silent.
Not awkward silence.
Not comfortable silence.
Dangerous silence.
The kind that existed immediately before someone made a very bad decision.
Amara sat in the back of Lorenzo's armored SUV staring out the window.
Chicago lights blurred past.
The city looked peaceful.
Normal.
Completely unaware that one of its most powerful crime families had just declared war.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Across from her, Lorenzo watched.
Quietly.
Carefully.
The man had been studying her for the last fifteen minutes.
The realization was irritating.
A little.
Maybe more than a little.
Finally she turned.
"What?"
Lorenzo blinked.
Once.
Slowly.
"You aren't scared."
Silence.
Immediate silence.
Amara frowned.
"Should I be?"
The mafia don actually looked confused.
Reasonably confused.
Someone had just tried to assassinate her.
Most people would've been terrified.
Most people would've been crying.
Most people would've been demanding police protection.
Amara was annoyed about a door.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The woman crossed her arms.
"You're staring again."
Lorenzo ignored that.
Professionally.
"Someone shot at you."
"Yes."
"They could've killed you."
"Technically."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The answer made absolutely nobody feel better.
Especially Lorenzo.
The man rubbed a hand across his face.
Immediately.
Because somehow...
Someway...
The doctor was impossible.
Completely impossible.
One of his captains sitting in the front seat suddenly laughed.
Then immediately stopped.
The poor man realized his mistake halfway through.
Too late.
Far too late.
Lorenzo looked up.
Slowly.
Dangerously.
The captain swallowed.
Hard.
"Sorry, Boss."
"What."
The captain wisely stared straight ahead.
At the road.
At the sky.
At literally anything except Lorenzo.
"She's kind of terrifying."
Silence.
Immediate silence.
Amara looked offended.
Actually offended.
The audacity.
The complete audacity.
"I save lives."
The captain nodded rapidly.
"Exactly."
Silence.
The SUV exploded into laughter.
Every man inside lost the battle.
Every single one.
Even Lorenzo.
The traitors.
The complete traitors.
Amara stared.
Then stared harder.
Because somehow she had become the joke.
Unacceptable.
Completely unacceptable.
The Vitale estate appeared twenty minutes later.
The property stretched across several acres overlooking Lake Michigan.
Massive iron gates.
Stone walls.
Private security.
Enough cameras to invade a small country.
The usual.
Amara stepped out of the SUV and immediately stopped.
Silence.
Immediate silence.
The mansion was ridiculous.
Absolutely ridiculous.
The kind of house rich people built when they ran out of reasonable things to spend money on.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Lorenzo noticed.
Of course he did.
"You hate it."
Amara looked at the mansion.
Then at him.
Then back at the mansion.
"It's too big."
The answer came instantly.
Without hesitation.
Without mercy.
The betrayal.
The rich-people-house betrayal.
Undefeated.
Lorenzo laughed.
Again.
The man laughed entirely too much around her.
A growing concern.
Inside, the mansion was somehow even worse.
Marble floors.
Crystal chandeliers.
Artwork worth more than most homes.
Everything expensive.
Everything elegant.
Everything excessive.
The moment they entered, people appeared.
Immediately.
Men in suits.
Security personnel.
House staff.
Capos.
Soldiers.
Everyone.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Respect.
Power.
Authority.
The realization fascinated Amara.
Because Lorenzo didn't need to demand obedience.
The room simply gave it to him.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Then she noticed something else.
Every single person was staring at her.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The entire mansion seemed to pause.
Watching.
Observing.
Calculating.
The doctor's arrival had clearly become today's headline.
Wonderful.
Perfect.
Exactly what she wanted.
Not.
A large man approached.
Mid-forties.
Scar across one cheek.
Expensive suit.
Dangerous eyes.
One of Lorenzo's captains.
Important.
Very important.
The man looked at Amara.
Then at Lorenzo.
Then back at Amara.
Then sighed.
Immediately.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"What?"
Lorenzo asked.
The captain rubbed his forehead.
"Boss."
A pause.
Then:
"That's her?"
Silence.
Immediate silence.
Amara blinked.
Once.
Slowly.
The captain looked genuinely confused.
Actually confused.
The audacity.
The complete audacity.
Lorenzo smiled.
Dangerously.
"What were you expecting?"
The captain gestured vaguely.
Toward Amara.
Toward reality.
Toward existence itself.
"I don't know."
A pause.
Then:
"Someone taller."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The room froze.
Completely.
The captain realized his mistake immediately.
Far too late.
Amara stared.
Then smiled.
Slowly.
Beautifully.
Terrifyingly.
The kind of smile surgeons wore before removing organs.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"You got shot once, didn't you?"
The captain froze.
Immediately.
"How—"
"You favor your left side."
A pause.
"Your right shoulder sits lower."
Another.
"You compensate when walking."
Silence.
The room became perfectly still.
Because the doctor wasn't guessing.
She was observing.
Analyzing.
Dissecting.
Without touching a scalpel.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The captain looked horrified.
Reasonably horrified.
Amara continued.
"Three years ago."
A pause.
"Rifle round."
Another.
"Near the clavicle."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The man stared.
Then stared harder.
Because she was right.
Exactly right.
Lorenzo closed his eyes.
Immediately.
The poor captain never had a chance.
Not a single chance.
The realization amused him greatly.
When he opened his eyes again...
Amara stood calmly in the center of the room.
Five-foot-two.
Dark-skinned.
Curvy.
Afro framing her face.
Wearing heels and a long coat.
Completely unimpressed by the dozens of dangerous men surrounding her.
And every single one of them looked nervous.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
One of the younger soldiers whispered something.
Too quietly for normal people to hear.
Unfortunately for him...
Amara had excellent hearing.
"She's scary."
Silence.
Immediate silence.
The soldier froze.
Immediately.
Then Amara smiled.
Warmly.
Genuinely.
For the first time all evening.
And somehow...
That smile was even scarier.
Lorenzo looked around the room.
At his soldiers.
At his captains.
At the doctor.
Then finally understood something.
His men weren't afraid because Amara was connected to him.
His men were afraid because they had finally met her.
And honestly?
He couldn't blame them.
Not even a little.
End Chapter 11