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“We have no plans to hand over our sidearms,” I let Franz know. “But go ahead and check for other weapons,” I gave him the go-ahead, and he patted me down while two of his other men did the same for Griffin and Easton. “I need to grab the suitcase of cash from the trunk.”
“Do it,” Franz said, and once I secured the suitcase, I popped it open to let him check. After a satisfied nod from him, I snapped it closed.
We were escorted down a lit-up sidewalk and around to the back of the home, then ushered through a door directly into a living room.
“She’ll be right down,” Franz shared once we were inside the ornate space, a fireplace roaring. He motioned for his men to leave, and they followed him out, leaving us alone.
Setting aside the briefcase, I approached the fire, resting my hands on the mantel and welcoming the heat.
Alyona didn’t make us wait long, which was good, because my patience for everything had evaporated the second I’d learned Diana had been taken.
“Dominick,” she said, her distinct and familiar sharp tone easing some of my lingering concerns.
I pushed away from the mantel to face her. Alyona was a gorgeous woman, I couldn’t deny that. In her forties. Smart and sophisticated. Not that I’d felt anything more than a below-the-belt reaction to her in the past, but today, I felt nothing other than the need to hurry through this.
“Been too long,” she said, the edge to her voice softening slightly. Her English was as flawless as the five other languages she spoke, and she somehow always managed to hide her accent.
Time didn’t appear to change her, or her wardrobe. Black dress pants covered her long legs. Her nude-colored heels clicked across the hardwoods as her dark green eyes remained steady on me as if it were only us in the room.
Her iPad was all that truly caught my attention as she maneuvered my way.
No formal handshake or a hug from her, which I appreciated. With her free hand, she shifted her hip-length long black hair to her back, and I took that as my cue to open up the conversation.
“Did you find who took her?” I lifted my chin in the direction of the suitcase. “Three million like you requested.”
Intense emerald eyes narrowed on me. There was going to be a catch, wasn’t there? “If I tell you what you want to know, you have to let me know something first.”
I casually peered at Griffin and Easton hovering near the door, giving us space. I didn’t need space. Just answers. Just . . . Diana.
I pushed my hands into my pockets. “You want to know why I’m after her.”
“May we play a little guessing game first?”
“You have my permission to guess,” I said, biting down on my back teeth, drawing my face a bit closer to hers. Staring her down. Playing her game for the sake of Diana. Giving her what she craved. Her submission. My dominance.
“I saw the news.” Her eyes could captivate a man into surrender. Most men. Not me. Not anymore, at least, but I had to let her think she was managing to seduce me.
I parted my lips a fraction. Allowed my jaw to visibly strain. Let her witness a slight twitch in my hand at my side. Gave her the impression I was seconds away from slapping her ass. Or giving her the hand necklace I knew she craved.
Flames from the fire cast a glow across her face. “There’s a warrant for your arrest. You’re being accused of murdering your wife,” she stated almost matter-of-factly. “But we both know that’s not true. You came to me to help you find a connection to her killer years ago.”
I waited for her to continue, to let her go on with her guess since I’d given her permission to do so.
“I know you haven’t been hiding somewhere these last few years. I heard about what happened at The Sapphire. Tell me, did you really kill that assassin with a fork?”
I dipped down so we were eye level. “What do you think?” I murmured darkly, continuing to play the role, knowing damn well she’d have learned about what happened at that hotel long before today. Because she knew everything. That was why I was there in the first place.
Now, if she also discovered I’d been at that hotel working alongside Gray Chandler for a job with Falcon, and not for other reasons, that could be an issue.
“I think there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to you. Always has been. But your gaze is a bit softer now. You’re not as coldhearted, are you?”
Not what I wanted to hear from her. I needed to take the control back before we’d be forced to move to our alternate plan. “You’ve yet to guess your theory as to why I want Diana,” I reminded her. “You have three seconds.” My tone dropped lower that time, letting her know what I’d do if she defied me.
I hated her for making me play this game with Diana’s life on the line. Fuck this cat-and-mouse shit.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have time for me to disobey so you can punish me.” Her expression softened. “Or I should say, this girl you’re after doesn’t have time.”
I did my best to hide my knee-jerk reaction to that warning, knowing if she saw how much I cared about Diana, we’d wind up moving straight to the final backup plan of PACE. Emergency.
