He moved with measured calculation.
Now, close up, he had shown who he truly was. A jagged soul who spoke with a raw cruelty, and for some reason, hated me.
A scar-faced man stepped up behind him. “Cassius, want me to do it?”
I replayed his name in my mind. Cassius was too elegant for a monster like him.
He rose to his feet and stepped out of the closet. “Take her. But don’t hurt her. No one gets the pleasure of hurting a Glassman but me.” His lips tipped up into a smirk.
With a gesture of command, two of Cassius’s men hurried forward and yanked me up. They dragged me out, and I went with them, moving fast, unable to resist. I was shoved forward across my bedroom, and my feet barely kept up with being hauled along.
They manhandled me down the stairs to the ground floor. When we reached the kitchen, I was shoved onto my knees, bruising them.
Cassius’s commanding presence made the other men straighten up around him. When his attention zeroed in on me again, it sent a chill down my spine. He came closer with an air of arrogance.
One of the men gave a nod of authority. “House is clear, sir. Only her.”
He shook his head. “They’re here. Somewhere. Find them.”
“We could burn it down when we leave,” said Scarface.
Panic lodged in my chest, and I shook my head in dread. Not with Archie hiding out here. Not when my parents had somehow found a place to shelter.
“I’m begging you, don’t,” I said.
“Want to show us where they’re hiding then?” said Scarface.
“I don’t know.” I hoped they’d believe me and not go looking for Archie.
Cassius gave me a look someone would give when considering their next move. His subtle cologne contradicted his fierceness with the hint of a balmy breeze.
He stood there, hands in pockets, tall and dashing like he’d stepped out of a successful business meeting and wasn’t in the middle of a home invasion. Like a man whose reputation was flawless. That strong jawline and seductive presence all added up to someone else. The tattoos on his hands were the only clue he didn’t follow the rules.
“Your parents threw you to the wolves, Anya.” His eyes flashed with revelry. “For which we’re grateful.”
His words snapped me back to that moment when Dad had sent me off to look for Archie. The look of horror in Mom’s eyes. They’d disappeared and hadn’t waited. I shouldn’t be surprised.
Cassius’s eyelids flickered with interest. “They were in this house when we arrived. Where are they?”
Had these men been watching our home?
“They left.” I tried to sound convincing. The truth was that my parents had vanished into thin air in the seconds it took to get to my brother’s room and back.
“I don’t know anything,” I snapped.
From behind, a foot kicked my spine, sending a shock of pain into my back.
“Do that again,” Cassius sneered at the one who’d kicked me, “and I will acquaint your brain with a bullet.”
I matched Cassius glare for glare. “If it’s the silver you want, take it.”
He gave a ghost of a smile to mock me.
“She’s lying?” asked Scarface.
Cassius motioned to me with a flick of his hand. “Up.”
Obediently pushing to my feet, I faced off with Cassius with a jaw taut with rebellion.
“Where’s your brother?” he asked.
“Out.”
He dragged his teeth over his bottom lip. “Don’t lie, Anya.”
“He’s at basketball.”
“Where?”
“College.”
“Which one?”
I hesitated. . .
“Your brother doesn’t go to college. Neither do you. You were homeschooled. He still is.” He towered over me with a threatening stance. “Care to revise that?”
Struggling to refill my lungs, I burst out, “I can’t think.”
“Do you know who I am?”
I shook my head while glancing at the others as though that might reveal it.
“Your father never warned you about me?”
“No.”
He looked amused. “Though we really can’t trust anything a Glassman says.”
“We have an alarm.”
“Disarmed,” said Scarface.
Cassius glared at him, and the man fell silent again.
“My dad would have called the police.” I braced for a strike from Cassius.
“Trust me.” He looked defiant. “Your father wouldn’t want to bring them here. Want to know why?”
“He would do anything to protect us.” Though even as those words spilled out, my eyes must have reflected the truth.
Cassius reached out and pressed his thumb against my lips, gently rubbing the plump skin. My face burned with shame. No man had ever touched me like this. I’d never shared an intimate moment with anyone, and it felt like my being was being stormed by fire. At the same time, sensations were stirring in places I never touched, tingles alighting and bringing a heady rush.
“You like that?” he said.
I bit down on his thumb.
“I’ve killed for less, Anya.” His words hit their intended mark.
My jaw slacked, and I eased my bite.
He slid his thumb out and grabbed my jaw with an ironclad hold, fingers digging in painfully. “Glad we understand each other.”