Page 35 of Cinderella and the Daddy
The thought pisses me off. Was I that weak that I allowed a woman to seduce me?
The thought of her hands on my son, reading him bedtime stories while plotting our downfall, makes something violent and primal claw its way up my throat.
"Keep monitoring," I order Dimitri. "And prep the interrogation room."
Clever girl. Beautiful, damaged, clever girl who I actually thought might?—
No, I stop that line of thinking before it can take root. Whatever I thought was happening between us, whatever moments of connection I imagined, it was all carefully calculated manipulation. She's been playing a longer game than I gave her credit for.
The tracker interface in my hand shows her current location: Leo's room.
Of course, she's with him.
Using my son as cover for whatever she's really doing. The rage that's been simmering in my chest explodes into something white-hot and consuming.
I take the stairs two at a time, my hand already on my gun. The door to Leo's room is slightly ajar.
I push the door open without knocking.
The scene that greets me would be touching under different circumstances. Cindy is curled up on Leo's bed with him tucked against her side, both of them fast asleep. The book has fallen from her relaxed fingers. The nightlight that projects stars on the ceiling casts her in soft lighting. She looks almost angelic.
My eyes go to the necklace.
I clear my throat, and her eyes snap open immediately. For just a second, before she fully wakes up, there's something soft and unguarded in her gaze. She starts to smile.
Then she sees my face, and everything changes.
"Luka?" She sits up carefully, trying not to wake Leo. "What's wrong? You look?—"
"Get up." I make it clear I’m not fucking around. "Now."
She blinks, confusion flickering across her features. "Leo's sleeping, and I?—"
"I said get up." I step into the room.
She must see something in my posture because she immediately slides off the bed, moving to put herself between my son and me.
Protective. Even now, she's protective of him.
The thought would normally make me pause, maybe even make me reconsider. Instead, it only fuels my fury. How dare she use Leo's affection for her as a weapon? How dare she make him care about someone who's been planning our destruction?
"Outside," I growl, jerking my head toward the door. "Now."
She follows me into the hallway. She’s wearing the pajamas I personally picked out and had delivered.
I walk toward her bedroom.
She follows.
I throw open her door and wait for her to walk inside.
I close the door and glare at her. She has the good sense to take a few steps back. Her arms wrap around her middle like she’s trying to shield her body.
"How long?" The words explode out of me, low and dangerous.
"How long what?" She looks genuinely confused.
"How long have you been feeding information to my enemies?"
