Page 13 of Pretty Little Threats

“What would a woman like me know about feelings, right? Or murder, for that matter? But you know, don’t you? What was it? Three people last year...your parents?—”

Dare advances, and I stumble back with a gasp, my ass hitting the corner of the railing. He cages me in. My heart slams against my rib cage, eyes bouncing between the depths of his.

Leaning close, he lowers his face until his lips are inches from mine because I refuse to back down. “I didn’t kill my parents.”

“But you have killed?” I ask.

His dark chuckle brushes over me, dangerous and sharp as glass. A warning. A red flag. A blaring siren, telling me it’s time to head for shelter. My legs tremble and my heart is racing, the muscle hammering against my chest so hard, he can probably hear it.

Back down. You’ve already pissed him off enough.

Closing the slight distance between us, he ghosts his lips over my cheek until they settle against my ear. He’s so tall, his shoulder cuts off my view of the gala. I’m trapped out here with him. To anyone looking, they’d think we were making out, but I take it for the threat that it is.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about, princess.”

I press my palm against his hard chest. “I don’t know, Dare, murder isn’t that complicated. You either did it or you didn’t.” Shoving him, I try to put space between us, but he’s as immovable as a mountain.

Dare pulls back and pins me with a look. “Murder is always complicated in our world, but you know that by now, don’t you?”

Mom.

No. Don’t let him get inside your head.There’s no way he knows Dad’s competitors had her killed, right? That’s the best kept secret in the Miller family. The entire world thinks she died of natural causes. I would, too, had I not seen what happened.

It took years for my dad to finally admit the truth to me. Years of nightmares before Dad realized telling me what happened might be the key to convincing me that monsters weren’t real, or at least, the sort of monsters that haunted my dreams weren’t.

The man in front of me, though . . .

“For the record, your body is perfect,” he purrs, checking me out.

My mouth falls open and heat floods my cheeks. I’m comfortable with the way I look, but the media doesn’t hold back when they tear it apart. The validation that I’m still attractive, even to Dare, is nice.

His gaze roves over my face, likely memorizing theemotions I’ve put on display. “But they’re right about a few things, aren’t they?” Dare grabs a lock of my hair, wrapping the brunette strand around his finger. “The princess. The pawn. The fool.”

“Let me go,” I demand, the calm and collected Rose nowhere to be found. Dare has a knack for breaking the control I usually hold over my emotions.

He immediately backs away, releasing my hair. His sudden retreat hits me harder than the chilly breeze his body was blocking. Someone shifts by the door, and my gaze flies to meet theirs. Olive skin tone, hard jaw, dressed in all black, the giant man stares ahead, as if he’s not watching, but there’s a rigidness about him. Like he’s painfully aware of everything going on inside the party and out here on the balcony.

Dare’s bodyguard made no move to protect me from him. But why would he? He’s probably paid well enough, he’d simply avert his gaze if Dare were to hurt me, and no one inside would notice until it was too late.

Time to play nice.

Straightening, I look at Dare, fighting the scowl that’s threatening to wrinkle my face. “No matter how much I hate you and everything you stand for, I would never hurt someone. You can stop with the theatrics and whatever game you’re playing, Dare. Your sisters are safe.”

When Dare glances over his shoulder, I follow his gaze to where my dad is still being schmoozed. Lines cut across my forehead. He wouldn’t hurt my dad to make his point, would he?

Slowly, he looks back at me, his lips pressed into a hard line. I don’t know him well enough to understand his expression, other than recognizing it’s not a happy one.

“I promise your sisters aren’t in any danger,” I say.No one even knows where they are.

“A Miller’s promise for me?” Dare places his hand on his chest. “I’m honored.” With that, he spins on his heel and storms away, toward the elevator. His bodyguard shoots me a venomous look. They both leave me in a wake of confusion and anxiety.

I know, without a doubt, I’ll be seeing Dare again.

four

DARE

Someone slamsinto me as I make my way to the elevator. My fists immediately clench, and I turn, my scowl deepening when Eric presses into my space. The hallway is empty, save for a couple too interested in making out to pay us any mind.

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