Page 5 of Pretty Little Threats

It’s a wild stab at his vulnerability, because I have no idea where his sisters actually are, but it does the job. Any traces of amusement disappear, and cold fury quickly ripples over his features, his entire body going as still as a predator waiting to pounce on its prey.

My heart skips two beats. I wait, letting the unspoken threat roll through his mind for a few moments, then brush past him, my shoulder catching his. If he thinks his sisters are in danger, maybe he’ll leave me alone. Right as I think I’m about to escape, his hand snakes out to grab my wrist, and he tugs me against his body, his chest pressing into my back.

His fingers wrap around my throat to hold me in place, a necklace or a noose depending on the situation.

Plush lips brush over the shell of my ear, but the words he whispers are anything but soft. “Mention them again, and I’ll destroy you.”

My breath catches.

A noose it is.

A flush crawls up my neck as people turn to see me pressed against him. “There’s the beast,” I whisper.

An angry huff of air brushes over my cheek. “Run home to Daddy, Rose.” Releasing my wrist, Dare gives my back a slight push, and I take three quick steps away, scowling at him over my shoulder.

My scathing retort dies on the tip of my tongue. He’s staring at me, like he did a moment ago, but this time, the warmth has fled his brown irises, leaving behind a deadly, cold, calculating look that shakes me to my core.

For hating Joseph Miller so much, the way Dare watches me is eerily similar to my dad’s face when he confronts a challenge. I recognize the danger in the expression more than I care to admit, and my every instinct is telling me to run.

When powerful men struggle for control, no one wins.

Taunting him wasn’t a good idea.

If the Beast of NYC hated me before, now he sees me as a threat.

Which means I need to take him down before he makes good on his promise.

two

ROSE

AntagonizingDare the morning of the charity gala wasn’t a good idea, because there’s no way I’m getting out of going. I’d much rather stay home, but responsibility and all that. The upside is that my best friend, Cassia, agreed to help me pick out the right outfit.

“So, he really just grabbed you?” she asks for the third time.

Reaching behind me to zip up the pale yellow empire-waist gown I already know I don’t want to wear, I nod. “Don’t forget the part where he threatened to destroy me.” Stepping out of my walk-in closet, I hold out my hands.

Cassia’s once pale blonde hair has been dyed a rich and vibrant cinnamon to match her name, and with her bronzed complexion, the color works. Her blue eyes, warm in spite of their frosty color, meet mine, then sweep down my body and the dress. “Nope.”

“Thought so,” I say with a sigh. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with?”

She cringes. “And hang out with people? Absolutely not.” She’s an introvert through and through. Once she gets to know someone, her personality shines, but until then, she’d much rather curl up at home, watching movies. I wish I could skip the ball and hang out with her.

“Have you considered the fact that you threatened his family, and in turn, him threatening to destroy you isn’t as terrible as it seems?” Cassia asks.

“Whose side are you on?” I call from inside the closet as I strip out of the dress and pull on the next one.

“Yours, obviously, but I mean, hissisters?”

“I hate when you make sense because it makes me feel bad for saying it.”

“Maybe you should feel bad,” she teases.

Huffing, I adjust the strapless top of the red tube gown and check in the mirror before going to show Cassia. “Okay. I shouldn’t have said it, but he snooped through my drawings and I...” I trail off and shake my head, because how do you sayI showed too many emotions and I took it out on himwithout sounding like a total jerk? “He got under my skin and I reacted,” I confess. “It wasn’t my finest moment.”

“Mmm. And how does that make youfeel?” Cassia asks with a little grin. “No to the dress.”

“At this rate, you’ll have a whole new closet,” I grumble.

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