faded quickly. “What happened? With your parents?”
“Dead. Overdosed.” He ambled to the tub and stripped the rest of his clothes. “I ran away before that happened. Finished my last year of high school while living on the streets.”
“How did you do it?” She touched her chin to her shoulder, meeting his eyes. “I mean, you’re clearly successful and wealthy. How?”
“A single, horrifying, unfortunate event.” He stepped in, sliding into the water behind her.
She stared at his legs, so hard and powerful as they wedged in around her, dwarfing her body. “An unfortunate event led to…a fortune?”
“A fortune in things that matter.” His arms glided around her waist, pulling her back to his chest. “I’ll tell you about it some other time.”
“You’re leaving in a few days.”
“Not without you.”
She melted. Every muscle, sinew, and bone dissolved before she could stifle the reaction. No matter what he promised, she couldn’t leave. Was he an idiot? Or maybe he thought she was.
Pushing herself upright, she refused to let any man, including this one, make her feel weak and manipulated.
He held onto her hips, and she yanked at his hands. When he finally released her, she spun away, splashing water over the edge.
The tub wasn’t big enough for the two of them, but she wasn’t leaving it until she had answers.
“Where have you been for the past hour?” She inched back against the opposite end, facing him.
“With Marco. Instructing him on how to bring a woman to orgasm.”
“What?” Her jaw dropped. “Why?”
“He wanted to know my technique.” He pulled her feet onto his lap beneath the water and stroked a hand along her ankle. “Giving him a few pointers seemed less painful than pissing him off.”
“Did you…?” Her face flamed. She really didn’t want to ask this, but she needed to know. “Did you demonstrate on someone?”
“No.” His voice lacked insistence or any emotion. He didn’t seem to care if she believed him or not.
“Marco doesn’t do things without causing discomfort or pain to someone else. He was probably fucking with you.”
“I don’t disagree.”
“And you associate with him. What does that say about you?” She yanked her legs away from his touch.
“Why are we discussing him when there’s something else weighing heavier on your mind? You’re not one to hold back, Gina. Let’s hear it.”
“All right. Why am I here when you were all over her tonight?”
“If I wanted Vera in my bed, she would be here right now.” He studied her carefully, his arms draped over the back of the tub, his presence overbearing, unnervingly still. After a long, watchful moment, he released a breath. “I need something from her.”
“The location of the compound.” Her pulse increased. “You think you can fuck it out of her.”
“I know I can.”
Irrational pain swelled behind her breastbone and seeped into her voice. “If she gives it to you, what happens next?”
“You’re jealous.” He lunged forward and touched a finger to her mouth, silencing her objection. “I’m giving you the truth, even when it hurts.” His hand trailed along her jaw, flaming her skin. “I’m jealous, too. I feel this constant, unreasonable impulse to piss a circle around you, to throat punch anyone who looks at you, including Tomas…” He laughed and dragged a hand down his face. “That’s definitely a first for me.”
She liked the sound of that. Too much. Sucking in a tight breath, she turned her head away. “Answer my question.”
“I’ve answered enough for now. Trust goes both ways. I give a little. You give a little. Eventually, we meet in the middle.” He glanced at the closed door and leaned in, bracing his elbows on bent knees. “I know that confiding in me means risking not just your life but your mother’s life, as well. I’ll help you the best that I can, but you have to help me.”
He extended a hand to her, and she stared at it with a lump in her throat.
From what she’d surmised, his role as a slave buyer was a cover-up for something far more insidious. She knew crucial things about the organization and the compound that could help him, whether he was gathering intel or planning a hit.
But if he killed Marco and started a war, what would happen to her and the only person she cared about?
What would happen if he left and she never saw him again?
She could die either way. But if she helped him… If she could bring herself to trust him, he might be her only way out.