Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 98035 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 490(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98035 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 490(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
Her lips parted as she exhaled a slow puff of air. “Am I supposed to answer that?”
He grabbed the tequila and empty mugs and rose from the bed. “We’re finished here.”
She touched a nerve, and he didn’t bother hiding it. He wanted her out of his room.
Heading to the bathroom, he set the bottle on the counter and rinsed out the cups.
The sound of her footsteps approached from behind, pausing outside the door. “Why are there no mirrors in the bathrooms?”
They were removed for reasons that were none of her business.
She sighed into the silence. “Can we talk about the elephant in the room?”
The ever-growing burden of what to do with her unsettled his stomach. With his back to her, he mindlessly dried the cups while making a decision.
If he sent her back to her room and waited until tomorrow, she would spend the evening agonizing over her fate. Unnecessary cruelty wasn’t his thing.
He needed to kill her now. No more delaying.
Some murderers claimed that killing was the same as having sex. Others argued it wasn’t about lust. It was about feeling that last breath of life leave a woman, looking into her eyes, and being God.
Tiago didn’t have a god complex. Nor did he derive sexual pleasure from killing. He especially hated taking a woman’s life, but occasionally things happened.
If he had any human qualities left, he would get to know the stunning woman glaring at his back. He would date her, seduce her, and fuck her until neither of them could walk.
Instead, he was contemplating where to dump her body and how badly it would rot before her friends found it.
“You have four options.” Kate’s voice strummed with nervous agitation.
That raised his brow. He turned and rested his backside against the counter.
“One. You can let me go.” She wilted beneath his glare and hugged her waist. “But that would make you appear merciful and weak. Can’t have that.”
He let his silence affirm her words.
Drawing a breath, she released it slowly. “Two. You can keep me locked up. But my friends won’t stop looking for me as long as I’m alive.”
He slid a hand in his pants pocket and fingered the casing of his blade, the only solution.
Her eyes followed the movement, and a tremor rippled through her. “Three. You can kill me, and maybe my friends won’t put a lifetime of effort into hunting you down. Like you said, there are other priorities, stronger passions than avenging my death. But killing me will make them your enemies. It’s a small world, and when you cross paths with the Restrepo cartel, they’ll remember.”
It was a weak argument. His treatment of Lucia ensured that Matias Restrepo would forever be an enemy. “You said there were four options.”
“I can make a phone call.”
“No.”
She cleared her throat and closed her eyes. When she looked at him again, a strange transformation rolled over her, loosening her posture. Her shoulders eased, and she stood taller, lengthening her height with grace and confidence.
“Liv Reed is my closest friend.” She smiled, and it glowed so beautifully across her face it was disarming. “I can convince her I’m safe, that I haven’t been hurt or touched against my will. Since I’ve been here for a month, that’s plenty of time to get to know you.” Her eyes beamed, lashes fluttering flirtatiously. “I enjoy your company. You’re ridiculously handsome and protective, and you make me feel things I’ve never felt. I know it’s crazy, but I want to stay. I need this. It’s a chance to get away for a while and figure out my life. So there’s no need for anyone to look for me. I don’t want to be found.” She released a shaky breath. “How was that?”
Fucking hell, she was good. Not a hitch or tremble in her voice. She sounded and looked so goddamn sincere he almost believed the lies.
“Did Van teach you how to do that?” He prowled toward her, captivated.
As a trained slave, she would’ve received lessons in obedience and decorum so that she wouldn’t embarrass her Master in public.
“Did Van whip you until you learned how to maintain that pleasing disposition?” he asked. “To hold that smile through the godawful pain?”
“Yes,” she spat, all traces of sweetness gone. “I bet that puts joy in your hateful heart.”
“Not at all.” He circled her, stepping so close he felt a shudder vibrate her tiny frame.
“Shall I grab your phone?” she asked warily.
He kept untraceable burners in the safe. If he went with the phone a friend option, what was the risk?
She couldn’t tip them off on anything useful. She didn’t even know her location. If she meant to deceive him and started begging for help while on the phone, he would just end the call and kill her.
Liv Reed would be skeptical no matter what Kate said to her. But a believable performance would leave her friends wondering, hoping. Just hearing her happy, healthy voice would take some of the urgency out of their need to find her.