I was woman, hear me roar.
When we were in front of Zane’s closed door, I tipped my head, studying Montgomery. “Don’t shave your beard.”
He scrubbed his face, making me jealous I wasn’t the one doing so. “You think not?”
“Nope. Far too sexy this way. I could eat you alive.”
“Later, baby.”
“You better keep your promise.” After taking a deep breath, I opened the door and walked in as if I owned the place.
It took a few seconds for Zane to recognize and acknowledge that his world was about to come crashing down. As soon as he did, his face turned beet red, the huffing and puffing he did while struggling to stand was comical.
“What the hell is the meaning of this?” he spouted off. While his question was directed toward me, his eyes locked on Montgomery. You bet he recognized the man whose account he’d hacked into in his efforts to help a number of assassins hunt down the man who rocked my world.
I found myself amused by the clear fear in his eyes.
“And hello to you as well, darling.” I almost added a southern drawl for the hell of it. I gently placed the file on his desk. “I know it’s been a while. I heard through the grapevine by way of this big Russian dude with a bad haircut that you wanted to bring me home. Well, here I am.” I threw out my arms.
As a kid I’d been dramatic, but it had been all but beaten out of me in foster care. I’d learned being quiet was the best thing I could do. Now I didn’t need to worry.
“What is this shit?” Zane insisted.
“I suggest you take a couple moments to read over the documentation, Zane,” Montgomery suggested.
“Why should I?”
Poor Zane. He had no understanding of how powerful and ruthless Montgomery could be if you didn’t obey his every order.
My aching bottom was proof. But I wasn’t going to share my private joy with a pig like Zane.
Montgomery placed his hands on the edge of Zane’s desk, leaning over in a non-threatening way that was entirely and deliciously threatening. Enough so that Zane reared back, but grabbed the file as well. “You need to look at the file, Zane.”
Zane darted his eyes back and forth between us before following orders. Seeing his complexion shifting from rose to pasty white was good for my soul.
“This is bullshit,” he stated, but there was no conviction in his voice.
“Oh, I assure you it’s not. There’s more.” My words now had an icy edge.
“Why the fuck are you doing this?” Poor Zane was now shaking.
“Why? Okay, fair enough. I tried to figure out why you bothered wining and dining me when you obviously couldn’t stand me. You didn’t like the way I dressed or my makeup. You called my suncatchers stupid and trashed my Ouija board. I couldn’t help that the spirits hated you. I should have listened to them. I should have known you were a worthless son of a bitch. I mean the lies you told. The bullshit. Hell, you were fucking everyone but me. Yet you wanted me under your control. It took this man, this gloriously sexy man crashing into my life to figure out why. You knew how close I was with Danny, at least before he went to work with the Russian czar you’ve been stabbing in the back. You thought you could use me to discover aspects of Papovek’s inner circle to use to your benefit. You just didn’t count on the fact that I could cut Danny out of my life. Right?”
Zane snorted.
“Listen to the lady, Zane.” Montgomery had an itchy trigger finger.
I squeezed Montgomery’s arm just for effect. “You’ll have to forgive Montgomery’s attitude. He doesn’t like when he hears stories about how his lady, or as he refers to me, his French flower was abused by a pinprick of a man such as yourself. It makes him cranky, which you don’t want. I’ll give you credit. You were able to obtain enough details from berating Danny to use in creative ways with Papovek. Tsk. Tsk. You should know betraying a Russian is bad for your health. They have long memories.”
“You’re fucking out of your mind. Get out of my office.”
Zane’s sudden outburst didn’t sit well with Montgomery. He had Zane off the floor and against the wall before I could blink. With the pressure my handsome hunk was using, Zane was already huffing and clawing.
“I told you he’s cranky, Zane. Don’t worry, darling. I’m almost finished with this piece of scum. I’m aware you were part of having Danny killed, Zane. Fearful he’d spill the beans to your good buddy Papovek. Unfortunately for my brother, the Russian got to him first. However, his death will not be in vain. While I’d love for you to suffer in the same ways you forced on me followed by a bullet lodged in your brain, I’m more civilized. Plus, I have a date tonight I do not want to miss. So we’re going to leave it to the authorities to handle.”
Right on cue, Gio opened the door, allowing members of New York’s finest to walk into Zane’s office.
I winked at Montgomery who reluctantly let him go.
