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But if he were going to do that…wouldn’t he have done the job already? Why bring me here first?
“You broke a rule that in my world gets you punished.” Casually, he opens a drawer and pulls out a gun. He strokes it lovingly before he places it on the bedside table. “I’ve killed men for far less than that.”
I believe it’s true. Based on what Tatiana told me about him, I know he isn’t lying.
My heart is in my throat as I look at the gun. Hear the casual way he talks, as if this is just the way things go. You did X, therefore Y. As if things likemy worldandpunishmentandexecutionaren’t wildly wrong. As if the casual admission of having killed people just makes sense.
Tatiana warned me.They stop at nothing to get what they want.
“You offered me your services. You demonstrated such services, and I won’t lie — it’s impressive.”
I watch him like a hawk, as if he’s going to strike at any moment.
He looks so different than when I saw him before. When he leans forward, his biceps stretch against the black fabric of his shirt. If I wasn’t afraid this man was a psychopath, I’d find him hot. It’s not my fault, though. I mean, any woman would.
Everything about him exudes raw, masculine strength and virility — the muscles that bulge against the tee, the definition in his shoulders and arms. Tattoos scatter across his neck and look like they go down his back, a stark reminder of his allegiance to the Romanov brotherhood. His perfect, ruggedly handsome face that would be model-perfect if not for the coldness in his eyes.
He’s crazy, though, and he kidnapped me. So while he may have rules inhisworld, in mine? He’s insane.
“So you drugged me,” I say, my words still slurred as if I had an all-night bender with my sorority sisters. I rarely drank in college, so the effect is quite insulting.And you think that’s okay?I want to ask him. It doesn’t seem like now’s the time to question him.
I wonder briefly if there’severa time to question him.
With a shrug, he tips a finger under my chin. “I did. It made my job easier, for now.”
When his phone beeps he looks at the screen with a scowl. Swiping it on as if it personally offends him, he rasps something out in Russian. The voice on the other end is plaintive and apologetic, but he cuts them off and hangs up. I don’t even know Russian, but you can tell a lot from someone’s tone of voice and body language.
I shiver. He isn’t just a leader. He leads other men just like him.
My heart beats faster. Adrenaline surges through me when he leans in closer.
“I have questions for you, little hacker.”
Apparently, we have a pet name. How cute.
I tremble. I’m pissed that I’m shaking. I walked into his office with my head held high and I want to be on equal terms again. “Hard to — talk — when I’m drugged.”
“Mmm. I see,” he says, as he sits on the edge of the bed before he reaches for me and lifts me up, placing me on hislap.
His.Lap.
I can feel the tightness of his thighs beneath mine, and I’m painfully aware that I’m nearly naked. I’m wearing nothing but a tank and thin white cotton panties while he’s fully clothed.
I couldn’t think of anyone more unlike me in this moment — him, muscled and strong and powerful. Me, damn near scrawny. Him, rich and powerful and fearless. Me, running for my life without a penny to my name. Him, a leader in the Russian mafia. Me…a nobody.
It seems like the most logical response to anything he asks me is to tell him the truth. I can barely talk, much less defend myself. And yet…I won’t roll over and let him have what he wants. Yes, I hacked into his goddamn computer base, but that doesn’t thereby give him carte blanche over me.
I gasp and flinch when he reaches for me. His fingers stab into my hair, effectively pinning me in place. I remember his admonition before I left his office about not leaving my hair pinned up.
He’s been waiting to do this.
I clamp my teeth together and look into his cold, merciless eyes. I bet if he had a man in this position, he’d be treating him very differently. Still, it’s unnerving how easily he dominates me into submission.
“Yes or no answers will suffice. A simple nod or shake of your head will do.”
I clamp my lips together. I won’t tell him anything. He won’t break me.
“Did you or did you not hack into our database and break it so my secretary couldn’t access it?”
