Chapter 6 #2
He stared down at me with the same cold eyes I’d noticed after shots had rung out.
I instinctively knew he had more on his mind than desire to punish me, so I offered the same coolness in return.
“Your brothers are here, several others as well. They’re waiting in your office.” The driver was offering a condemning look at me as if the entire afternoon of chaos was mine to accept the blame.
Well, fuck him.
“Thank you, Jarvis. Tell them I’ll be right there after I tend to some business.”
Now I was business? I tried to pull away from him, but he wasn’t allowing any movement whatsoever.
My senses remained on high alert, uncertain what to expect. Maybe that was why, when he turned on his heel with my hand in his, walking me up the short flight of stairs and into his house, I remained silent.
With my heels and horrific nerves and his long strides, it was difficult to keep up with him.
As he led me through the house, I gathered a sense of him through the art on the walls, the furniture in the rooms. The man was eclectic, preferring no one particular style.
What I did note was that while the furniture was muted in color, the walls and art were a stark contrast.
Reds. Violets. Cobalt blues. Emerald greens. All dark and reeking of passion.
Much like the man.
My mind was muddled from the insufferable thoughts. They were completely inappropriate and unacceptable.
I was taken to a room with two doors. He didn’t take long in swinging them open and presenting the space with little more than releasing my hand. There was no ability to resist as he pried the leather strap of my briefcase from my hand. He took two steps away, reaching inside.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing? That’s mine.”
He wasn’t deterred by my outcry, taking his time until he discovered what he was looking for.
My phone.
“Give that to me.”
Holding it into the light, he chuckled as he twisted it in his fingers as if showing off a prize. “A new phone, I’m glad to see. I’ll return it in good time. I simply wouldn’t want you to call anyone who might interrupt our time together.”
His words were ominous, not exactly a threat, but a statement that he was in full control. Damn the man. He pocketed it, giving me another heated look before heading straight for a bar in the corner.
Unable to move, I held my arms and studied my new prison.
The room was exquisite with high ceilings, two walls covered in bookshelves with a loft above, windows surrounding the curved exterior.
A spiral staircase led to the platform where I could see leather furniture and additional dark wooden bookshelves.
In the area below was a conversation area, plush light tan loveseats and chairs surrounding a huge circular granite table. I noticed speakers every few feet lining the walls and on the other side of the room was a baby grand piano, perfectly polished and the highlight of the space.
He didn’t ask if I wanted a drink, yet he brought me one, eyeing me as he would an enemy until I acquiesced and accepted the offering. As I’d experienced before, the touch, while brief, created tickles of heat and thoughts of desire that had no place in the moment.
“Why am I here and do not tell me it’s about saving my life, Mr. Prince.
Even if I agree you kept me safe when an unhinged gunman entered what should have been a protected space, if all you’d wanted was to keep me protected, you could have dropped me off at a police station.
But you didn’t. You chose to take me against my will, which in the broadest terms is called kidnapping.
No matter your defense, you won’t be able to ignore the charges that will be presented to you. ”
With him being so close, I felt a frisson of something unfamiliar, stronger than the reactions I’d felt so far. I couldn’t put my finger on the difference, but it was crawling along my skin leaving me aching all over.
He took a sip of his drink and in response, I turned away, refusing to give him what he obviously wanted. Which was to keep me terrified.
I should learn never to underestimate him. He was quick, grabbing my wrist and holding me in place. “Are you finished with explaining the nuances of the law to me, Catherine? Because if you are, I need to ask you some questions.”
His outright refusal to admit that abducting me was morally and legally wrong defied everything within me. However, I reminded myself that career criminals believed themselves above the law. What I knew instinctively was that the sooner I satisfied his morbid curiosity, the sooner I could leave.
Assuming he was going to allow me. “I assure you I’ll have questions for you as well. But I’ll reserve those for the appropriate time. When I face you in court.”
“Don’t play coy with me.”
The man was cold as ice when he felt it necessary. I glanced down at the heavy crystal glass and he laughed.
