Hi everyone! xxI'm absolutely ecstatic right now, and to be honest I still haven't really grasped the fact that MDM is now over, and I'm starting THE SEQUEL!

This experience has been so incredible for me, and I love each and every person who has supported me throughout the journey with Million Dollar Man.

Catching His Queen ©

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I've always been disgusted by the sound of a heartbeat. It should be something beautiful, for it is a reminder of life; yet I see it as a gross reminder that you are still alive and suffering.

Each beat mocks you. It taunts you and pushes you closer and closer to the brink of insanity.

And that's where you will stay, standing on the edge of a cliff, staring down into the cold, dark, enticing waters, until one day you fall.

Or maybe you are pushed.

Does it really matter?

I shifted as quietly as I could, as quietly as one could while hiding underneath a cheap bed.

Thunderous footsteps echoed throughout the apartment. It was as if each step was laced with hatred and malice.

And suddenly, the footsteps were gone, and silence replaced the noise that once rang within my small apartment.

Deafening silence, I might add.

With that silence came an entire new level of fear. You see, fear cannot be defined as one thing. There's the fear of being caught with your hand in the cookie jar-and let me tell you one thing, that isn't fear at all. Then there is the fear that you'll be caught cheating on a test, and so on. But the worst fear is forgotten fear.

Fear you once had, and then one day, it returns. Sort of like a boomerang.

You see, there is no warning as to when it returns, and when it returns, its venom paralyzes you and claims your life without a sliver of mercy.

Fear that I thought I had left behind, forgotten, had returned when I thought I was safe. This fear returned ten months later.

Ten months.

Do you realize how long ten months is? It's three hundred and four days, seven thousand two hundred and ninety six hours, and four hundred thirty seven thousand, seven hundred sixty minutes.

That is how long it's been since I've seen the Kings and that's how long since I've felt this fear.

They say that fear doesn't shut you down; it wakes you up.

I guess in a way, I had never felt more alive in my life. Crippled, but still alive.

In the midst of all the silence, there was only one that I could hear. My heartbeat was slamming against my ribcage, making me cringe and wince with every beat. It was sending me closer and closer to the edge, and I knew deep in my gut that this was the day I'd fall off the cliff.

"Come out, come out wherever you are."

I suppressed a scream as a pair of dark boots entered the room. I felt tears burn at the back of my eyes as the boots moved around my room, toying with the things I had left scattered over my desk. I felt my heart nearly stop as a second pair of boots entered the room.

It was as if my life had turned into a sick game of hide and seek.

"Where the fuck could she have gone?" He hissed. Anger was evident in his tone, and despite the fear that quaked through me; I felt a smirk slip onto my lips.

It was pleasing to know I still had the power to mess with them, even though I was the one hiding underneath my bed, while they stood only feet away.

After having been thousands of miles apart, this situation was far too overwhelming for me to withstand.

"He's not going to be happy," he snapped, slamming his hands onto my desk. The loud noise had been unexpected for me, and a squeak slipped out of my shaking lips.

I felt the blood rush from my face as both men turned their attention to the bed. The tears that I had fought to hold back now came streaming down my face, causing me to shake with pain and fear.

"Evs, I'm back!"

The sound of the door slamming made me want to throw up.

Kate was back from her classes.

I wanted to scream when both pairs of boots exited the room quickly, clearly going to check out the intruder.

It was time to make a choice-save Kate from my past, or let her suffer as a toy in a sadistic game to get me back.

The sound of her scream brought me back to reality, and without a second thought, I slid out from underneath my bed and took off towards the living room, where I was sure they had her cornered.

Sure enough, Kate was being pinned to the wall while she screamed and thrashed violently. Her instinct was telling her to fight, but that was the last thing she should be doing right now.

When his hand rose swiftly into the air, poised to strike her face and inflict a severe amount of damage, I finally found my voice.

"Stop," I croaked, my own hand reaching out even though I was much too far away. "Don't do that to her, Mason."

His piercing green eyes met mine, yet he continued to pin her to the wall. Her big brown eyes were stricken with fear, as mine were only moments ago.

But I couldn't be scared right now. At least, that wasn't how I planned to make my entrance after so long.

With a stone cold expression that I hadn't used for far too long, my eyes darted between Mason, Kate, and Callum. Callum sat comfortably on a nearby chair, grinning as he stared me down.

