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“Oh?” She leaned forward, putting her hands on her knees. “That means something to you. Do you think your brother has these vases and is now scared that someone is out to kill him? Does he need us to find the killer beforehegets killed?”
Ryland threw his head back with a laugh. It was the second time he had done this, and she hated it. The movement displayed his short hair and his cropped beard, but it was the glimmer in his brownish-gold eyes that annoyed her.
Did he always have to laugh at her? Every time she opened her mouth?
“I don’t appreciate you laughing at me,” she clipped. “I’m a reporter. I report. That means I need to ask uncomfortable questions sometimes.”
“Or silly ones.”
“Stop,” she demanded.
Ryland stood, and before she knew what he was doing, he pinned her to the chair with nothing but his eyes. “Do you really think that my brother needs a human to investigate a threat?” He laughed again. “You’re going to a safe house, and there you will stay until I deem it safe for you to return to your life ofuncomfortablequestions.”
She glared at him. “Who do you think you are? You can’t talk to me like that, and you can’t take me anywhere against my will.”
He leaned down farther, placing an arm on either side of her body on the narrow stool.
Now, it was more than his gaze that kept her locked in her seat. His entire body was in the way, trapping her where she sat. Caroline hated him for it. Now, she could see the color of his eyes. There were completely gold and hypnotizing. She wanted to shove away from him before she got lost in the rich color.
But even his smell was making her delirious. The man smelledgood. Not quite expensive cologne, but not quite just his natural musk. There was something entrancing about him.
Rich guy energy, she thought to herself. Not something she would fall for. He couldn’t bully her or scare her into behaving. It just wasn’t part of her personality to be a wilting flower.
“You will go where I tell you,” Ryland growled low. “You will not cause trouble. Is that clear?”
“Don’t talk to me like I’m a child.”
“Then stop acting like one.”
Caroline pushed against him and stood. “I won’t be bullied. I’d rather take my chances with the man in black.”
“With a killer?” he chuckled. “And to think I used to be a fan of yours.”
Her head snapped in his direction. “Well, you sure have a funny way of showing it.”
“That was before I met you,” he said, his voice rough.
Without another word or look, he left the room, slamming the door behind him.
Try as she might, Caroline couldn’t understand why Ryland disliked her so much. She took her phone and considered calling Wilder Wolverton. If he insisted on keeping her safe, then she would insist on a different guard. Ryland obviously had an issue with her, and she didn’t feel the least bit safe with him.
Yet, calling Wilder would only let Ryland win. She was, after all, a professional. And sometimes, that meant working with people she didn’t like. She didn’t have to feel safe or trust Ryland. She was only here to give him information and stay in a safe location away from the man in black’s reach.
No. Caroline had no choice.
She had to see this through, and that would mean letting Ryland jab at her whenever he liked.
Caroline wasn’t okay with that.
The man would have to learn some manners, and she would be the woman to teach him.
SEVEN
RYLAND
I used to be a fan of yours. That was before I met you.
Ryland’s words echoed in his mind, and each repetition burned with shame. How could he admit that he was a fan? Hopefully, Caroline had thought it was a jab. A lie.
