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If not for that, he’d have fucked her long ago. She was the type of woman he found attractive. Tall, curvy, and sassy as hell.
“Messages?”
“Matteo phoned to confirm your presence at the charity gala for tonight. He said to remind you it’s black tie and that you have to bring a date.”
“He should know better than to try and order me around,” Torin grumbled as he bit into a decadent grilled cheese sandwich. “I don’t know why I accepted the damn invitation in the first place.”
“Because you care for the homeless children of the city, that’s why.” She tapped her fingers on her iPad as she watched him with a grin. “I suppose since you obviously forgot about the event, you didn’t bother asking anyone to accompany you.”
“Nor do I intend to. Taking a date creates expectations of staying as late as possible, and I have no intention of being there very long.”
“Ah, you’re going to hand over a fat check and then leave.”
“Hmm.” He finished his latte and leaned back in the chair. “Messages?” he prodded again. He had no desire to ride the topic hollow.
Lee rattled off the rest, making notes of the instructions he gave in between. “That’s it. Anything you need before I go back to my office?”
Torin glanced at his watch and was surprised to see an hour had passed. Lee had a way to keep his mind focused and as always, he hadn’t realized how the time had flown. The Enforcer should be back with William’s family by now. The vibration of one of the two cell phones in his pocket proved to be just that as he glanced at the text message.
“I have a couple of calls to make and two conference calls with our Chinese and Swiss suppliers. It’ll take most of the day, and I don’t want to be bothered.” He waved her off with a smile. “Once you’re done with those, take the rest of the afternoon off. It’s been a while since you’ve taken some personal time.”
“I won’t say no. I’ve been craving a pamper session at the spa.” She sashayed to the door, and her voice floated back to him. “Thanks, Boss.”
TORIN FELT NO EMPATHY FOR THE MAN crowing his fear as he watched the crime lord circle his family, who had been forced onto their knees, cuffed, and blindfolded.
“William, what is going on? Where are we?” The woman’s scared voice rippled through the atmosphere.
“It’s just a misunderstanding, honey. I’ll sort it out, I promise,” William said softly but the terror in his voice was unmistakable.
Masking fear was a survival essential in the lives they lived but few men could tap into it when their loved ones were threatened. William was no different—other than Torin, who didn’t experience fear as others did. He’d learned from a young age to process it differently, routing it through his prefrontal cortex instead of letting the more primitive brain do the choice-making. Some things humans were born with, others were epigenetic alterations, adjustments so to speak. People could be damaged by fear, and if he allowed it, could cause harm to him just like others. The difference was, where it shut them down, it made him more alert, more adept, and creative at problem solving.
“What’s your name, Mrs. Kent?” Torin ran his hands through her short bob-style hair. She shivered under the unexpected touch.
“R-Rebecca.”
“Beautiful name. Did you know that it’s among the top Christian names, especially in the Hebrew language?” His fingers trailed through her hair again. “So soft and silky.” He smirked as she whimpered tearfully. He leaned closer to rasp against her ear. “Do you know what it means?”
“I-I believe it means to bind firmly.”
“Hmm,” Torin straightened, ignoring the continued struggles of the man sitting under the grueling light shining onto him from the low roof of the interrogation room. “Or to tie firmly and beautifully ensnaring.”
“M-my mother just loved the name,” she stammered, doing her best not to bear back against the hand in her hair.
“My mother’s name was Rebecca,” Torin said; his voice darkened as his fingers fisted around a tuft of her hair. He leaned closer again. “One of the most important women in the Bible, Rebecca, tricked her elderly husband, Isaac, into choosing their younger son, Jacob, and not their older son, Esau, to lead the future tribes of Israel.” She cried out in pain as his fingers tightened.
“Stop!” William begged. Torin ignored him.
“Are you like her, Rebecca? Are you pretending not to know why you’re here, only because your children are alongside you? Or are you the one who is responsible for your husband betraying me?”
“I don’t know what you want from us! I swear. William—aahhh!” she screamed as Torin yanked her head back viciously.
“William can’t help you, Rebecca. So, are you truly ignorant or are you the one pushing him to take what doesn’t belong to him? Are you the beautiful ensnarer?”
“N-no! I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She struggled to breathe as she started to cry.
His breath hissed against her cheek. “Shh, there now,” he cooed as he kissed her temple softly. “Tell me, darling, what does your husband do for a living?”
“H-he’s a traveling salesman.”
