Page 103 of Code Violation

“Hey there, Vesper.”

Not waiting to be invited, he steps into the apartment and shuts the door behind him.

He doesn’t say another word, although he doesn’t need to, his smug smirk speaks for him. He walks over to the kitchen island and sets the pizza box down, laying a receipt on top.

“I included a twenty percent tip.” He grins at me over his shoulder, and my blood runs cold. “Though you can afford that now that you’re living the high life with rich hockey wives, right?”

Every cell in my body urges me to make a run for the door. Kane didn’t slide the dead bolt across, and I could be out and in the hallway in seconds.

I thumb over my shoulder, trying to think quickly on my feet. My phone is in the bathroom, but he doesn’t know that. I could lock myself inside and call Silas. Or 911.

“My purse is in the bedroom. Let me go and get it.”

He holds up a hand and moves toward me, deliberately blocking my route down the hallway. He’s always been smart, cunning, and calculating, and my insides twist at memories of when we were together.

On multiple occasions, Silas has asked me if Kane has ever hurt me physically, and I’ve always answered truthfully.

Tonight feels different though. The sinister look in his gray eyes is one I haven’t seen before.

“You’re probably wondering why security didn’t recognize me.” He tips the bill on his baseball cap. “It’s amazing what a simple disguise can do for you, along with any kind of uniform.”

“Let me pay what I owe and then you can leave,” I say so quietly that I can barely hear my own voice.

His eyes fall to my stomach, and I pull my robe tighter around me. I’m fully covered, but he’s looking at me like I’m naked.

My skin crawls beneath the weight of his gaze. It’s creepy and disgusting, reminding me of all the reasons why I used to sleep with my bed pushed against the wall so he couldn’t approach me from behind.

“Are you still pregnant, or have you seen the light?” Kane’s voice is as smug as his face.

I bet he’s really fucking proud of himself for getting the better of everyone tonight.

I decide to ignore his question, tipping my chin up. “How long have you been planning this for?”

He cocks his head to one side. “Planning what?”

“Breaking and entering my apartment and then refusing to let me retrieve my wallet so I can pay you.”

Surprise overtakes his face. He was expecting me to be fearful.

Not anymore.

Not now that I’m carrying a child. I’m going to be a mama, and if I’m having a girl, then she’ll learn from me how a guy should treat you with respect. And if it’s a boy, he’ll follow in his dad’s footsteps.

When Kane doesn’t answer, I take a step toward him, pressing my fingernails into my palms so hard that I’m sure they’ll leave crescent-shaped marks.

“The baby isn’t yours.”

He stinks of liquor and cigarettes, just like he always did.

Kane’s laugh is menacing. He doesn’t believe a word of what I just said.

“Oh, yeah? Whose baby is it then, Ves?” He scrubs a hand over his jaw, sharing a private joke with himself. “Is it Mason James’s? Oh my God, you just move from one alcoholic to the next, don’t you?”

I rise onto my tiptoes, still smiling despite him laughing at my expense. “It’s your brother’s,” I softly whisper.

He stops dead, eyes ablaze, jaw flexing. “Tell me that’s bullshit!”

I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t intimidated, but I refuse to let this man take any more pieces of me. Perhaps it’s the pregnancy hormones, or maybe I’ve just rediscovered what it’s like to love myself.