Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 48853 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 244(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 163(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48853 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 244(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 163(@300wpm)
“I’ll release no one without good reason, my lady. That’s not how law and order works.”
Sachelle lifts her skirts to move away.
I grasp her wrist and pull her back. She smells like lilies and trouble, and I shouldn’t like that as much as I do. I’m supposed to be stopping trouble, not wanting to take it to bed.
“I’m glad you’ve understood one thing,” I say softly in her ear, enjoying her delicate scent. “I have the power to make arrests and undo them, just like that. But it takes more than a dance.”
She glares at me and tries to pull out of my grip, but I don’t let her go. Maybe I don’t mean what she thinks I’m implying, or maybe I do. Right now, I’m just enjoying the feel of her silky wrist in my grip and the way her beautiful eyes are flashing up at me.
Softly, with the polite enunciation of a young Court lady, she says, “I’d rather kiss a toad, Mr. Rasmussen.”
I bare my teeth in a smile and let her slip through my fingers. When she’s a dozen feet away from me, she casts me an acidic glance over her shoulder, and I bow courteously to her.
Over the years, I’ve achieved so much from nothing. Almost no one knows the things I’ve done. Not any of these lords and ladies. Not even Archduke Levanter. I’m good at keeping secrets while uncovering everyone else’s.
I wonder if Lady Sachelle’s up to something, or if she’s merely worried about her cousin. Either way, it’s clear she doesn’t know a thing about the dangerous people Briar Crowley’s mixed up with. I’ll keep an even closer watch on Lady Sachelle from now on, for her own sake.
I put my hands in my pockets and lean a shoulder against the wall, following her elegant figure around the ballroom with my eyes. It will be a pleasure.