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“He’s not my handler. He hired me for a job.”

“Then why did his voice change when I mentioned you?” Maxim’s eyes don’t leave mine. “Why did he sound like a man who has something personal at stake?”

I don’t have an answer for that. Ethan was professional with me, but never personal. Never anything that would suggest he cared about me beyond my usefulness to the operation.

Maxim heard something in his voice. Something that made him think there’s more to the story than I’m telling.

“He’s just doing his job,” I say. “Making sure his investment is protected.”

“Perhaps.” Maxim stands from the chair and moves toward me. Not quickly, not aggressively—just moving, closing the distance between us with a casualness that feels anything but casual. “But I don’t think that’s all it is.”

I hold my ground. I don’t step back, don’t look away, don’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me retreat. My heart is beating faster than it should be, and I can feel the warmth rising in my cheeks.

“Is he your boyfriend, Davina?”

The question catches me off guard. “What?”

“Mr. Mercer. Is he someone you were involved with, someone you’re still involved with?”

“No.” The word comes out too quickly. “He’s just the person who hired me. That’s it.”

Maxim stops a few feet away from me. Close enough that I can smell his cologne, something woodsy and subtle that doesn’t belong in this bare room.

“You’re very quick to deny it,” he says.

“Because it’s not true.”

“Or because you don’t want me to know.”

“Why would I care what you think about my personal life?”

He doesn’t answer that. Instead, he takes another step toward me, and suddenly the wall is at my back and he’s standing in front of me. His presence fills the space between us.

I should push past him, but I don’t move.

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a terrible liar?” he asks.

“I’m not lying.”

“Your mouth says one thing. Your face says another.” His gaze drops to my lips, then back up to my eyes. “You flush when you’re uncomfortable. Did you know that?”

I want to deny it, but I can feel the heat in my cheeks. He’s right. I’m flushing. He’s standing close enough to see it.

“Has he ever touched you?” Maxim’s voice is low, almost gentle. “Mr. Mercer. Has he ever put his hand on your arm, leaned in when he was talking to you?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Everything about you is my business right now.” He shifts slightly, and his hand comes up to rest on the wall beside my head. Not touching me. Just caging me in. “I’m trying to understand why a man would risk so much for a woman he claims is just a contractor.”

“He’s not risking anything for me. He’s doing his job.”

“Then why did he sound like he wanted to kill me when I suggested you might not leave here unharmed?”

I don’t have an answer. I don’t know what Ethan said, don’t know how he reacted, don’t know anything except what Maxim is choosing to tell me.

Maxim knows it.

He’s quiet for a moment, watching me with an expression I can’t read. Then he leans in closer, his mouth near my ear, and asks something that makes my whole body go rigid.