Page 1 of Vienna Bargain

Chapter 1

He’d never felt anger like this before. He wanted to hurt her. Really hurt her.

The way she’d hurt him.

Alena—was that even her name?—was a thief, and he was a fucking fool.

“Who are you?” Alexander was surprised how cold his voice sounded. It was the polar opposite of the white-hot rage shredding his insides, leaving gaping emotional wounds, the pain constant and relentless.

He had Alena pinned to the wall. Her hands were on his wrist, trying to weaken his hold on her neck. There were tear tracks on her cheeks. He’d squeezed too hard, almost choked her.

A vile, dark part of him wanted to squeeze harder. He loosened the pressure, the sane part of him horrified at what he’d just done.

Alena’s nails dug into his wrist and hand. “Let go.” Her voice was thin and reedy.

“Let go?” Alexander balled the hand not around her throat into a fist. “No. I think— I’m going to, to—” His teeth clicked as he clenched his jaw.

“Alexander, I’m so sorry,” Alena wheezed. “Let go and I’ll explain the parts I can.”

His anger was still burning inside, but instead of heat now his anger was frigid. Piercing cold, like Dante’s hell.

“You will explain everything.” Alexander released her neck only long enough to grab her shoulders and flip her around, facing the wall. He grabbed her wrists, forcing them together behind her back. The pashmina was still around his neck. It was too thick and bulky to make a good restraint, but he looped it around her wrists, tied a knot, then grabbed the knot, twisting it as if it were a tourniquet. She sucked in air between her teeth.

I’m hurting her. I need to loosen it.

Alexander closed his eyes and took a deep breath, locking away his emotions. Except for the anger. That he held on to.

With his free hand he grasped her shoulder, jerking her away from the wall and turning her towards the stairs.

He nudged her to walk, keeping the tension on the scarf around her wrists, even lifting a little to add pressure to her shoulders. Alexander realized that he’d turned her towards the stairs up. He’d started to take her back to his apartment.

He still wasn’t thinking clearly.

Alexander changed course, angling her towards the down staircase. As they passed the scattered pieces that had once been the box she was holding, Alena dodged to the side, briefly breaking his hold and kicked the largest remnant. It hit the wall and split into three pieces. Alexander lunged, grabbing her even as she kicked out, but not in time to prevent her from destroying it further. When he yanked her back her center of gravity was off and she fell against him.

He wanted to wrap his arms around her. Hold her. Take comfort in her touch and smell, even thought she was the reason he needed comfort.

Instead he grabbed the red pashmina and yanked it up. Her elbows locked and she was forced to bend forward to take the pressure off her shoulders

When they stepped out onto the first floor, a red light in the corner started to blink. A motion-activated camera. His security company had wanted one covering every room, hall, and stairwell, but he valued his privacy, and had said no to the cameras. Except on the ground floor—for the safety of the tenant businesses—and on the first floor, where the onsite Wagner Global offices, as well as his household staff’s offices, were. These motion-activated cameras were monitored by RTW Security. He paid for live monitoring, not just recording.

There had never been a break-in before, so tonight would be a good test to see if the obscene amount he was paying for security was worth it.

Alexander lowered her wrists and slid his hand from her shoulder up into her hair.

“Smile.” He yanked on her hair, jerking her head up.

“I assume you want me to see that blinking light?” Her voice had lost the soft, almost sorrowful note. Now it was cool and seemingly unconcerned.

He wanted to do something to her, hurt her, until she sounded as damaged as he felt.

“No.” Thankfully his voice didn’t shake—with either pain or rage. “It’s so the security team can start running facial recognition.”

“Ah. I assume the authorities will be joining us soon?”

“Hoping an audience will save you?” He forced her over to the glass door with the Wagner Global logo on it. “No, the authorities won’t be joining us.”

He yanked her wrists up, forcing her to bend at the waist. She tossed her head, getting her hair out of the way, and watched as he keyed in the code on the pad by the door.

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