changed outfits, keeping the one he’d given her at the club in her locker. She climbed in the back of the Lincoln town car.
Instantly, she realized her mistake.
She’d become complacent or maybe it was just that she was a freaking emotional mess tonight and that was interfering with her instincts.
Whatever it was, she should have been on alert the instant she opened that door. She’d been lucky this past month. He’d been away on business. He hadn’t been paying her as much attention.
Well, that was all changing.
“Hello, Betsy.”
The cloying scent of Old Spice filled the air, nearly choking her. Or maybe that was her fear. Her loathing.
“What? No greeting? That’s rude. Don’t you think that’s rude, Kit? Maybe you need a lesson on manners.”
The voice was like oil, coating her skin, blocking her senses. All she could hear was the beating of her heart. And it was going too fast. Sweat drenched her. Her breath came in pants.
Rein it in, Betsy. You can’t let him see your fear.
No, her fear just fed his depravity.
“Hello, Forrest,” she managed. Shoot, there was a wobble in her voice that she knew he’d pick up on.
He was evil. Pure evil. The worst person she’d met in her life. And that was saying something considering who she’d been married to. A bully. A murderer.
And the right-hand man of the asshole now sitting next to her. Forrest Robins.
The devil.
“Such a cold greeting when I’ve been gone so long. Why don’t you sit closer? Tell me how our mission has been going. I want to hear all about it.”
“I’ve given you my reports.”
Kit took a corner too fast and she slid closer to Forrest. Crap. The last thing she wanted was to breathe the same air he did, yet if she didn’t obey him, then her life would instantly become a whole lot more complicated.
And painful.
So she forced herself to stay where she was rather than sliding back across the seat.
He placed his big hand on her thigh. His little finger rubbed close to her pussy. Her insides shriveled.
It shocked her that he hadn’t raped her yet. For a man like Forrest, it would be nothing. Almost a rite of passage. He owned her. Why shouldn’t he use her?
But it seemed he enjoyed torturing her with the idea of it more. She knew it was coming. She just didn’t know when.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Or maybe he knew it would send her over the edge and he’d lose his little toy. His slave.
“Tell me what progress you’ve made with that idiot biker.”
She wanted to tell him that Ink was worth a thousand of him. A million. God, what she wouldn’t give to be in his arms right now. It shocked her how easily she let him touch her. Touch wasn’t something she’d been able to stomach for years. Yet she craved his touch.
His attention. His affection. Even his discipline.
She desired everything about him. Every inch.
She just wished that she wasn’t betraying him.
“Everything is progressing nicely. I told you that I made contact. We scene regularly.” She hadn’t told him exactly how they’d been scening but she wasn’t naïve enough to think that there weren’t spies in the club who were reporting her every move.
“That’s all?” His voice was silky smooth and she wasn’t fooled. When Forrest was at his deadliest, he didn’t yell or scream. He grew calm. People thought him sophisticated and charming. But he was a snake in the grass. He lured people in.
Then he attacked.
His hold on her thigh was so hard she knew she was going to bruise. How would she explain that to Ink?
Tick. Tick. Tick.
She searched for something to give him. “He wants my phone number. I think he might want to meet up outside the club.”
The grip on her thigh eased and she found herself breathing more easily. “That’s some progress. But I want more. I want you to infiltrate his life. I want you to gain his trust. I want you in their inner circle. Introduced to those fucking pricks he calls brothers. You’re my instrument to take him down and you need to be close in order to land the killing blow.”
Her breath grew faster. Sharper.
Damn. Don’t let him see your reaction.
“You’re planning on killing him?”
He barked out a laugh. “Why no, my dear, I’m not. Whatever gave you that idea?”
Surprise filled her as they pulled up outside Forrest’s mansion. It was a horrid thing. Cold, gray and sterile. She hated this place. Hated all it represented.
Her lack of freedom.
Kit