Indebted - Piper Stone Page 0,29

something else. He was holding a secret.

Exhaling, I swirled the amber liquid in the glass as I studied the diplomas he’d displayed proudly on the wall. I continued to crowd his space, taking my time finishing the drink. “That’s good to hear. I value loyalty more than almost anything else, Stephen. It’s important to me both personally as well as professionally. I have far too much to lose. Do you understand?”

“I understand completely.”

“I don’t like people who lie to me or try and take advantage on any level. I’m afraid that you’ve broken the rules, Stephen, and that troubles me significantly.”

“Broken the rules?” he asked, laughing. The fucker actually found amusement in my concern.

Rage boiled within me, creating flashes of light across my field of vision. I smashed the glass against his desk then wrapped my hand around his wrist, dragging it over the sharp edges of the broken crystal. “As you can tell, when things are broken, they often become difficult to handle, even dangerous.”

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he hissed, struggling to pull his arm away but I was much stronger. His breathing became ragged, sweat now trickling down both sides of his face.

“Just reminding you that there are regulations that must be kept intact, or the consequences could be destructive.” I kept the rigorous hold, his hand and open fingers only centimeters away from the shards. “Do we have an understanding?”

When he hesitated, I jerked his arm up several inches, bringing it down both quickly and with significant force.

Stopping less than a centimeter from the shattered edges.

“Oh, Jesus. Oh, fuck. Oh... Yes, Mr. Masters. Yes, we have an understanding!” he half screeched, his entire body shaking.

“Excellent. I thought you would say that.” I released my hold, walking away and buttoning my jacket. I heard him gasping for air as I headed for the door. As I placed my hand on the knob, I stopped once again, not bothering to turn and face him. “Needless to say, Stephen, if I have to make another visit, I’m not entirely certain I can be as... hospitable.”

“Yes, sir. I mean, I understand, sir.”

Nodding, I took a deep breath and walked out. He wouldn’t dare cross me again.

* * *

“Explain this to me again,” Aiden said as he lowered his voice, looking from one side of the club to the other. The posh facility was frequented by the upper echelon of society, but no one I would care to allow to hear the news. “You own a woman based on the last will and testament of a man who stole vital information from you that could potentially ruin you.”

I lifted a single eyebrow before taking another swallow of the same scotch I’d found in Stephen’s office. The taste was extraordinary. “The situation is complicated.”

“I guess so. Just unusual tactics, although I shouldn’t put anything past you. How is this going to help whatever big deal you’re been working on?”

Bobby Rivers had been assigned to watch her, perhaps in case Luis didn’t follow through with whatever deal he made. My guess is that he’d then been told to frame her. Was it possible the information had yet to be delivered and that was the reason, to scare him? A thought to be explored. If that was the case, Alessandra had a target on her back. Had Mr. Toro changed his mind, realizing he was likely to be killed? The thought was realistic, meaning the actual purchaser could believe she’d been given the information. That would make Luis very clever in my mind. “It will keep the wolves at bay until the contract is finalized.”

“Okay, I can see you’re not going to tell me, but I gotta ask. What the hell are you going to do with her?” he chided then sat back as he studied my face. “You can’t be serious that you’re going to keep her with you.”

“That’s my intent.”

“Is that what she wants?”

“It doesn’t matter what she wants,” I said in passing as I dragged my tongue across the glass. I wanted nothing more than to bury my face in her sweet wetness, feasting on every inch.

“That’s also illegal,” he muttered. “I’m no attorney but Jesus Christ, Gabriel, you just can’t do that. She’s not a slave.” When I said nothing, he whistled.

“She signed on the dotted line.”

“Yeah, likely under duress. Do you even like this woman?”

I bristled, shifting in my seat. I hadn’t been able to get her off my mind, which bothered the hell out of