Page 49 of Monsters Wear Crowns
“Let me up,” I whispered.
His smile turned lazy. “Say please.”
My eyes narrowed. “Rafe–”
“Say it.”
I wanted to strangle him. I wanted to kiss him. I wanted alotof things, but I settled for gritting out, “Please.”
He pressed one last kiss to my throat before finally pulling back. I stood on shaky legs, smoothing my dress and my hair before opening the door. Lauren’s eyesimmediatelyflicked between me and Rafe, and the smirk that spread across her face was practically unbearable.
“Nice of you to let her out, Vaughan,” she said sweetly.
“My pleasure,” Rafe replied, his voice all smooth charm, as if he hadn’t just had me moments away from falling apart on my desk.
I shot him a warning glance, but he just smiled. “What is it?”
“They’re already targeting his shipment.”
The room went still. My pulse pounded. I turned slowly, meeting Rafe’s eyes. His face didn’t change. It was calm and unreadable.
“Looks like your world just crashed into mine,” I said quietly. “How the hell would anyone even know you’re working with me?” My voice came out sharp, but beneath the bite was a thread of something annoyingly close to unease.
Rafe didn’t answer right away. He just…stilled. His entire body went taut, shoulders squared, jaw clenched, and the easy arrogance he always carried like armor slipped, just for a second. Enough for me to see the threat beneath the surface.
“Rafe.” My voice softened, but only slightly. “Who the hell are we dealing with?”
Before he could answer, Laura’s voice interrupted us. “Don’t worry,” she said, but there was an edge to her tone. “Whoever it is can’t access anything important. Just…our screens.”
The lights in my office dimmed, and the monitors flickered. Then, right in front of us, the message appeared–bold and undeniable.
HE IS YOUR DEATH.
Silence. Heavy. Suffocating.
My heart raced, but I forced my face to stay neutral. I wouldn’t show fear, not in front of Laura, and definitely not in front of Rafe. But when I glanced at him, I saw the muscle ticking in his jaw. His eyes stayed on the screen, cold, but his fists were curled at his sides.
Lauren sighed. “Okay, that’s…creepy as hell. You’re a powerful guy. So…whois your enemy here?”
No one argued.
I looked at Rafe, searching for some hint of an explanation, but he just kept staring at the message like he was memorizing it. Like he was already planning his next move.
“Rafe,” I said quietly. “What aren’t you telling me?”
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he turned to me slowly, his voice low. “It seems you’ve made enemies.”
But I wasn’t buying it. Not entirely. “Or maybe,” I shot back, “I inherited yours.”
The air between us crackled, electric and sharp.
Laura cleared her throat. “Uh, should I…call security?”
“No, he’s fine,” I said immediately. I needed more information before I set the whole company on high alert. I looked back at Rafe. “Is this someone you know?”
His silence stretched too long.
“Rafe.” My voice dripped with feminine authority. “Tell me.”
