Beautiful Seduction

Her question was one I had to think about. “Not always, Cassidy. I am a brutal man but I’m also fair. As long as my men are loyal and respect me, then I treat them fairly.”

“Respect is earned.”

“Not in my world.”

“I’d hate your world,” she half whispered.

“As I told you, there’s no turning back.”

“You’re serious.”

“You would be hunted because of our relationship, especially if not under my protection.” I dared to gaze into her eyes, expecting her to jerk away from me, but she opened her eyes wide, twisting her lovely mouth.

“I can’t just stay with you, especially here. I have a life. I’m not a possession.”

No, she was definitely not what I’d believed her to be or what my natural instincts had hungered for. When I said nothing, I felt her hand on my arm.

“Will you ever tell me about her?”

Her. The connotations hit me harder than I would have expected.

I jerked to my feet, the same rush of goddamn anger replacing the quiet peace I’d been allowed to feel. I should have learned a long time ago that even peace was not allowed. “It’s a subject that’s off limits. Let’s get something clear, Cassidy. You wanted into my world, you’re now inside.”

“Goddamn you. Why can’t you open up and tell me about your past? You act like you want me in your life, yet you won’t tell me anything. I can’t live like that. I’m not a puppet.” She pulled away from me, moving quickly toward the group of trees.

I rubbed my eyes, tired of the same banter. Whatever she was hiding was based in Chicago. It was time to find out what that secret was. After standing, I watched her head into the olive grove and took a few seconds before following, remaining behind her.

“You’re going to tell me about these threats, Cassidy. I’m done with playing games. You will be honest with me.” I’d lost control again, fucking her when I should have found out every fucking thing she knew.

She pulled the dress over her head. I glared at the marks crisscrossing her buttocks and legs and sighed. While she’d deserved the harsh punishment, I almost lost it around her. I’d sensed she’d already retreated back into the shell she’d been forced to place around herself, acting as if that was capable of protecting her from a man like me.

At least maybe now she’d tell me everything, realizing it was futile to try to deny me anything. I moved behind her, slipping her panties over her shoulder. When she bristled, I looked away.

“Now, you’re afraid of me again.”

“I’m not afraid of you, Valentin. I just don’t know what to expect from you. You hate me one minute and want me the next. I told you everything. I don’t know who threatened me, but I can guess. I’m no fool. Lazor Adamos thought I betrayed him. That was crazy. Of course I didn’t, at least on purpose.”

“How did you get the interview with Lazor in the first place and what message was he trying to provide?”

“The message was easy. He was trying to find out who assassinated his son, sending a message that he would hunt the person responsible.”

An interesting method to use.

After narrowing her eyes, she pressed her hand against her mouth. “As far as why me, I don’t honestly know. I had a call at the office, an exclusive offer. You can’t tell me the man didn’t know who my father was.”

“No, you’re right, which is what makes the entire situation more interesting.” I watched her in fascination, able to see she was confused, which meant she was either a damn good actress or had been used.

She grumbled under her breath, folding her arms before tipping her head in my direction. “When I accepted the job in Chicago, the incentive was allowing me a spot on the morning news as long as I handled various feature pieces for them. I was comfortable living in another state before that, but the allure and the money was irresistible. When I was tossed a story about a young woman who’d been lured into the Adamos world, something inside of me was thrown into a tailspin, needing to expose the human trafficking they were accused of.”

Human trafficking. I’d never heard that’s what the Adamos clan was into. I bristled at the thought. “Go on.”

“You don’t know me but when I have a story in front of me, I am dogged. After the first piece I did, that’s when I received the call from Lazor’s second in command, inviting me into the leader’s home for an exclusive interview. If you thought I was going to turn that down, you’re nuts. I was protected, not only by my cameraman and my producer who were with me, but we’d also brought a member of security. The interview was interesting, and it was supposed to be confidential, only certain portions released to the public after his approval. That was the deal that I tried to follow. Although Lazor never admitted his crimes, denying the human trafficking allegations, certain aspects of what he said were misconstrued, others used to link his organization to several murders, but not Lazor directly. The man was very careful in what he said. I only found out what happened the day I turned on the television, learning several members of his team had been arrested and Lazor had disappeared. From what I know, he’s remained in hiding.”

My hackles were instantly raised. “Was there anything about the interview that seemed out of the ordinary?” If Lazor had gone into hiding, then it was entirely possible Casimine had taken the helm.

Or Filip.

“Everything about it was strange. The man was very… accommodating. We sat by his pool and he offered me food. He even asked me questions.”