Page 31 of Sinister Intentions

Nobody would hurt her.

Nobody would touch her.

Nobody but me.

A slow, sinister smile crept across my lips as I leaned back against the tiled wall.

My little punk, you just wait. She wanted to play a game of cat and mouse? Well, she was about to realize just how outmatched she truly was.

I couldn’t wait to see the surprise on her face when she discovered the cat had been the mouse all along.

I took a deep breath to collect myself and smoothed the hard edges of my smile back into an inscrutable mask.

I walked back, pretending to have no idea she was there, but instead of just walking by like earlier, I changed direction in a last-minute decision.

I brushed past her, my shoulder grazing the back of the seat as I walked by—a seemingly accidental brush that certainly wasn’t lost on her if her sudden stillness was any indication.

I suppressed my grin. I’d been close enough to catch a whiff of her scent, close enough so she would’ve felt the barest whisper of my touch. My gaze slid over her briefly, taking in the tense line ofher shoulders and the slight tremble in her hands as she gripped the menu tighter.

She was mere inches away, so deliciously close, and yet she remained oblivious to the fact that I observed every breath she took, every subtle shift of her body.

A low thrum of anticipation coiled deep in my core, and I had to resist the urge to reach out and rip that ridiculous hat from her head, forcing her to face me—to look into my eyes and see the dark promise shining there.

Only a little while longer.

Let her stew in the delicious suspense of this situation a little while longer.

I crossed the restaurant, slid back into my seat, and immediately pulled out my phone once more and fired off a quick text to Alex.

“Jemma’s with me. She’s going to spend some time with the family. I’ll have her back at your hotel by seven.”

This way, Alex and the Donnellys wouldn’t be alarmed at her sudden disappearance.

I could only imagine what would happen otherwise. If Isabella or Mirabella suddenly disappeared, I would tear the city apart in order to find them.

And as far as Alex was concerned, Jemma was like a little sister to him. At least, he’d been as protective of her as a big brother would be.

Alex sent me back a thumbs-up, and I hummed.

I would have a couple of hours with the little punk. Without distractions or interruptions.

My methods might be questionable, but it was time to settle things straight once and for all and get to the root of this.

If my suspicions about Jemma Donnelly being the hacker were right, she needed to be taken down a notch.

And I was the one to do it.

I couldn’t wait to get some answers in the process.

A sidelong glance revealed Jemma’s eyes were trained on me over the top of her menu before she hid again.

I couldn’t make out the exact details of her facial features, but after our last altercation, I didn’t need to see her to envision her reactions.

Soon enough, her pupils would be blown wide while she would suck in air, hovering between trepidation and sheer panic.

I grinned.

She was going to get a deliciously up-close-and-personal look at just how dangerous it was to go against me. And I couldn’t wait to see how long it took before she would beg for forgiveness.

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