Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 104729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
When she doesn’t sit right away, I push her shoulder down, forcing the movement.
Although she’s frail like a small dove, she’s no porcelain doll.
Anyone who did what she intended to do can face the consequences of their actions.
“I said sit,” I bark out, aggravation heavy in my voice.
“I’m not a dog that you can command.” Her comment makes me chuckle.
“No, you’re a caged bird.”
“Great metaphor,” she hisses. “Very lyrical. Now tell me why I’m here.”
“Is that really how you’re going to play it? I catch you snooping in my office, and this is how you’re going to act?” She leans forward in her chair, resting her elbow on the surface. Cocking her head to the side, she smiles. A coy smile filled with the innocence of a child who found her presents on Christmas Eve but is pretending she didn’t.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I had to go to the bathroom, and I opened the wrong door. By the time I stepped inside, the door had closed, but there was no doorknob.”
Now it’s my time to lean forward. Mimicking her position, I lift my brow in question.
“You really expect me to believe that?” I ask.
“Well.” Cue a broad saccharine smile. “Of course.”
My fist pounds the glass, making the table wobble under the pressure. “Cut the shit.”
Her eyes widen, and the silly smirk is now gone. She thought she had one more shot to pull one over on me.
She doesn’t. She won’t.
“Phoenix. Adoptive daughter of Michael Lawrence.”
Sitting across the table from me, she tries hard to appear unaffected by my revelation. Her face is stoic. She shows no emotion whatsoever.
But that is for the unobservant person. I have made it my lifelong mission to be able to read people. I don’t even know her, but I can tell knowing all of this secret information scares her. I watch as a little vein in her neck throbs, and her jaw tightens. At my news, I watch as her breasts heave on the inhale she takes. Again most people wouldn’t notice, but I see everything.
“So, what are we going to do with you?”
“I don’t suppose dropping me off at the next port would do.” She shrugs.
“No. I don’t think that’s in the cards right now.”
“Why don’t you tell me then?” She leans back in her chair, trying to look uninterested.
“Here’s what we’ll do. We are going to talk about you.”
She chuckles. “As if I’ll tell you anything about me.”
“You will.” There is no room for objection in my voice, but she just smiles.
“Oh, is big bad Alaric Prince going to torture me?” Her words drip with sarcasm.
“I won’t need to,” I respond coolly.
“I’m not going to speak.”
“Probably not.” I smile. But I don’t say another word. Instead, I reach for the glass of water in front of me.
As if on cue, one of my staff members brings out plates of fresh food. I didn’t know what she liked, so I had my chef make one of everything.
“Enough food here?” she says.
“I don’t think so, actually. Shall I order more?”
She shakes her head at my quip.
“How do you expect me to eat this?”
“With your mouth, obviously.”
She lifts her hands and puckers her lips. “With what hands?” she deadpans.
“From where I’m sitting, I see two perfectly good hands.”
“Tied hands,” she interjects.
“As you’re a rather resourceful girl, I don’t expect this to be a problem for you.”
She glares at me from across the table. “And how am I supposed to cut it?”
“Again, you’re resourceful. You did sneak into my office, after all.”
“A fat lot of good that did me,” she murmurs under her breath.
“You get an A for effort.”
She rolls her eyes before lowering her bound hands to the plate, and then she does something I don’t expect. She bypasses the fork altogether. Instead, she grabs the piece of French toast between her fingers and lifts it to her mouth. She pretends she doesn’t like it. Hell, she pretends she’s not starving, but I know she is. She eats the piece without ever lowering her hands, and once she’s done, she looks back up at me.
“Is this necessary?” She wiggles her arm around.
“No. It’s not,” I admit on a chuckle.
“Then why are you doing this?”
“Because I like to play before I go in for the kill.” Her face blanches at my words, but she’s quick to pull herself together.
“You plan on killing me?”
She stops eating now, and all her attention is focused on me, on what my answer will be. It’s impressive how calm Phoenix pretends to be. If it weren’t for the sound of a knee bouncing, I would think she’s unaffected by my threat.
“Still on the fence. It all depends.”
“Is this the part where you try to make a deal? Because if it is, you can hold your breath. I’m not going to tell you anything. I’m certainly not gonna tell you where my father is. And I’m not gonna be used as bait.”