The divorced military queen awakens novel

Chapter 314 Face Behind The Doors Chapter 314 Face Behind The Doors Quinn halted mid - stride and , following the woman's stare , turned toward the clevator bank . A bell chimed softly . The doors parted , and the man at the front of the small entourage stepped inside with unhurried grace . Quinn caught a single glimpse of his profile before the others closed in around him . The sight struck her like a jolt of electricity ; she froze where she stood .

Even at that distance - nothing but a sharp - edged silhouette - heat roared through her veins , an unmistakable recognition she could neither name nor deny . That's … Rowan ! Her eyes flew wide . Before caution could steady her , she lunged toward the elevator shaft , legs pumping hard . " Wait ! " Two security guards stationed by the doors shifted instantly , arms crossing to bar her path . " Don't touch me ! " she snapped , her voice cutting through the clamor .

She pivoted , drove a sharp elbow into one guard's stomach , then swept the other aside with a practiced twist . The elevator doors slid together with infuriating calm . In that final sliver of space , Rowan's face was suddenly there - eyes on her , expression unreadable - before steel swallowed the view . He had looked at her the way one would glance at a passerby on a busy street - blank , indifferent , gone . A shard of doubt sliced through her certainty .

Could she have chased the wrong man ? The man in the lift wore a tailored suit that screamed wealth and status , nothing like the Rowan she remembered . His features , too , seemed sharper , older , as though five years had carved entire seasons into his face . Yet truth mattered more than doubt ; she had to know . She watched the indicator lights descend - three , two , Bene - before freezing at the ground floor . Quinn whirled and sprinted for the stairwell , breath ragged in her chest .

Bursting into the lobby , she caught sight of the suited figure already striding toward the exit , flanked by several attendants . No. I can't lose him again . She broke into a run , every muscle tightening like a drawn bow . " Stop her - she's taken down our men ! " A panicked voice sliced through the casino's din . A dozen black - jacketed security guards surged forward , fists raised , their polished shoes hammering the 1/2 Chapter 814 Face Behind The Doors marble like rolling thunder .

Quinn spun into them , every move crisp and exact , yet sheer numbers - combined with the guards disciplined training - pressed her on all sides . Within seconds , the gaming floor dissolved into a whirl of limbs , overturned chairs , and startled gamblers scrambling out of range . Strangely, the commotion failed to register with the man ahead ; he kept walking , oblivious , his broad back already slipping beyond the rows of slot machines .

Watching that silhouette fade , despair crashed through Quinn like a rip tide - it looked so much like Rowan . Am I truly about to miss my brother again ? If this chance slipped away , who knows how many moons would pass before our paths cross once more ? She did not even know for certain that the stranger was Rowan , yet hope clung to her ribs like thorns . A steel - hard fist smashed into her shoulder , yanking her mind back to the fight .

She staggered three steps , blocked another incoming blow , but a punch from behind found her undefended spine . Bang ! The crack of knuckles meeting flesh rang out - yet the expected pain never arrived . Harlan had slipped between her and the attacker , his forearm absorbing the strike . " Quinnie , what on earth is going on ? " he asked , voice low but taut . She fired back in the burr of Yarburn , " I just saw Rowan .

" During their years with the Falcon Special Forces , Quinn would sometimes chatter in Yarburn drawl with hometown soldiers , so Harlan had picked up the basics . Now he grasped why the usually cautious Quinn had thrown caution to the wind . Seeing the guards bunch their shoulders to charge again , Harlan drew a gleaming Black Gold Card from his pocket . Inside this casino , that card was a crown .

" Gentlemen , misunderstanding , that's all , " Harlan announced , letting the card catch the overhead lights . " Misunderstanding or not , " the lead guard snapped , " even a Black Gold Card VIP obeys house rules . Take them ! " Harlan's brow tightened . Right then , Julius ' velveted baritone sliced down . " Are you still going to take them if I say they're my friends ? " 2/2 Chapter