over onto his side. Kat lifted him back into an upright position.
“I have a confession to make,” she said. “I did poison you. But it wasn’t in the bottle, it was on it. You were done the moment you took the wrapping off and touched it.”
Jared gave a soft moan. “Oh, don’t worry,” Kat continued. “The poison’s not lethal. It will only paralyze you for a few hours. You see, I needed your full attention, and this was the only way I could get it.”
She knelt in front of him. “When you imagined me on my knees, I bet this wasn’t what you had in mind.” She rested her chin on his leg and grinned spitefully. “And to think I used to be so scared of you. It makes you feel good when women are afraid, doesn’t it? I’ve seen the way you smile when you beat your whores bloody and make them beg for you to stop.”
Kat reached down and pulled a short dagger from her belt. Jared renewed his attempts to move, but his efforts were futile. Slowly, she dragged the tip of the blade along his inner thigh, stopping just before the outline of his manhood.
“Is this what you wanted to put in me?” she asked.
Again he let out a moan, his eyes begging for mercy. She clicked her tongue. “What’s wrong, Jared? Afraid I’m going to cut it off?”
She pressed the blade down until it pierced his flesh, but only slightly. “Is this what gives you the right to hurt women? This tiny piece of useless meat? Is that where your power comes from?”
She pulled the dagger away and stood up. Jared breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
“Lucky for you, I’m not as cruel as you are.” She walked to his desk and took a coin purse from the drawer. “You don’t mind, do you? I’ll need some extra gold after I’m gone.”
At that moment heavy footfalls could be heard coming down the hall. Jared’s eyes darted to the door and then back to Kat. A few seconds later there was a knock. The door slowly swung open to reveal Brutis, now dressed in a black leather vest and pants. He stepped inside.
Jared glared at Kat triumphantly.
“Are you not done with him yet?” Brutis asked.
“Give me one more minute,” Kat replied.
Jared’s triumph instantly turned to sheer terror.
Brutis frowned. “You sure you can go through with it?”
Kat’s eyes settled on Jared and she flashed a wicked smile. “I’m sure.”
Brutis gave a sharp nod and left the room.
“I should have mentioned it earlier,” Kat said, once he had gone. “Brutis really didn’t care too much for what you wanted to do to me. It didn’t take a lot to convince him that he would be better off running things around here.” She folded her arms. “Didn’t it occur to you that someone must have let me in here? I’m a good thief, but your office has a very good lock.”
She walked slowly across the room and sat beside him. “Right now you might be wondering why I’m doing this. Why have I gone to all this trouble? Well, the reason is simple. After two years of living in fear. Two years of beatings. Two years of dreading the day I would become a woman…I feel I owe you something. And after all – a princess always pays her debts.”
She took a moment to gaze at the dagger gripped lightly in her hand. “Goodbye, Jared.”
In a single swift motion she slit Jared’s throat. The poison kept him from jerking and sputtering as the blood poured from the wound and soaked his shirt. Kat stood up and watched impassively as the light faded from his eyes.
She thought about the moment she had plunged the dagger through Hank’s neck. After that she’d been unsure of how to feel. This time it was different. This time she would not be tormented by regret and uncertainty. This time…it was justice.
Kat wiped the dagger on Jared’s pants and put it away. She gave one final glance over her shoulder just before leaving the room. Jared’s blood was now pooling at his feet.
She sneered hatefully at her one time boss and abuser. “Goodbye…and good riddance.”
Chapter Seven
ETHAN SHIELDED HIS eyes from the morning sun that was cresting the top of the buildings. He took a deep cleansing breath. Even the stench of the city was preferable to the smell of stale beer and vomit that permeated the air inside the Hareesh headquarters.