definitely the preferable option—I am at least a human being—I am not without my own methods for dealing with lying spies.”
Her breath hitches and her eyes widen, and for the first time her feathers are ruffled. “What? No. I’m not . . . what are you talking about?”
I sigh, frustrated with her, but also with my body’s own reaction to her discomfort. I’ve never wanted to pat someone comfortingly as I interrogated them, that’s for damn sure.
“What. Did. You. Hear?” I demand, my voice loud and booming.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Caleb’s eyes tighten, but he says nothing. He doesn’t like treating women like this, and neither do I, but we both know it has to be done in this instance.
Kitty winces but then looks at me haughtily, like no one has ever dared to yell at her. It makes me want to wipe the pout off her face and teach her some manners.
“Is this the part where I keep saying nothing or the part where I tell the truth?” She says ‘nothing’ like I did to Nikolai when I promised she’d keep her mouth shut no matter what.
“Truth,” I say, curious whether she’ll tell it.
“I heard it all,” she confesses boldly. “Safe passage to Brazil to spread Daddy’s ashes, pink diamonds for Mother Romanov, neither of you wanting to do it but sometimes having to do hard shit. Bad things for good reasons. That about sum it up . . . sir?” She tosses in that last word with so much attitude, she’s daring me to go through with the promise to punish her. I swear she is.
For the first time, Caleb swears and runs his fingers through his hair. “What are we gonna do, Nathan? She can’t go walking around knowing all this shit, man. Want me to call Jake?”
Kitty looks fearful for the first time, and maybe she finally gets the depth of danger she’s found herself in. I take the moment to evaluate. Could she actually be a spy? If so, she’s a pretty crappy one considering the fall from her hidey-hole spot. Could she have just been waiting on me as she said and gotten curious?
I consider his suggestion, knowing that it is the best and most assured way out of this mess. But there’s another problem. “If I kill her and go to this dinner meeting with Nikolai without her, he will question my judgment, my veracity, my power. And I need him to trust me, at least until I get to the caves and search them.”
Caleb knows I’m right, judging by the way he’s grinding his jaw like he used to when he had to work his way through something particularly disgusting to eat in some godforsaken village in the middle of nowhere. Finally, he says what’s really on his mind.
“Or you just give up on this stupid idea and let it go. Like I’ve been saying all along, there’s nothing there, Nathan.”
I’m not getting into this argument again and choose to stick with the matter at hand instead of rehashing old disagreements. Especially with a new guest in attendance.
“No, I think I’m going to keep her instead.” I smile at Kitty and blow her a sarcastic kiss. “Looks like I just got myself a new girlfriend, Brother.”
She shakes her head instantly, arguing, “No, no, no, no. Did I happen to mention No, like as in Fuck No? Because just in case I didn’t . . . no.”
Every word out of her mouth makes me more certain that I’m doing the right thing. She’s feisty, sassy, and smart, and I like that she is unafraid of me, even when I truly hold her life in my hands.
And no small part of me wants to turn every one of those noes into moaned yeses as she writhes on my cock. I don’t know what she’s doing to elicit that response from me so strongly. I’m more of a hit it and quit it kind of guy, but she makes me want long, repeated sessions. Her on her knees again, me pounding into her mouth. It makes me feel weak. She makes me question my strength.
“Argue all you wish, but the fact is, Nikolai has you in his sights now. He sees you as a loose end, but while you are with me, he has some degree of reassurance that you won’t interfere with his business. If he sees you without me, he will almost assuredly kill you just in case