“Do you honestly believe I’d poison your drink? Do you think I’d resort to something so beneath me?” When I didn’t say anything, he exchanged glasses, taking a gulp of the one I’d had in my hand. “I assure you if I wanted you dead, I wouldn’t use poison. Are you ready to answer some questions?”
His voice was too deep, too commanding, and a beat developed between my legs.
I nervously brought the glass to my lips, taking a sip. The burn was exactly what I needed. “What do you want to know?”
“When were you assigned to the case?” When I didn’t say anything, the flare of his nostrils indicated he was losing patience with me.
“This morning.”
He cocked his head. “This morning. Really?”
A laugh bubbled to the surface. “Do you honestly think I would have been so abhorrently unprepared had I been given the proper time to prepare?”
“You weren’t trying the case, Catherine.”
“Maybe not, but I’m a professional and I do not like anything to be tossed in my lap at the last minute.”
The way he was eying me carefully was a clear indication he didn’t believe me. Well, touché since I didn’t believe him when he’d said he was innocent.
“A consummate professional.”
Exasperated, I almost tossed the liquid into his face but knew doing so would only force his hand.
“Why are you goading me? Why? Why am I here? Is it because you’ve already crossed the line by taking me against my will?
Or are you afraid that I’m going to tell the authorities you pistol whipped a man and killed another right before my eyes?
I assure you that’s the last thing on my mind, Alexander.
I have a life to return to that I usually enjoy, friends I plan on spending time with.
I don’t need your brand of crazy hanging around my neck.
So don’t worry. I don’t intend on saying anything that could further put you into harm’s way. ”
“Except you’ve already threatened me with arrest for saving your life.”
Goddamn, the man was insufferable.
“Fine. I take back what I said. From what I can tell, you have enough to deal with.”
“Like you trying to put me in prison for a very long time.”
“If found guilty, which I very much believe you’ll be. You’re a bad man, Mr. Prince. You’ve done some terrible things.”
“You know this because of the time you’ve spent on my case or have you been following my social media pages? Either way, I’m flattered.”
Jesus. I hated the man. He took arrogance to an entirely different level. “I assure you that you’re not that interesting.”
The same look of amusement I’d seen before irked me to the point of doing something crazy.
Every time he crowded my space, I had two desires. One to shove him off and the other to drag him even closer. The dichotomy was confusing the hell out of me. From his scent to his broad shoulders and long legs, being this close to him broadcast the desire that I shouldn’t feel.
Certainly not for him.
“Then I guess we’ll need to change that.” He acted as if he was going to touch my face but curled his fingers at the last moment.
“You won’t change my mind. Now, if I’ve answered all your questions, I’d appreciate it if you’d return my phone.”
“As I told you before, Catherine, I was protecting you. Whoever those men were who came into the building likely killed everyone who got in their way. I assure you the fact you’re an officer of the law wouldn’t have stopped them from putting a bullet in that lovely brain of yours.
As far as the man I killed,” he was now so close that I was swaying back and forth, “he had the barrel of his gun pointed in your direction, not mine. So as you might imagine, I have several questions that need answers far beyond your circumvention of my bail hearing.”
What?
What was he trying to tell me? That I was the intended victim? I recoiled, every inch of my body tingling. That wasn’t possible. I had no enemies that I knew of. “You’re lying. He wasn’t trying to kill me.”
“I assure you that I’m not in the habit of lying. I can also tell you with certainty that I know what it looks like to be staring down the barrel of a weapon. I wasn’t.”
He was too close, his scent too strong. I couldn’t breathe let alone think around him. As soon as I backed away, he took a step closer as if playing a game of cat and mouse.
“I didn’t circumvent anything.” God, the man was a pig.
“I guess that remains to be seen. Who assigned the case to you?” Alexander snapped me back to the moment’s reality. The coldness had returned. The yin and yang of him was too much, too intoxicating.
He wanted me to fear and desire him at the same time.
“Get away from me.”
“Answer my question, Catherine. I won’t ask you again.”
I was breathless, my nerves on edge the same way my body was on fire.
“The DA. And don’t you dare try and discredit him. We are simply a very busy office since there are throngs of criminals running amok in New Orleans.” My snap was off the cuff as beads of perspiration formed on the top of my lip.