Page 45 of Hearts Of Darkness

He nods. “Like most of us here.”

I’m getting that strange feeling again, but I slide it to the back of my mind. Meanwhile, the gray has given up on the lack of apple and attention and has wandered off to join the other horse.

“What does Dante call him?”

“Tramposa.”

“Is that Spanish? What does it mean?”

“Trickster, cheater.”

“Does Dante name all his horses after his character flaws?”

He shrugs his shoulders. “I respect myjefetoo much to answer that.”

“Manuel!”

A sharp voice behind us causes Tramposa and the other horse to throw their heads up. The smile drops from the guard’s face, and he leaps away from me with a curse. A giant is striding up the road toward us with the same unflinching, alpha swagger as Dante’s. He’s the guy from the other night, and I blush when I remember how much I’d kicked off in his arms.

“Get back to warehouse seven,” he barks at Manuel. “Inspection is at sixteen hundred hours.”

“Yes, señor.”

“You’re American,” I blurt out, causing both men to turn in my direction.How did I not notice this before?

“Genius deduction,” drawls the giant, making my cheeks redden. “Was it the accent that gave me away?”

His cold gray-blue eyes are appraising me, giving me nothing. That poker face is so achingly familiar, too. It’s the same one Dante wears whenever he’s mad about something.

“Dante’s been delayed. He’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Oh, right.”

The man runs his hand across his jaw. I get the feeling he wants to say something else, but something’s stopping him.

“Is he okay?” I venture cautiously.

“He won’t be if you keep on flirting with his recruits. Neither will they, for that matter.”

Manuel flinches. “Please, Señor Grayson…”

The poor guy looks terrified.

“I’d keep your mouth shut about this if I were you. Get out of here, Manuel. Go.”

He’s gone without so much as a backward glance at me.

“I’d hardly callthatflirting,” I say tightly, angered by this man’s censorious behavior. I’m not usually this rude, but he’s being an asshole.

“I’m just offering you a piece of advice, Miss Miller.”

“Well, you know what you can do with your advice, don’t you?”

A ghost of a smile starts to favor his mouth.

“And what the hell is so funny?” I demand angrily.

He sighs and runs his hand across his jawline again. “For a moment there, I could kinda see what all the fuss is about.”

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