Page 5 of Ruthless

“How could you do this, Dirk? People died. Shelby died!”

“Yeah, well. War is hell and all that.”

“War?”

“Relax, Lina,” he said dryly. “It’s just an expression.”

She could not fathom how she had ever found this man attractive. The wickedness in his expression and the cruelty in his eyes had turned his once handsome face into a dark, ugly mask of evil.

“Now, let’s talk about you.”

“Me?” She took another step back. “What about me? Is this for ransom?”

“The others are for ransom. You, my dear, are for something else.”

“What do you mean?” she whispered.

“You’re my reward.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

“It means I get to do what I want with you.”

She backed up until the backs of her legs hit the cot. “I’ll kill you before I let you touch me.”

He laughed and then, in a mocking, obnoxious tone, said, “You really bought my act, didn’t you?”

She ground her teeth together, refusing to answer.

“I have to admit, you were amusing. Your naïve, idealistic view of the world was entertaining. When you talked about world peace and how you believed that if people would just sit down and talk to each other, find some common ground, peace was possible, I was torn between killing you to end my misery or just walking away. Nobody would find that innocence and idealism remotely attractive.”

She stiffened her shoulders, refusing to be insulted. This man’s opinion meant nothing to her. “Then why didn’t you?”

“Because, baby, no matter how stupid and naïve you are, you’re worth a lot of cash.”

She told herself that her situation was much more dire than having her feelings hurt or her heart broken, but she couldn’t prevent the crushing weight on her spirit. She had always tried to look for the good in others and had truly believed that there was kindness in all people. In just a matter of minutes, this man had proven her wrong. There was nothing good inside him. He was evil personified.

His grin grew cockier. “Aw, don’t worry. We’ll find you someone special. There are already three I have my eye on. Their initial offers are quite intriguing.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re my payday.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means, my dear, that you’ve been put on sale.”

“Sale?” she said faintly.

“Yeah. You’re on the auction block. Like I said, I already have three offers. All of them are excited to get their hands on a real-life princess. I still think I can do better, though. I just need you to do something for me.”

She couldn’t back up any farther, and she had no special skills to protect herself.

She did the only thing she knew she could fight him with and that was words. Surely he had a conscience somewhere. “Don’t do this, Dirk. You’re better than this. Your father wouldn’t want you to do this. What will he think?”

“Oh, that was my only other request. Daddy dearest is already burning in hell.”

“Your father is dead?”

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