The Mercenary Queen Strikes Back novel · Chapter 22 of 24

Chapter 22: Cell 5081

Cell 5081 was a concrete box with a steel bunk and a wall of thick glass.

Astrid knew every inch of it.

She had counted the bolts in the ceiling on her first night, and she had counted the tiles on her last.

Now Everard Swinton sat on her bunk with his charcoal coat torn at the shoulder.

His silver hair stood up in tufts.

When he saw her through the glass, he rose to his feet and tried to smile.

"My girl," he said.

"Don't."

"Astrid, I made a mistake."

"You made a cage," she said. "I slept in it for six months."

Vaughn stood to her left, and Duncan to her right.

Beyond Duncan, Marguerite stood with her arms folded over her silk gown, looking in at her husband.

Behind them, a dozen guards waited in the corridor.

None of them were in a hurry.

"Marguerite," Everard said, turning to her. "Margot. Tell her. Tell her what we had."

"We had a daughter I thought was dead," Marguerite said.

"I did it for the family."

"You did it for money."

"For the money, then. Think of what it built. The house, the foundation, your garden." His voice began to shake. "Everything you love is paid for by the trust."

"I loved a girl in a blanket," Marguerite said. "You buried her while I was still bleeding. And you did it a second time."

Everard turned back to Astrid and pressed both hands against the glass.

"Take it," he said. "The trust, the company, all of it. I'll sign it over tonight. I'll sign anything."

"It will be mine in a few minutes anyway," Astrid said.

"Then give me a lawyer. Give me a plane. I am your father."

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