Indebted - Piper Stone Page 0,13

Alessandra, because I will not tolerate a single lie. Not one. I assure you that I am an excellent observer, easily able to decipher when someone is lying to me. We will try this one last time. What. Did. You. See?”

I was torn between telling him the truth and actually testing his arrogant theory, but I thought better of pushing any envelope. “Snakes. They were alive.”

“I see. And what were these snakes doing?”

I darted a look at the rug before daring to keep my eyes locked on Mr. Masters’ face. “They were coming for me, slithering in my direction, prepared to wrap their bodies around me and squeeze the life away as they injected their venom.”

He tilted his head and even in the damn darkness, I could tell he continued to study me carefully. His new property. Just another possession.

“Excellent. I’m pleased with you; however, don’t be afraid of exploring the darkness that dwells deep within all of us. While you’re under my care, nothing is going to happen to you that you don’t deserve. There will be pain. There will be pleasure. There will be protection.”

Pain and pleasure? My God, he acted as if he was king of the world. The way he simply stated the sentences then said nothing more was unnerving. I felt my skin crawl again, only this time I could swear snakes had wrapped themselves around me. I took a deep breath, still trying to hold my head high. Why was he waiting to provide more of his rules?

“Why am I here?” I asked after at least a full minute had passed. “Everyone else thinks I’m a horrible person, capable of killing.”

He chuckled. “Are you?”

“Absolutely not! Who are you? How do you know me? Why did you arrange for me to be set free?” The strings the man must have pulled were tremendous. I’d learned enough about Bobby’s family to know they had significant clout.

“I assure you, Alessandra, that you are not free. You may never be free. That is dependent on your actions as we explore every layer of our relationship.”

“What relationship? I thought my penance was working for you just like my father did, a contractual obligation.” Maybe I was only hoping that was the case.

“I can see there was little time for providing explanations. For that I—”

“There was no time for explanations, Mr. Masters. I was handed a group of papers and told if I didn’t agree to them, I would wallow in prison for six years. Maybe more. And all because I was stupid enough to trust an inept attorney hired by my father.” I could feel his increasing anger even from where I stood. The rise and fall of his chest was almost as terrifying as his earlier words.

“I am curious. Why do you believe he was inept?” he asked, the tone of his voice dipping to little more than a husky vibe.

I shook my head. “Because he interviewed only one of the four dozen witnesses in the bar where the crime occurred and his cross examination of both the woman and the victim was subpar. Two questions were asked. Two. I was railroaded into the position of being the guilty party. Someone needed a fall guy and I will find out who and why. Trust me.”

He inched closer, still in the shadows but allowing me to see the contours of his chiseled face, the squareness of his jaw clenched tightly, and dark eyes that held a wild glow of fire as well as obsession. He was the epitome of gorgeous, the kind of man any woman would stare at from across the room. Sophisticated. Sexy.

Dangerous.

The attraction was instantaneous, catching my breath. I didn’t believe in love at first sight, but his dark and dominating tone alone was enough to create tingles skating down my legs.

“The simple fact is that you had the murder weapon in your hand. Is that not true, Alessandra?”

A series of shivers raced down the backs of my legs. “I don’t know how. I just don’t remember.”

“Interesting. Do not interrupt me again, Alessandra. As with everything you do, every behavior you display, there will be consequences. Some of which you may not like.”

I’d been around powerful men in my life, including my father. Seeing the way Mr. Masters attempted to maintain control, the single tic on the corner of his mouth a clear indication he was losing the battle, left me paralyzed. “Yes, sir. I apologize.” At this point, I didn’t mean the words, but I