I huff at Brad’s question. I wasn’t expecting him to be considerate. “I’m an adult. One drink isn’t going to impair my ability to consent, so don’t worry about me.”
Brad is quiet for a moment. “And who do you plan on propositioning?”
I huff again. He’ll think I’m impersonating a steam train at this rate. “You, of course. I mean, I am buying you a drink.”
Brad gives me a smirk that’s pure predator. “And you think you can just buy your way to my cock?”
Please. Does he think I’ve missed the hungry way he’s been eyeing me? My gaze flicks to the drinks the bartender sets before us. “Yes. I think so.” He snorts and gulps down his drink. Now I’m the one smirking. “Am I wrong?”
He winks at me as I suck on the straw. “Nah. I’m easy.”
I try to hide my smile before swigging more of my drink and putting it down on the bar top. Oh god, I’m going to have to go through with this. It was much easier to imagine before meeting Brad. Before seeing those dimples of his and hearing the teasing liltto his voice. My hands are shaking again now, and I can’t seem to stop them.
Brad smiles invitingly. “Come on. We can head to the bathrooms?—”
“No, those are gross.” I interrupt quickly. I’m not lying, either. Hooking up in the restrooms hasneverappealed. All those germs… “How about outside? The forest. It’s quiet and…the perfect place really.”
The perfect place for me to do what has to be done.
Brad’s eyebrows rise, but he doesn’t question me. He just follows me out of the bar and into the darkness. Just like I knew he would.
I keep glancing back over my shoulder. Half of me—the soft-hearted half—hopes he’ll run off, that he’ll change his mind and leave before I go through with this.
If that happens, you’re fucked.
But if it doesn’t happen, Brad is fucked. I shouldn’t give a shit, not with what I’ve got on the line. I can’t help myself, though.
Part of me doesn’t want to see Brad get hurt.
I spot the tree I marked earlier, and my stomach twists into a knot. I grit my teeth and quicken my steps. “There’s a good place right here. The bark on the tree is smooth…”
I get to the camouflaged rope and hop over it. Hopefully it’s small enough for Brad not to notice.
And yes…
There’s a grunt. A slightwhooshof air. A muttered curse.
I spin around to see Brad swinging from his feet, exactly as I’d planned. My eyes widen as I realize he’s much bigger than I’d thought when making these plans. How the fuck am I supposed to get him down from there and into my car?
“Shit,” he mutters. Something slips from his pocket and hits the floor. Fuck, it’s a knife. Well, more than a knife. A dagger, maybe.
The knot in my stomach loosens at the reminder that this is not a good man.
“Get me down from here. Use the blade,” he hisses.
I lean down and pick the dagger up, twisting it in my fingers as I study it. It’s ornate. Beautiful, really. A bit like Brad.
A beautiful weapon.
“What the fuck? Get me down,” Brad growls, struggling against the rope. It’s pointless. There’s no way to get free of that knot.
The reality of what I have to do suddenly hits me. This isn’t the life I wanted for myself. I might be a criminal, but I’m an ethical one. I don’t steal from those who can’t afford it. I don’t damage businesses that don’t deserve it. And I don’t hurt anyone. Not physically, at least. “I’m so sorry, Brad. I hope you’re not hurt. I didn’t want to do this. Are you okay?”
He reaches out to touch me. I scramble backward. If he touches me, I might give in and let him down. I need to remember he’s my target. “No. No touching. I can’t… Oh god, I’m so sorry.”
Brad huffs a small laugh. Even upside down, he’s hot. “You have no idea who you’re messing with.”
My lips part in surprise, but then I remind myself I know exactly who he is. Thanks to my extensive research, I know almost everything there is to know about Brad Miller. “Listen, Brad, I don’t want to do this any more than you want to be upside down. But this is what needs to happen.”