"Don't look at me like that, you sick fuck." I snarled, bristling as his grin only deepened.

Mason looked at me for a few more seconds, before turning back to Kate.

"Nicely done, love."

I frowned at his words, and looked at Kate questioningly.

"He made me," she choked out, tears still cascading down her face. "He made me scream to get you to come downstairs."

My stomach twisted at her words, although I knew she wasn't the one to blame.

"I bet you think you're a bloody genius," I remarked bitterly, glaring at Mason's amused eyes.

"On the contrary, he is the bloody genius. Not me."

It was only then that I realized Kate hadn't been looking at me while she was talking, but rather something behind me-someone, to be specific.

Without a second to spare, I whipped around to face the man who I had been so determined to escape from.

A gust of air left my lips as I was shoved backwards into the wall behind me. I felt my eyes become blurry as I hunched over, struggling to catch my breath. In my defense, it had been quite a long time since I faced any sort of physical confrontation, and sadly, I just didn't have what I once had.

By the time I recovered, he was leaning casually against the wall, staring down at my pathetic form.

"Hello Evelyn, it's been a while. What do you say about a family reunion?"

The breath that I had fought to get back felt as though it had been squeezed right back out. Dark spots invaded my vision as I tried to focus on the figure that was looming before me.

"Did you miss me?"

That's when it hit me.

Mason and Callum's new looks and personalities, Danny's vicious tone and hateful glare... It all added up.

Something happened in the time that I was gone.

Something bad.

My eyes shot around the room before landing back on Danny.

"Where is he?" My voice was soft yet steady. "Where is Sebastian?"

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Twelve hours earlier

My focus on perfecting the omelet before myself was broken as Kate bounded into the kitchen, wearing her bunny onesie, of course.

"Midnight memories! Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh!" She scream sang as she twirled about in the kitchen, bumping her hip enthusiastically into mine as she made her way to the fridge.

While her action made me screw up my near perfect omelet, I couldn't help but laugh at her usual antics. I had been living with her for ten months, yet it seemed as though it had been ten years. I knew everything about her, and she knew everything about me.

Well, everything that I wanted her to know-So basically next to nothing.

But she wasn't stupid. Kate knew that I was hiding things from her, except she didn't let that get in the way of our friendship. Kate didn't mind waking up in the middle of the night to comfort me after the harrowing nightmares that occurred regularly. She didn't question my cries and screams of misery, and she always went out of her way to make me a cup of tea afterwards, to help me fall asleep.

Something about her made me think that maybe she too had a screwed up past, that it wasn't just me who got fucked by life. But from the pictures of her at family reunions and the daily calls she received from her parents, I knew that wasn't the case.

No matter how much Kate was there for me, I'd always be alone.

"I can't believe you're not a fan of them!" Kate exclaimed, wiggling her hips while shaking her head from side to side.

I rolled my eyes at her while she danced out the final seconds of the song. Her hair was now thrown around in a messy manner, and her eyes were bright and full of energy.

"It's eight in the morning," I sighed, shaking my head at her. "How in the world do you have this much energy?"

A loud giggle escaped her lips as she lied down on the counter, ignoring the piles of papers that she now scattered.

"Any time is One Direction time."

I snorted at her words before piling the food on to the two plates already set out for the both of us. She hummed with delight as she happily dug into the food I had put out.

"You know, you're lucky that you're such an amazing cook, otherwise I would never allow a non-directioner to live in my apartment."

I narrowed my eyes playfully at her words. "Seeing as how I pay for half the rent every month, I wouldn't call this apartment 'yours'."

Kate just continued to munch on her breakfast as I faked a glare at her.

"Sometimes I wish I hadn't left England," Kate announced.

I frowned at her words. "What on earth are you talking about now?"

"Because," She said, dragging the word out. "I could have met one of them. I could have met Harry!"

I burst out laughing at the desperation in her words.

"Too bad you screwed up your chances," I joked back, laughing even louder as she let out a huff of annoyance.

"Watch that attitude," Kate snapped back, "I bet you wouldn't want me to unless my fatal wrath upon you."

I rolled my eyes once again at her words. "Well your fatal wrath is going to have to wait, or else someone is going to be late to her classes today."

Kate's eyes widened as she flew out of her chair and sprinted into her room. I smirked to myself as I heard her darting around her room, knocking over the piles of junk that covered her floor.

