Beautiful Seduction

CHAPTER16

Cassidy

Anger.

The strong emotion had welled up inside of me, leaving me with the feeling of being suffocated. The bastard had said nothing to me during the flight, providing no reason for the sudden return to New York. Since then, I’d felt like a prisoner, even if I’d been allowed to roam the massive interior of the estate.

There were soldiers everywhere, all of them carrying weapons. I’d seen dozens of people come and go since we’d arrived. I’d also heard Russian being spoken. Whatever the hell was going on indicated an escalation of the battle Valentin and his family were facing.

Maybe it had turned into a crisis. And I was stuck in the middle of it.

While I certainly felt protected in the environment, I needed answers. I was finished with playing both the damsel in distress and Valentin’s plaything.

I also had a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that wouldn’t go away.

I moved down the hallway, avoiding the soldiers that left a still closed room. I knew Valentin was inside, the multiple voices floating past the heavy wooden door. Without hesitation, I sucked in my breath and barged in.

The five men remaining inside all turned their heads in my direction.

“Valentin. I need to speak with you. Now.” I didn’t wait to see their reaction. I could already imagine how furious he was because of my interruption. At this point, I didn’t care.

Even though I’d already started to walk down the hallway, I didn’t make it four feet before Valentin grabbed my arm, slamming me against the wall. Then he shoved my cellphone in my face.

“Do you see this man?” he snarled. Even after all we’d been through, he’d never been this furious or rough with me.

“Yes. What does it matter?”

He half laughed, his eyes wild from the rage that continued to build. “Because he’s a hired assassin, Cassidy, a man trained to kill.”

“What? You’re crazy.” What the hell was he talking about?

“Am I? Maybe your little game is something you thought you could keep a secret, but in my world, secrets ensure your early death. I hired this man on two occasions to handle business. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

He dug his fingers into me and in truth, what he was saying terrified me more than his brutal actions. “Even if that happened before, he’s dead.”

“Bullshit. He’s the man behind killing Lazor Adamos.”

When I didn’t answer, he shook me, leaning in, his glare sharpening.

“That’s impossible,” I huffed, but the nagging I’d felt the entire time I’d been with him surfaced all over again. He’d never brought any work home. There’d been no papers, every interaction on his computer kept private. While we’d had a joint bank account, he’d always transferred money from another account, one I’d tried to trace after he’d taken everything from me.

Christopher’s laugh had been dark and dangerous.

Just like the man holding me.

“Come with me.” Valentin didn’t give me an option, dragging me down the hall past several rooms. Then he pulled me into a smaller living room, slamming the door behind him. “Sit down.”

I knew better than to argue with him, moving toward one of the chairs and easing onto the edge.

“Did you know? If you lie to me, so help me God.”

Swallowing, I stared up at him as he paced the floor. “No. I knew something was off, but I already told you that.”

“Do not lie to me! This is far too important,” he snapped.

“I’m not lying. Why would I lie? My God. I hated the man. He lied to me about everything.”

He snorted, shaking his head. “Unbelievable.”