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“I want to go now,” she snapped, releasing the frustration that seared through her.
“You can’t. We’ve discussed this.” Cash stood in front of her, arms crossed over his chest. She glared up at him and thought about how nice it would be to smash his nose across his face. He grinned suddenly. “You can give it a try but I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to block you.”
“You bastard.”
“Yes,” he agreed. “You’re better off just accepting the current circumstances and working with them. You’ll waste a lot of time and energy fighting me and it still won’t get you anywhere. Better to spend that effort on staying safe until we get the bible and then you can go home. Unless you want to fight me.” He let his gaze run over her body. “That could be fun, too.”
Playful Cash was irresistible, but she wasn’t having it. “Why can’t I go home now? There are Society locations in New York. Paloma made sure to tell me I could stay in one of those and wait. Why do I have to stay in Venice?”
The pulse in Cash’s jaw jumped and the humor slid off his face. “You’ll stay here as long as I need to be here. I’ll take you home after that.”
“Someone else can take me home. Surely there’s more than one of you people. Paloma said you were part of the security of the Society. So, send me with another security guard,” she demanded.
He growled at her referring to him as a security guard. Hit a nerve, much?
“You are a precious commodity. You will travel with me and only me.” He held up a hand when she started to argue. “It’s non-negotiable. We need you here because we need to find the bible and you are our best lead.”
She frowned. “Why does the Society want the bible? And by best lead you mean bait, right? You’re hoping someone slips up and comes for me so you can find out what’s going on. That’s it isn’t it?”
“Something like that. It’s my job to keep you safe, Riss, and I will, here, at this house in Venice.”
“But—”
“The sooner you accept the situation, the sooner we can move on.” He gentled his tone. “Now, come on. I’ll show you your room.” He turned to go.
“No,” she said. She knew she was being childish, but this…he was so damn frustrating. She absolutely hated not being in control of the situation. She wanted to stamp her foot like a two-year-old.
Cash turned back toward her. “Larissa.” The warning as he said her name sent shivers down her spine.
“No,” she said firmly and crossed her arms over her chest.
He took a step forward and backed her up against the door. “I don’t have time for this.”
She tilted her chin to meet his gaze. “Too bad.” Okay, she was being beyond childish but she just couldn’t help it.
Cash leaned forward so his lips were inches from hers. “Don’t push me, Riss.” He ran a hand over her hip. “You won’t like what happens.” His hazel eyes darkened to a deep brown. She wanted to say something smart but with him this close it was hard to think clearly. She should be terrified of him, and she was, or at least partly, but she was also drawn to him and that was the scariest part of all.
“How do you know?” she demanded.
“Riss,” he hissed before wrapping an arm around her. She leaned into his chest waiting for the pressure of his lips on hers but instead he swung her around and propelled her down the path toward the main building. Surprise gripped her and she gasped. He’d tricked her. Heat crawled up into her cheeks. Mortified didn’t quite cover it. She wanted the man who would kill her without hesitation to kiss her. What the hell was wrong with her? She was in shock. The events of the last few days were catching up with her. The threat of death was causing her to behave this way. That was her story, and she was sticking to it. Nothing else made any sense.
They entered the house and she tripped on the flagstone. He gripped her elbow and guided her to the left. The door opened to reveal a huge, very modern kitchen. Stainless steel appliances set into gorgeous, handcrafted cabinets. The countertops were quartzite. There were two islands and two fridges. It was beautiful. She slowed her steps to check out the sleek room but Cash propelled her forward with a hand on the small of her back.
He escorted her through the kitchen to a wide marble-floored hallway with a set of stairs on the right. They went around to the bottom and started up. She managed to note three doors off the hallway before they arrived on a landing and then climbed the next set of stairs. On the second floor, they turned right and went to the third door on the left.
Cash opened the door and propelled her in. The large bedroom featured a massive four-poster bed with all kinds of pillows. The cream and flowered duvet cover matched the wallpaper and accented the dark wood tones of the furniture. The rug looked to be Persian and was luxuriously thick. It was an elegant room. Like staying in a high-end hotel. Much better than the one she’d been staying in.
A window overlooked the garden and some rooftops. Cash immediately closed the curtains. “Stay away from the windows. I don’t think it will be a problem, but just in case.”
She nodded, too dumbfounded to say anything else. There was even a bathroom attached to the room and a large closet by the look of things. “This is my room?” she asked.
“For the time being. We’ve made arrangements to collect your things from your hotel. Dinner is served at seven-thirty each evening in the dining room. If you get hungry before that, just call down and ask for a snack,” he said as he gestured to the phone on the desk. The bag filled with her sister’s things was also sitting on the desk.
“I’d like some tea and a snack,” she said. She wasn’t sure she was really hungry but it had been something to say. She was humiliated and angry and terrified. All she’d wanted was to find her sister and now she was being used as bait in some kind of life or death situation that was beyond comprehension, and the only person who offered any hope was the one man who was tasked with killing her.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“She signed the papers,” Cash reported. He ran a hand through his hair as he stood in the kitchen waiting for the coffee machine to finish. The housekeeper, Lena Munari had taken tea and some pastries up to Riss, so he was alone.