I lifted my hand and gave her a small wave as she sprinted out the door, yelling a quick goodbye as she pulled her favorite black boots on.

After cleaning up, it was near nine o'clock. I quickly showered and dressed in my plain white top and black skirt. Grabbing my keys and making sure to lock up and set up the alarm, I dashed out of the apartment in the same manner as Kate had down only a half hour before.

I slowed my run into a walk as I neared the front of the small café I worked at.

That's right. I now worked at a café.

From luring men to their deaths, to handing out lattes at the speed of light, that was the life I now lived.

Needless to say, the thrill in my life had decreased drastically; yet that was something I was completely okay with. I didn't miss being covered in bruises. I didn't miss washing blood out of my clothes and off my skin. I didn't miss crying over something horrible Sebastian had done to me.

I didn't miss the last one, especially since it still happened, every night.

The worse one had been last month. Granted, every nightmare sent fear rocketing through my core; however, this one kept me from sleeping for four days, until Kate forced me to go see the doctors.

They regarded me with caution, seeing as I had no medical history for them to look back upon. Instead, the doctor Kate had recommended ended up prescribing me to heavy sleeping pills, ones that she warned me not to abuse.

She didn't have to worry about that though, because with sleep came the nightmares. To this day, the bottle remains full and hidden in a small cabinet. I knew Kate was aware that I wasn't taking my sleeping pills, so she persuaded the doctors to prescribe me anxiety medication.

Those worked like a charm.

I took nearly four a day, although I was meant to take only one. Instinctively, my hand dug into my bag, where I was able to grab onto the bottle and calm myself down.

I entered the café after fixing my wind blown hair. Flashing a grin at Caroline, the hostess, I made my way to the back. Standing in front of my locker, I securely locked my bag and jacket into it. With a deep breath, I pulled on my apron and exited the room.

"It's a busy day today," Sarah, my boss, announced. "Please don't cause to much trouble."

I bit back the insult that rested on the tip of my tongue, and forced a sickly sweet smile onto my lips.

The start of my career had been a rough one, but I had improved over time. I no longer snapped at every rude customer, or spat out threats left and right. I managed to control my temper, much more than I would ever had imagined.

The impulsive Evelyn Summers was gone, and in her place was the calm and collected Evie King.

"I wouldn't even dare to think about that." I said to Sarah, smirking as her eyes narrowed angrily. Marching past her, I felt the smallest bit of satisfaction burst through myself.

"Hi, my name is Evie, what would you like to get today?" I glanced up from the while pad in my hands, my eyes meeting light blue ones.

I felt a blush rise to my cheeks as his eyes trailed over my body, a smirk settling onto his full lips.

"I'll have a ham and cheese breakfast sandwich, with a side of you."

I pursed my lips to keep the laugh from escaping. "I can get you one of those things. Will that be all?"

He grinned and leaned back into his chair. "I would love to have a glass of water to go along with my seemingly less appetizing meal."

My eyes widened as I quickly wrote down his order. When I looked up, his eyes were boring into my own, making my blush deepen as I squirmed uncomfortably.

"I'll be back soon," I told him, turning on my heel before he could throw out another one of his lines.

"Good, I don't like it when my women keep me waiting."

I felt my spine stiffen at his words, and a sour taste filled my mouth. Walking back to the kitchen, I gave his order to the cook. Grabbing a glass of water, I made my way back to his table, where I gave him his drink without another word.

I made my way through my section of tables, collecting my tips here and there, until four hours had passed and it was time for my break. Putting my tray down by the bar, I let out a sigh of relief, allowing my eyes to close momentarily.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sarah's bitchy tone broke the peaceful silence that I had hoped to relax in.

My eyes opened to see her standing with her hand on her hip and her opposite leg jutting out.

"I think I'm taking my break." I muttered, trying to not glare at her.

Her bright blonde hair was pulled tightly into an unflattering bun, stretching her face to make her look even more demonic than she normally does. Her eyes were narrowed so much that it looked as if her were squinting, thus making me want to start laughing straight in her face.

"You still have a customer at that table over there, and if I recall, break isn't allowed until all your customers are gone." Her nasally voice was giving me a headache, yet I held back the bitter response I so badly wanted to fire at her.

My eyes followed her pointed gaze, and I felt my stomach drop as the man waved over at me, his blue eyes twinkling in amusement.

