Page 76 of Snow Bound

“Which would be you,” he agreed, “they wanted to step in.”

“Oh, dear.”

“Mmm. I managed to convince them that I could handle it. So, I threw a party at my house, knowing you’d come, and with the help of my new investor, managed to spirit you away to this cozy little soundproofed basement.”

Her breathing took on a slight hitch, delighting him. “Is that where we are?”

“Indeed. A nice, quiet space where we won’t be interrupted. Where I’m going to make you tell me what you’ve done with my money.”

He waited a beat, then pushed to his feet. “Any questions?”

“A clarification.” Her head tilted, following his voice. “I get to be as bratty as I want?”

“As bratty as you want,” he confirmed, and unable to resist, leaned down to press a hard kiss on her smiling mouth. “You ready?” he whispered.

She nodded, rubbing her cheek against his. “Ready.”

“Remember your safewords, and use them if you need to.”

He waited until she nodded again, then stepped away. “When I slam the door, we begin.”

She wiggled in the chair, testing her bonds, getting comfortable. Though with that plug in her ass, not too comfortable.

He grinned and walked over to the half dozen computer monitors he’d set up on a folding table about ten feet in front of Anna’s chair. He turned them on, noted the cameras were running. Five of the monitors held a view of Anna, each from a different angle, so no part of her would go unobserved. The sixth monitor sat on a TV tray he’d unearthed from storage. He’d set it up in front of the table, right in Anna’s line of sight, and since the tray sat shorter than the table, the monitor didn’t block any of the others.

He switched it on, checked the view, then switched it off again. He pulled his phone out and sent a quick text to Michael, then set it on the table in front of the monitor.

Then he walked over to the door that stood open at the bottom of the stairs and slammed it shut.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The crack of the door slamming in the quiet room was like a shot, and Anna jumped.

Grant walked across the room, his footsteps deliberately heavy, and stopped in front of her. “Ms. Goodwin. So glad you could join me.”

Her head swiveled around as though searching for him in the darkness. “Mr. Snow? Oh, thank goodness. Thank goodness you’re here.”

Her voice was drenched with gratitude, and a kind of manic energy that he knew was at least partly real. “I don’t know what happened. I was at the party, and when I went to the bathroom two men grabbed me. They brought me here and tied me up. I’ve been here for hours.”

“Is that right?”

She struggled against the cuffs holding her to the chair. “I can’t get free. You have to untie me before they get back.”

“No, I don’t think I do,” he drawled, and she froze.

“What do you mean?”

He wanted to grin at the tremor in her voice. She was getting into it, using her natural apprehension to fuel the scene. He hardened his voice. “That’s a stupid question, and you’re not a stupid woman. If you pretend to be, you’re going to make me angry.”

She licked her lips. “I...I don’t understand what’s happening.”

“I sincerely doubt that, but I’m happy to make it clear to you. The men who brought you here did so at my request.”

The shake of her head was frantic, disbelieving. “What? No.”

“Yes. They’re...associates of an associate, you might say. I paid them very well to bring you here, and they’re very discrete. No one else knows where you are.”

“But...but why?”

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