Page 89 of The Verdict

Lights, shapes, and shadows moved like floating cotton balls as my vision tried to focus. The pain in my head was unreal, like someone was swinging a mallet against it from the inside. I squeezed my eyes shut again to try and make it stop.

“What the hell is going on here?” a rough, low voice demanded.

“She has Wheaton’s drive,” Jupiter answered. “But we’ll have it back shortly.”

“Damn right, you will,” the other man said. “I’m not the only one with a life at stake here.”

“Don’t you think I know that, Ray?” Jupiter snapped back.

Ray.

Ray Ivans.

I forced my eyes open, pushing through the searing pain to try and see the man Rhys and the Vigilantes were after.

“Sleeping Beauty awakens.”Jupiter. His voice was different but familiar.How?

Several long seconds passed with everything swimming infront of me, slowly melting together into a clear image of a man from my past—an image I recognized.

“You.” Oxygen evacuated my lungs as my brain registered the face of the man who had been sitting at the bar in the hotel that first night. He’d spoken to me. Smiled at me like a man who was thrilled I hadn’t recognized his new face.He’d called me a goddess, and I hadn’t even realized he’d been taunting me.

“Good to see you again, Venus.”

I lifted my chin, registering that they hadn’t even tied me up—so confident that I wouldn’t get away.

“It’s nice to meet you, Miguel.”

That brought a frown to his features just before he strode over to my chair and slapped me across the face. As soon as the sound of the crack dissipated, I heard Mercury’s heavy breathing.

“You can think you’re clever all you want, Little Miss Merritt Manning, but out there, you’re wanted for murder, and in here, you’re my prisoner,” Jupiter said, massaging his palm like this was all in a day’s work. “So, where is it?”

I took a deep breath and reached underneath my dress for the holster on my leg. While we were in the car, I’d moved the drive from my purse because I knew that was the first place they’d look.

“Here.” I held it up between two fingers and let him pluck it from my grasp. “I have to say, Les did a nice job on your face. It’s no wonder I didn’t recognize you at first. Do you prefer to be called Miguel? Or Mr. Ramos?”

His lip twitched, his gaze lowering from the drive.Distracted.Every time I used his real name, it drove home the belief that I’d gotten it from the drive.

“Thank you, Merritt.” He tucked the drive into his pocket, and I fought to hide my relief. As long as he didn’t plug it in, I was safe. “There are a lot of very important people looking forthis. A lot of people who will now be very grateful to me for finding it.”

“Like Mr. Ivans?”

His eyes darkened. I was hitting all their weaknesses now. Knowledge was even deadlier than the dagger he’d confiscated.

“Yes, like Mr. Ivans,” he conceded, and that confirmed he planned on killing me; he never would’ve told me otherwise.

“Maybe instead of killing me, you should consider hiring me since I’ve proven to be the better thief. Again.” I tipped my head over my shoulder. “Isn’t that right, Sergio?”

Mercury made a low noise but didn’t move while Jupiter chuckled.

“You know you’re only making it worse for yourself when I let him have you?” he asked with a low voice.

“Oh, you’re not going to give me to him,” I assured him smoothly.

“No?” His face went dark. “Because I think it’s fitting punishment for what you took from me.”

“Then I guess it’s lucky for me that I’m ready to return what I took,” I said boldly. “I’ll take you to the diamond in exchange for my freedom.”

“Fuck, no,” Mercury snarled. “You can’t believe her after the stunt she pulled?—”

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