"But he left!" I cried out, hopping off the bar stool I had been perched on. "I gave him his check, he paid, and then he left!"

Sarah only scowled at me, and I knew it was time to move before she got any more ideas of firing me.

Walking over to the man I had previously served, I felt anger burn under my skin as I made my way to him. He had a smirk on his lips as I came closer to him. It was obvious that my frustration was his source of amusement.

"What the fuck do you want?" My eyes widened for a fraction of a second as the curse slipped from my lips. My hands stayed clenched by my sides, yet I felt the urge to lift one up and lay one on his stupid, fucking smirk.

This rage reminded me that it was time for another anxiety pill, as I normally had my outbursts around the time that I needed one.

"Now now, Evie, but is that really the way you should be talking to me right now?" He questioned, leaning back into his chair.

"What do you want?" I bit out, trying to keep my cool.

"My name is Nick," he said randomly, holding out his hand. I stared at it blankly, before bringing my eyes to meet his own.

"Why are you here, Nick?" I glared at him angrily, no longer finding his cockiness to be even the slightest bit attractive.

He breathed out a laugh, "No need to be so harsh, Evie. I just wanted to know what you were doing later."

My jaw tightened as I looked at him in disbelief. "Are you kidding me?"

For a split second, I saw his façade fall, and discomfort showed through. "No, I am not kidding you."

The annoyance that was laced with his words made me smile with pleasure.

"I think you should go now," I told him, turning to leave. A spark of heated anger flooded through my body as I was pulled to a stop. My eyes flickered down to the hand that wrapped around my upper arm. I could tell that he was now standing directly behind me,

Turning around, I found myself face to face with a smirking Nick.

Oh how I wanted to punch that smirk right off his goddamn face.

"No need to be so cold, Evie." He said, his tone now dark and unwelcoming. I shifted in his grip, hoping to get my arm out of his fucking death grip.

"I'm not going to say it again, I think you should leave." My tone was stern although I threw in a bit of venom.

He only moved in closer, making me lean back. As I struggled to escape him, my gaze moved to the large window wall of the café. I felt myself grow faint and a scream bubbled in the back of my throat.

He was here.

I automatically shoved Nick away, my strength surprising him as he stumbled backwards. A choked noise left my lips as I quickly backed away, tears filling my eyes as he stared back at me.

"No," I spat out, "No, this isn't happening."

I let out a strangled scream as Nick got closer, making me tear my eyes away from him.

I turned on my heel instantly and charged into the back room. Throwing open my locker door, I pulled out the small bottle that I was convinced held the cure to all my troubles.

Dry swallowing the pill, I rested my face against the cool metal. My breathing was shallow and my head was swimming with misery.

"What the hell was that?" The second Sarah's voice split through the silence, I knew I was in for it. "I should fire you for that stunt you just pulled," she snarled, her tone sending waves of frustration over my already furious form.

"I'll save you the trouble," I said, yanking my stuff from my locker and turning back to face her.

"Go fuck yourself."

I left the speechless Sarah in the back room and marched through the café without so much as a glance back. A smirk grew on my lips as I slapped Caroline a high five on my way out.

"I'm proud of ya," She told me as I left, a similar smirk on her own lips.

As I entered the busy sidewalk, I narrowly avoided being plowed over as my eyes scanned the dozens of people shoved past me.

Had I actually seen Sebastian?

It's been ten months. While he may have still haunted my dreams, there was no way for me to be sure that it was him.

"That was quite the meltdown, Miss Evie."

My features morphed into a murderous expression as I glared at Nick, who now stood by my side.

"Get away from me," I hissed, pushing past him. It was nearly two o'clock now, and Kate wouldn't be back until eight at night. I planned to stay holed up in the apartment until then, but something told me I wasn't going to get there easily.

"As you can see by now, I'm a persistent guy." He insisted, matching my pace.

I rolled my eyes and continued to walk. "As you can see by now, I'm not interested."

He moved in front of me, stopping me from continuing down the street.

"Just give me a shot."

"I'd like to see you get shot."

He narrowed his eyes at my quick response. "Oh Evie, I thought you were over that life by now."

At that moment, I could have sworn my heart physically stopped beating in my chest. My eyes met his, and I knew my hesitation had already sold me out.

"What?" He questioned, "You didn't think your presence in New York City of all places was going to go unnoticed, did you?"

