AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I shrugged. “It is our honeymoon, and we haven’t taken much time to become acquainted.”
“Hmm, yes, maybe some time on the water would be nice,” she responded, voice neutral.
Did she think so little of me that I would drown her? I let out a short huff as I watched her. As a trained killer, she probably thought a lot like me. Which meant she didn’t trust me as far as she could throw me. I noted the nicotine patch on her arm and admired her control. Last night had clearly shaken her, even if she was hardened and groomed to such an event, and yet, she’d not taken the proffered relief.
Talia lifted her cup of coffee, inhaling deeply. Her eyes fluttered as she let out a little sigh of contentment. The sight was unsettling...and hot.
“So, what have you been doing all morning, wife?” My voice was rough even to my own ears.
Talia took a tentative sip of her coffee before leaning back in her chair and cradling the cup to her chest. “Pilates, breakfast, and a stroll on the beach. I found the perfect reading spot.”
Last night in the gym I’d had an epiphany, and now it was time to start the ball rolling. It wasn’t enough to predict her every move, not with the supple lines of her body and the flash of rebellion in her eyes. And simple interactions, as Iryna had suggested, were only going to give her an opportunity to surprise me now I knew she was an assassin. No, instead of being on the backfoot and reacting to Talia’s actions, I needed todirectthem. She needed to be so damn busy that she wouldn’t plan on killing me. Until I was ready to use her to trap her father, I had to take complete control of every moment of her day—which meant spending a lot more time with her than I had been.
“What have you been doing?” Talia asked, sliding me a glance under her lids. “You’re wearing business attire.”
“I am.” I looked out at the ocean. “It’s what I normally wear.” And that was all I would say on the subject. If she found my penchant for formal attire to be odd, well, she would have to wonder about it.
But instead of asking me a deeply personal question, she surprised me. “I know you’ve been working while we’re here—and not for your shipping corporation. The fact that you’re out here with me means your real business must be concluded.”
She didn’t know I was an assassin. Even my mortal enemy didn’t know that secret. I let out a short laugh. “Well observed.”
“Hmm.” She took another sip of her coffee. “Underworld business. What was it then? Smuggling? Illegal goods?”
“Something like that,” I quipped.
My newest obsession was shrewd, which meant I needed to be on the top of my game to turn her into my chess piece. And that was exactly the plan I was now following. This trip proved it. I needed to wrest control from her father and become the true puppeteer.
I crossed an ankle over the top of the opposite knee. “What will you do, Talia, when we return to California?”
The question caught her off guard. She coughed slightly, delaying an answer.
Hell, she was stunning. I watched her closely. There was a maddening desire to strip away the armor of her fashionable outfit, manicured body, and the war paint on her face. Lust arose, stabbing at my resolve, begging me to bend her to my will. These psychological games were a long-term, multifaceted maneuver, and I doubted fucking her into submission would work. But it was a tempting thought, nonetheless.
“Not a clue,” she finally responded. “I don’t have a job, and I’m not much for society.”
“Would you like one?” I tipped my head to the side. This was the first morsel of bait—waving the offer of freedom before her and watching her snatch control of her destiny was one of the first steps in my plan.
“I’m sure I qualify for very few positions.”
And just like that, her tart response batted away my first attempt. Furthermore, the complete lack of confidence in her response angered me. Had she really been told she was useless? Like so many women in the underworld, was she only able to consider herself a pawn? Or was this all an act? Was that answer the one she thought I wanted to hear? Maybe she considered her vocation of praying mantis a way to make her mark in our criminal circles?
It didn’t matter if her response was the truth or all part of her act. It still threw a wrinkle in my plan. I needed to disguise the fact that I was taking control of her marionette strings. I realized that in order for her to take the bait and do exactly what I wanted her to do, I needed to present my first request in such a way that it would be impossible for her to refuse. And that would require a good, hard think rather than a quick proposal. Deciding it was time to change the topic, I asked her, “Would you like to stay here or are you ready to return to the States?”
“It makes no difference to me.” She rolled her eyes.
I felt a simmer of frustration. Likely, she’d been planning to leave my corpse here in the Old World.That’s not going to happen, princess. You’re mine now. In time, you’ll know it too.
“So...sailing?” The sudden cheery shift in her voice was off-putting. It dripped with false promises and grated on my temper.
I rose from my seat with a shake of my head, pointing to the sky. “The tides aren’t going to be good after all.”
I stormed away. There was no way in hell I was giving her a chance to drown me.
I heard her scoff, “Tides, my ass.”
That saucy retort pulled a smile onto my lips, despite the surly mood that had settled over me.
~*~
