Willow frowned and I sensed dozens more questions. I threw back most of the glass, immediately reaching for the bottle until the phone rang again.
She immediately tensed as if in recognition of her special ring and I took a deep breath, slamming the glass on the wood before heading for my pants. After I glanced at the screen, I lifted my gaze in her direction.
“Find out what he has to say. Do not tell him you’re here. Do you understand?”
“Yes. I get it, Dimitrios. I’m no fool.”
Reluctantly, I handed her the phone, standing over her like the freaking barbarian I was.
“Shane? Where are you? I’ve been so worried.” She kept her eyes locked onto mine the entire time. “No, our parents are dead. Where are you? What is going on?”
When her brow furrowed, I tensed.
“What? I don’t understand. Who are you talking about? What are you telling me?” A few seconds later, she jerked the phone away, her entire arm shaking.
“What did he say to you?”
“He told me to run and that some bad men were after me.”
“Did he tell you who they were?”
She shook her head.
“You wouldn’t lie to me. Would you?”
Her concerned look turned into one of fury. She jerked back the sheets, hopping out of bed and tossing the liquid in my face. “Just when I think you might be the good man I knew you to be years ago, you act like an asshole. Fuck you, Dimitrios. No, I’m not lying.”
She stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
And my cock was immediately at full attention.
A deep exhale formed and as I was breathing out, I wiped my face with my hand, taking a few seconds to lick my fingers. Why the hell not? It was a sin to waste good ouzo.
My hunger knew no bounds, so insatiable that all the self-doubt I’d had was now tossed away. Laughing softly, I moved to the closet, finding one of my pristine bright red ties. This would do nicely.
I stole a quick glance at the weapon still in the same position on the nightstand where I’d placed it. However, the position was different. I wondered what my enchanted little dove had been up to. There was only one way to find out. With a wicked grin on my face, I kicked in the bathroom door, not giving a shit I’d splintered the door casing.
“What the fuck are you doing in here?” Her demand didn’t hold one scrap of fear, her eyes blazing as if a lit roaring fire.
“I wasn’t finished with you yet.”
“Tough. Get out. If you can’t believe me then we have nothing to talk about.” She turned toward me, folding her arms and cocking her rounded hip. She had no care she was standing fully naked in front of a very bad man. To her, I was just an annoyance, a man who’d placed his doubt in her. She glanced at the tie, curiosity rushing into that sweet mind of hers.
If only she knew what I had in store for her.
“Get the fuck out,” she repeated.
This hadn’t gone over very well. I took a single step closer, keeping a wry smile on my face. “Why should I believe you, little dove? You already mentioned you don’t know your brother that well any longer, so why should I buy the fact he had nothing to do with my brother’s murder?”
The question troubled her and I didn’t need to read minds or be a soothsayer to gather she wasn’t one hundred percent certain of what Shane was capable of either. But as I’d said my entire life, every person on earth had two sides and a breaking point.
Blood was a thick, oozing goo that could easily strangle anyone. Water simply washed off your back. She would stand by her claim until her death. I had to admire her spunk and resolve.
“Because he’s never shown any disregard for human life. He’s never abused an animal or crushed a bug. He’s a lover of nature and people. He just… I don’t think he’s happy with what he’s doing.”
I took another step closer. “Then what are you suggesting, darling woman? As you might imagine, I simply cannot allow Shane to fly on his own like a hawk waiting to feast on scraps of human flesh. In my world, that would damage my reputation significantly.”
“Your fucking reputation. Is that all you care about?”