Page 9 of Somno Slave

The words catch me off guard. “A signature?”

His grip shifts on the file, tightening slightly. His expression hardens a fraction, closing the gap I almost stepped into.

“This case is classified, Miss Ainsley. I can’t tell you any more than that.”

“I know,” I say, too quickly. “I know you can’t. But you should consider me—” My heart slams against my ribcage. “I can give you a signature. Whatever you need from me, you’ll get it.”

The muscle in his jaw strains.

“I can read people, too. Watch,” I say. “You’ve already decided to leave. But part of you is still debating it.” I let my gaze drop briefly, just enough. “Your feet are still angled towards me. If you’d made your mind up completely, your body would’ve followed it already.”

His posture shifts, almost imperceptibly, like he’s correcting it after realising.

A tell.

“And you’re tired,” I add quietly. “This case is already demanding more from you than it should.”

One of the guards shifts behind him, subtle but enough to pull at the air in the room. The movement is small, yet it lands like a question, like even his silence is asking who the hell I think I am.

I turn my head slightly toward him.

“You,” I say, nodding toward the man closest to the door.

He stiffens.

“You’re watching me instead of him,” I continue calmly. “You’re right-handed. Ex-military, if I can guess by that scar on your neck, too deep and jagged to be surgical. Too small to be a knife. Gun, most likely. Right?” I suck in a sharp breath, getting carried away. “You don’t like this assignment because it takes up too much time in your day. I’ve seen the way you keep glancing at the clock. And look at the way your finger is practically hugging the trigger. You don’t trust the restraints to hold if things go wrong.”

The guard blinks.

“How did I do?” I smile.

Peter’s attention snaps fully back to me. “How do you do that?”

“I’ve always been good at reading people,” I say. “Since I was a little girl.”

The room feels different now. Peter studies me for a long moment, something thoughtful flickering behind his eyes. Then, slowly, he lowers his hand from where it had been signalling the guards.

“Do you have family, Rheda?”

My head cocks to the side. “Like... in the area?”

“Sure.”

“No, Sir.”

His chin juts slightly. A small nod, approval.

“Any pets?”

I shake my head again.

“A boyfriend?”

This time my eyebrows burrow. “No?”

“Good.” He says tightly. “We will need your full attention on this case.”

“I can do that.” I say, and the eagerness slips out before I can temper it.