Page 135 of Shifting Hearts 1
I address my uncle without looking at her. “Can you take her home and find her something to wear? I will come pick her up a little later after I have concluded business here.”
“What! I don’t care what business you have; I am not leaving your side,” she chirps.
I sigh. Somehow, I knew she would be difficult.
“It will be safer for you to go with my uncle. Just do what I say,” I growl.
She leans forward and the jacket slides open to reveal much more skin. “You took me, and that makes me your problem. And until I know what the plan is, you are going nowhere without me.”
Hearing my words being repeated back at me frustrates me endlessly. I press my fingers against the throb that starts in my temple.
“Since I saved your life, I would think you would be a little more grateful and a little less difficult. Does this look like the kind of place that has a waiting room for you to wait in?”
I point at the building at my side when the car stops in front of the door. She huffs and simply opens the door, sliding out of the vehicle.
“Take him straight home,” I instruct before I follow her out and practically run to catch her before she makes a fool of herself, half-naked on the surveillance cameras. I will scrub the footage later. But first, I need to deal with the obstinate woman before me.
I grab her by the arm and yank her back into my rigid body. “What the fuck do you think you are doing? This isn’t a theme park. And I am not your park guide. I am a dangerous man in a perilous situation, and you want to tell me what to do. Are you fucking insane?”
She leans into me, and I can smell the imitation smell of strawberries in what must be cheap shampoo.
“I don’t like being underestimated, and you are sorely mistaken if you think you are the only one who is going to have fun. I know what the Alvarez family is involved in, and thanks to you, I am precisely where I need to be.”
Speechless, I watch her smooth down the jacket before she opens the door to enter my domain.
What the fuck have I gotten myself into with this woman?
FIVE
Maddy
Ienter the dark room, and it takes a few seconds for my eyes to focus. Fiery red images start to glow as I walk deeper into the cavernous space.
The door behind me is yanked open, and it takes him two steps to reach for my elbow and guide me to a room away from the commotion.
“Wait here until I come to get you,” he seethes.
He throws open the door and unceremoniously pushes me into what looks like a small office. He follows, and after he switches on the lights, goes to the cupboard in the corner and scrounges around for what seems to be a huge, grey T-shirt.
“Here, put this on and stay put. I will attend to our guests and return to you. Don’t leave this room. Understood?”
He throws the T-shirt at me but doesn’t expect me to immediately drop the jacket from my shoulders onto the floor. I take my time to pull the T-shirt on and only break eye contact when the shirt slips over my head.
With him still standing motionless, I casually stroll over to where he is and put my hands on his chest. My hands have always been cold, but he feels just as cool under his shirt.
“Somehow, there has been a misunderstanding. I might be your guest here, but I am in control. And the sooner you realize that fact, the quicker we will get along. You might even find that I can be more accommodating once I get what I came for.”
He sneers and leans closer before he hisses in my face, “You are way out of your depth, little girl. Here, I make the rules, and you obey.”
My hand wanders down his hard, steely planes until I rest it on his thigh, ever so close to his cock. I don’t dare to move my hand closer, but I do challenge him with my intense stare while I say, “Such a shame. I could be so good to you if you would only oblige me.”
It doesn’t take a genius to know that if I have any chance of finding Alexi, this man before me is going to be the key. Not only is he very well-connected, but he also has the power to take action to find her.
And that is precisely what I need right now because the only thing I accomplished on my own was getting on the radar of a very dangerous man.
He says nothing, but I can see something brewing in his eyes. He grabs my hand to push it directly onto his hard-on, and I gasp. After years of pathetic limp dick, this sure is a surprise.
“You are playing a game you can’t win, little girl. And I won’t hesitate to give you exactly what you want, as soon as you tell me the truth about why you are here. You are much too calm in this situation.”
