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I flashed her a grin that lacked all humor. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with, sweetheart. Once I get my money back, you’ll wish you never met me.”
She snorted. “So scared.” Another roll of her eyes.
“Let’s go.” I dragged her to the door. “We have a plane to catch.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“I’m happy to press charges, and sweetheart, you’ll wish you never met me.”
Her defiance tempered, and she looked away, her lips pressed firmly together.
“I have a meeting in New York, and before we land, you’ll have transferred my money back and told me everything.”
“New York?” The color drained from her face, and her eyes went wide. “I can’t go there.”
I got in her face to follow through on my threats. “You know how you can fix that.”
She shook her head. “I can’t. I didn’t take your money. But if you take me to New York, I’m as good as dead.”
CHAPTER FOUR
LUC
Fear splashed across Summer’s face, and a slight tremble traveled through her. She masked the vulnerability as soon as it appeared, though, and was once more a stubborn pain in my ass. If she hadn’t been involved in my money mess, I would have had some sympathy for her. But she was, and I didn’t. Besides, we would be virtually alone on the jet, aside from the pilot and flight attendant, which would give me time to grill her.
I needed to know more about her connection to Jeffrey Simons, who I was sure had to be behind this scheme. I doubted Edward had the connections to get what Summer would have needed to hack into my accounts. I’d taken Jeffrey’s company by force, severely underpaying once I uncovered how he’d embezzled from his top-tier clients. I’d known there would be retaliation, but hacking into my accounts was something I hadn’t expected. I’d worked too damn hard for every cent I had, and I refused to go down without one hell of a fight.
Summer being a spy brought back bitter memories of Breanna’s last foster family using her to try to get information about my start-up company. She’d pulled away, trying to protect me. It had almost broken me. She was the first person I’d let get close. When I found out what was going on, I’d put a hard and fast end to it, but that hadn’t erased how I’d felt.
Edward brought it all back, and then some. John’s inclination to watch out for Jeffrey Simon’s potential involvement only heightened my defenses, and I knew I would have to keep Summer close to defuse whatever other time bombs would go off that I might need her unwilling help to unravel.
I couldn’t help but notice the hint of fear that lurked in her eyes. I shouldn’t have given her the time of day, but she’d piqued my curiosity. “What are you afraid of in New York?” Simons was in Georgia, so it couldn’t have been him. Perhaps she’d swindled someone else.
That steel backbone I knew she had snapped back into place with a defiant tilt of her chin. “I’m not afraid of anything.”
“Then you’ll have no trouble acting as my assistant and flying out with me.” I rested my hand on the base of her throat, directly over her fluttering pulse. The pad of my thumb brushed back and forth across her delicate skin, and her expressive eyes widened. Unwelcome erotic images of what we’d done last night flooded my mind.
There was no mistaking the frantic beat of her heart or the way her breath quickened. “This is inappropriate.”
She was a contradiction from how we’d met. I looked forward to unraveling, exploiting, everything about her. “You should have thought of that before you sought out your boss and slept with him.”
“I didn’t know who you were!” Her cheeks flushed, and she jerked back so that my hand fell away.
“Honey, the only thing I believe about you is the way you respond to my touch.” I dropped my gaze to her rapidly rising and falling chest.
She growled. Then her hand whipped out, the palm cracking against my cheek, and I laughed. When she went to do it again, I curled my hand around her wrist in a loose grip. I’d let her get that last one in. I deserved it. “Once is enough.”
Aside from the fury my missing money provoked, every interaction I’d had with her so far had been worth it. And I knew without a doubt that my sister would have loved her. I took in the cheap pencil skirt and top Summer wore and wanted to know her story.
It was time to stop messing around. I had to put aside my curiosity and attraction. I recognized her anxiety, and I didn’t think it was from the threat of prosecution—and she knew I was within my rights to have her charged.
With a firm grip on Summer’s arm, I yanked the door to the security office open, only to stop short as a man who matched me in height blocked my exit. All of my instincts forced me to pay attention. He stood casually, but that didn’t hide the dangerous glint in his gray eyes. I cataloged his athletic build and broad shoulders, sizing him up while registering a hint of hostility in his stance. His suit was tailored and screamed money, but darkness clung to his seemingly polished edges.
The quick intake of breath at my side almost made me shift my focus to Summer, but then my guard would have gone down. That same instinct that had helped me survive when I was younger warned me not to underestimate him.
“Luc Savino?”
I felt the muscle along my jaw tighten. “Who’s asking?”
