Now dread replaces the glee. “Are you going to kill me?”
He studies me for several moments, and I study him back. I have to admit, I see the appeal. His black hair is thick, and his dusky skin brings out the deep glow of his black eyes. He has Russian features, straight and strong, and his body is hard-cut muscle. The glittering panther tattoo across his neck is both beautiful and terrifying.
“I suppose that’s up to you. Do you want to live?” he asks.
I’ll answer that later. “How did you break through the encryption on her phone?”
He lifts one shoulder. “I saw her key in the code.”
I’m going to smack her so hard next time I see her. She knows not to let anybody see a code to anything. She’s trusting this man far too much. I may have to take him out. Of course, he may have the same plans for me.
“Are you going to kill me?” I ask again.
His gaze hasn’t changed. Neither has his expression. “I would prefer not to do so.”
The man next to him looks at him swiftly and then looks away.
“Why did you just say that?” I ask.
“Because it’s the truth,” Alexei says smoothly. “I want us to have a good working relationship, and that has to begin with honesty.”
“Your buddy’s surprised you told me that.”
He nods. “I’m well aware.”
We drive into the underground garage of one of Silicon Valley’s high-rise buildings, only seven or eight blocks from Rosalie’s law firm, and the van parks near the elevator.
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Alexei says. “We’re going to exit the vehicle, walk nicely to the elevator, and ride up to the penthouse. The security cameras are briefly disabled. You scream, I’ll stop you. You try to run, I’ll stop you. You try to fight ...” He pauses.
“You’ll stop me?” I ask sarcastically.
His gaze warms, and, frankly, it’s a little charming. “Yes.”
I don’t see as I have much choice right now, so I do exactly as he says. I can’t run from all three of them, and we ride the elevator to the penthouse. Nobody sees us. Nobody hears us. We walk out into what can only be considered a ridiculously opulent entryway with real marble tiles in gold-gilded accents.
“This place is cheesy,” I say.
He shrugs and opens the double door, gesturing me inside the resplendent space. “It was the only one available on such a short notice.”
The place feels too far away from the ground. Escaping via a window isn’t possible if I want to live. “I deeply regret that Rosalie has unfrozen your funds.” I stomp inside and look around at the already furnished front room. The furniture is stark white, the accents black and gold. Some people might find it beautiful and cold. I find it cheesy and dorky.
Alexei gestures me back to the right, and we move down a long hallway. He opens a door to reveal a plush bedroom decorated in whites and yellows.
“Guest bedroom,” he says, “is yours.” He moves to the next room where several computers are already set up, and my interest is piqued. They’re top of the line, and they’re new. So he’s taken me for my computer skills. Good. For a few moments, I feared that he had kidnapped me in order to manipulate or blackmail Rosalie.
I walk over and sit in a chair perfectly ergonomically set for my height and weight. Apparently, people with money can make things happen quickly. “What do you want, Alexei?”
He leans against the doorway, looking tall and powerful. “I have a list. The first thing I want to know directly from you is why Urbano Reyes wants you dead.”
“I don’t know who that is.” A chill hollows me out from the inside. “How do you know he wants me dead?”
“Because I promised to kill you for him.”
I can’t breathe. Fear flexes icy fingers beneath my skin. I scrutinize the computers before facing the threat again. “You want me to conduct work for you, and then you’re going to kill me?”
“Your fate is in your own hands.” He presses his lips together as if not wanting to say anything further and then sighs. “If this helps, I don’t like killing innocent women, and from everything I can tell, you’re about as innocent as they come.”
The hottie Russian is dead wrong about that. Rosalie obviously hasn’t told him that I nearly killed Thorn Beathach on purpose. That’s a fact I’ll keep to myself. “You don’t seem like a guy who breaks your promises.”
