Page 71 of Shielding Aubree

He saw it though.

It was painted across his features in the shit-eating grin on his face.

"See?" His smile turned into a sneer. "Was that so hard?"

She lifted her gaze to meet his and let her anger bleed through into her eyes.

She recognized him.

Not a name.

Or a rank.

But she recognized the general aspects of his face.

His build.

She'd seen him around the station, but had never interacted with him directly that she could remember.

His smile deepened.

"Isn't it funny," he explained, "how you can work in an office for weeks and not know that the people you're walking past, the ones who grab you a cup of coffee , the ones who step out of the way when you're rushing off to do something... important, are the very people who want you dead?"

His words were terrifying.

The implication of his words and the tone of his voice were dripping with malice.

She moved her mouth and jaw, trying to see if she could get the tape across her face to loosen.

He smiled at her. "Want to say something?"

She nodded and held her breath, waiting to see what would happen.

He didn't even look around before he leaned forward and tore the tape from her mouth.

The pain was excruciating.

He'd gotten her hair wrapped up in the tape.

While he was smiling down at her, she managed to keep her temper in check.

The pain actually helped.

You didn't have the kind of cramps she did on a regular basis and have a quick stab of aggravating pain reduce you to tears.

"What do you want from me?"

"Is that you want to ask me?"

She kept her head still. "For a start."

"Oh. Direct. I like it."

"I know the kind of man you are."

Her head rocked to the side from a cracking slap across her face and she leaned back, hitting the back of her head on something metal.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her back until she was sitting up.

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