I stared back at him numbly, unable to form a vocal response as my eyes blinked rapidly. I felt an urge to get another pill into my system, but it seemed as though I was frozen to the spot.

"What do you want from me?" I asked, my voice barely audible.

He smirked, his hand reaching up to twirl a loose lock of hair that had slipped in front of my face.

"You."

Without a thought, I slammed my fist into his face, watching with sickening satisfaction as his nose crunched and blood cascaded down his face. When he collapsed onto the ground, I took off down the street. Clutching my bag tightly to my side, I skillfully maneuvered around the hundreds of people that seemed to be in my way.

Upon entering my apartment, I made sure every window was locked and that our front door was bolted before collapsing onto the couch in the living room. I put my face in my hands as I fought to catch my breath while millions of tiny little thoughts burst through my aching mind.

What did this mean?

Were there gangs in the city? Probably. But how could they have known about me, and why would they have waited this long to actually approach me.

Unless-Oh god no.

I stood up instantly, running over to the bathroom. After throwing up all that I could, I allowed my body to rest on the cold tile floor.

There was no way that they knew I was here. That wasn't possible.

But the possibility that they sent out a warning about me still weighed in the back of my mind. It wasn't unlike gangs to tell other gangs about their enemies. In exchange for money or drugs, gangs would often unite to take out whoever it was that they needed to kill.

So was that person me?

I closed my eyes, attempting to convince myself that I was wrong. There was no way that Sebastian King would join a group of low life gangs here in New York City in order to find me.

I wasn't sure how many hours had passed, but at some point I had managed to fall asleep on the bathroom floor, unable to move after all the energy had left my body. I was awakened by the sound of knocking, and with a shake of my head, I realized that Kate must have forgotten her keys during her rush this morning.

"Bloody idiot," I muttered to myself, running my hands through my tangled hair as I made my way to the door.

Switching the alarm off, I pulled open the door, only to release a gasp mixed with a scream.

"Hello, lo-" I didn't waste another second before I slammed the door closed on Mason and Callum's faces. I speedily locked and bolted the door before I took off towards my room, slipping under my bed in a pathetic attempt to hide.

Tears were filling my eyes at a rapid pace, fighting to break free with every slam that echoed throughout the apartment.

They were trying to break in; an attempt that I knew would be a success.

How could I have been so stupid? Especially with everything that has happened today, I should have been more cautious and aware of the danger that was lurking upon me.

But I wasn't. And now, now I had two of the most dangerous men I had ever met, breaking down my door.

With a loud thud, I knew that they were now in the apartment. My heart dropped to my stomach as they moved quickly with determination in every step.

My mind flashed back to the moment when I realized it was them. They both had changed quite a bit, seeing as it had almost been a year since I last saw them.

Mason had a bit of facial hair, giving him a darker and more intimidating look. Callum was wearing all black, and looked just as welcoming as a bloodthirsty pit bull.

I knew a lot had changed, believe me, I did. But there was something different with them, and I knew it wasn't going to be good.

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Blood was rushing through my ears, covering the silence that had settled in the room.

My question hung in the air, as did the million questions I had yet to ask. Something told me that I wasn't about to get any answers soon, but that didn't stop me from pushing again.

"Where is he?" I repeated, moving further into the wall behind myself. Danny's deadly expression made me want to be sick all over again, but I knew I was going to have to hold it together.

"God damn it, Danny!" I said, raising my voice. "Where the hell is he?"

I wasn't able to block my brother's hand from slapping my cheek. Kate let out a shriek as I collapsed onto the ground, blood dripping from the corner of my mouth.

"You don't get to talk to me like that," Danny snarled, his body towering over mine. "You stupid, little-"

"Now, now, Danny. That's no way to reconnect with you baby sister, now is it? Why don't you leave the roughing up to me? Besides, I was always the better one at it, you know."

His voice alone made my eyes close as fright and nausea settled over my weak form that now lay sprawled on the floor.

I felt him crouch near me, and goose bumps erupted over my skin as I felt his dark eyes trail over my skin.

"You've taken everything from me," he whispered, making me strain to hear his husky voice. "Even my name."

My eyes flew open at the last part, forcing my watery blue eyes to meet with his dark, haunting brown ones.

"Hello my sweet Evie," he breathed out. "I've missed you."

And like all the times before, I felt the air slip from my lungs as I was left completely breathless by the one and only-

Sebastian King.

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. xx