“Don’t worry, baby,” Ryan assured her as he kept the knife pointed at his target. “You’re worth one hell of a lot more than that to me.”
“Thank you.” She padded closer to him. Her fingers brushed over his shoulder. “I like to be appreciated.”
Jamar sent Ryan a quizzical glance, as if he could not figure out what in the hell was happening. Meanwhile, Charlotte just kept rolling with things. That was her style. Jamar tended to be the more by-the-book agent in their partnership.
Not that there was always a book for spies to follow. Sometimes, they all had to wing it.
“How did you know to look for her?” Ryan demanded.
“G-got a text. Her picture went everywhere.” A fast exhale from Edward. “When I saw her in the restaurant, I thought…my f-fuckin’ lucky day.”
Ryan shook his head. “No, it is not, in fact, your lucky day.”
Edward’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “I’m getting that.”
“Did you report that she was here?” Ryan pushed. “Did you tell Frederick that she was at this hotel?”
That sonofabitch Frederick. “And he ordered you to kill her? Frederick specifically gave the order?”
Simone’s fingers fluttered over Ryan’s back again. “That is just so incredibly rude. One day, you work for a man, and the next, he puts a bounty on your head.” She stepped to Ryan’s side and pointed toward Edward. “This is a valuable lesson for you to learn. You think you can trust Frederick? You can’t. He’ll turn on you just like he did on me. Then you’ll be the one with killers shooting up your lovely hotel suite.”
“I’ve never killed anyone before,” Edward confessed, looking as if he might cry.
“You don’t say.” Ryan shook his head. “Never would have guessed.” The jackass had been firing wildly in the suite. “So you thought you’d move up the totem pole by offing Simone? Sorry, but that is just not going to happen.”
“What’s a totem pole?” Edward scrunched his face.
Fuck. The prick was not staying on task. Ryan stepped closer to him. With the knife.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Simone tense. Dammit, was she remembering her own recent incident with a knife? Or maybe remembering how he’d slashed Alexei’s throat and left a knife lodged in his chest?
His head turned toward her. Sure enough, there was fear streaking across her lovely face. “Don’t,” Ryan bit out.
“Don’t what?”
Don’t be afraid of me. Don’t look at me that way.
But…
She was just staring at him as if she knew that he was a killer. He was. He would always be.
“Aren’t you supposed to be some super rich American?” Edward asked, his words tumbling out in a rush. “Heard the check-in staff talking about you.” He cleared his throat. “Have to say, you look, uh, really comfortable with that knife.”
Ryan turned back to the matter at hand. The dumbass. “I am comfortable with the knife.” He motioned toward Charlotte and Jamar. “And so are my guards.”
“Figured you’d have bodyguards close by.” A mumble from Edward. “Almost changed my plans when I saw them waiting outside of the elevator.”
“But you didn’t change your plans,” Ryan noted. Obviously. “You kept your weapons hidden, and you came into my suite, intending to kill my Simone.”
“Oh, I’m yours now?” Simone brushed against him once more.
He growled.
“Right.” A quick agreement from her. “I’m yours. You’re mine. Together forever.”
Edward tried to creep away.
Jamar’s grip tightened on Edward’s shoulder as he yanked him right back to Edward’s previous position. “We are about to make you vanish,” Jamar told him.
