Lib Novel Page 42
“I don’t believe you.”
“To be able to crush someone’s heart, it must be given to you first, Rafael. But, male pride on the other hand . . . Yeah, there have certainly been a few victims who saw theirs trampled.”
“That, I do not doubt.” I reach out and lightly stroke the dip of her neck. Her bare neck. “Where is the necklace I bought you?”
“In the box. Back in your office.”
“Why?”
“You can’t expect me to accept presents from you Rafael.”
“You didn’t seem to have a problem buying out half of the boutique. Why would one more little trinket matter?”
“That was me getting back at you for agitating Albini, and you know it. But I won’t wear jewelry bought by a man who’s keeping me as a prisoner. Do you shower all your hostages with gold and diamonds?”
“In my experience, people will choose to dismiss or ignore many things if the offsetting gift is expensive enough.”
“Well, sorry to be the one to break it to you, but money can’t buy everything.”
Her words slash through my chest like a knife. Is she alluding to me holding her against her will or to my looks? I’m guessing, the latter. The gown idea was stupid. Anybody can buy a dress. I need to give her something more astonishing. More exquisite. Something that will help her see beyond my fucked-up face. But what if there’s nothing that will get her to do that? Would she ever be able to?
Gritting my teeth, I take a step back. My hand falls away from Vasilisa’s neck, but my fingers keep tingling from that too-brief contact. Irritation and fury roil in my chest as I give her one final look in the mirror.
“Time to get going,” I say in a clipped tone and leave the dressing room.
Chapter 9
“This can’t be right,” I mumble, staring at the laptop screen.
“A problem, vespetta?” The deep voice comes from the corner of the office where Rafael is sitting.
A pleasant shiver runs down my spine, as it does every time he calls me that in that particular tone. Husky. Seductive. Intimate. Like smooth velvet gliding over my body, teasing my skin. My naked skin.
I grind my teeth, pushing away the mental images of me in Rafael’s arms while he traces his finger down my spine, just as he’d done a week ago at Albini’s. It was a mere few light touches, hardly noticeable, but I still can’t get them out of my mind.
“I fixed the data storage repository the day before yesterday, but it looks like someone managed to fuck up the software again,” I say, refusing to allow myself to look anywhere but at the screen.
It’s hard enough to keep my focus with him just in the room, constantly feeling his attention on me. Although I’ve gotten used to men looking at me and learned to disregard their ogles years ago, Rafael’s stares are very hard to ignore. He doesn’t glare at me with lust-imbued eyes that seem to strip away my clothes, making me feel cheap and somehow dirty, as if there’s nothing more to me than shapely flesh. Instead, it feels like Rafael is trying to peel away my outer layers, eager to reveal what lies beneath.
“That’s unfortunate. You’ll have to fix it again.”
“I can’t believe that a glorified decoy of a company can sprout so many issues.”
“It may serve as a front for my clandestine enterprise, but the profits from it nearly match its shadow sister.”
“So, not all personnel of Delta Security are actual hitmen?” From what I saw while working on the systems, there are over a hundred employees in his private security company.
“Of course not. One four-man team per branch only.”
“They always go in teams? What if there’s only a single target?”
“Are you planning on becoming my competitor, Miss Petrova?”
“Nope. Just curious.” I shrug. “You don’t have to tell me.”
But I truly want to know. I want to know so much more about him. The random tidbits I’ve picked up are not enough. Not that I expect him to tell me confidential things about his business.
“Most hit contracts are for a single target,” Rafael says, surprising me. “But that doesn’t mean they’re easy. We’re talking about very public, high-ranking individuals who have tight personal protection and often reside in heavily guarded locations. If they end up on my agenda, it often means that my business rivals have chosen to pass on the job, and not for the lack of lucrative value. As such, even though it may take only one operative to execute the target, to ensure his infiltration and subsequent extraction proceed smoothly, he needs support. Two team members provide surveillance. Another serves as a backup in case things go awry.”