Page 31 of Queen Of WildCards

ThemanI'dmaced last night looked pretty rough, the skin of his face still ragged and raw from its run-in with the peppered concoction in my can.Still, his haunting gaze held mine, a fierceness in those cold depths that instilled fear in me rather than the arousal the others' touches did.

Thiswas a man you didn't cross unless you wanted to die.

"Right,"Imurmured, lifting my head slowly fromJoker'slap to face my jailer—the oneIhad a sneaking suspicion it would all come down to.

Afterall, they all looked to him like he was the boss.Eventhe quiet one on the far wall bowed to his demands.

"Thetruth.Good," he purred, his lips curling slowly in a knowing smirk. "Perhapsyou're smarter thanIgave you credit for.Lyingwill get you nowhere with me."

Theonly thingIknew for sure wasIhad to get out of here before this man decidedIwasn't worth the trouble.

Herose and left me lying there, still halfway inSpade'slap andJoker'sarms, painfully aware thatIwas now the center of attention.Mybody spun around and sat up straight, prepared for whatever this red-faced man had in store for me.Hetook a seat in the chair directly opposite me and stretched out comfortably, his hands on his knees, legs spread, deadly gaze locked in on me.

"So, let's have a little chat, shall we,MissStanton?"

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

ACE

Herposture was rigid and tense, like a frightened rabbit in a corner, faced with the fox, but beneath that surface level, there was something thereIrecognized, a familiar look that struck a chord in me.Itwas oneIknew well, asI'dspent years trying to get it off my own face.

Defiance.

Beneathher shaken resolve, there was a warrior brewing, a survivor hardened to the worst this world had to offer.

Whathad this little minx endured to hold such a heavy burden beneath her outer shell?

Ishook my head, hating the momentary weakness that was my curiosity.Ididn't have time to dissect her emotionally.Andconsidering she was a shrink, there was no doubt in my mind her little brain was running double-time trying to find a way out of this.

Toobad for her she wouldn't get the chance to escape.Ididn't allow loose ends, and she was like a slowly-unraveling string at the end of a knot.Onelittle tug by the wrong hand and all our secrets were fair game.Thatput us all in danger, and that was unacceptable.

"MalloryStanton, mid-twenties, licensed therapist."Ilifted the dossierBlackJackput together for me and thumbed through the papers nestled inside, making a point to gaze up at her asIflipped page after page of informationIalready had memorized.Myeyes still stung, and the skin of my face and throat ached something fierce, butIdidn't need my eyes to hear her quick intake of breath, see her tense posture, or smell the fear rolling off her.Yearsbeneath my grandfather and uncles in tutelage to theYakuzahad honed my other senses.Youlearned quickly that should you lose one sense, you needed to be able to rely on your remaining ones to fill the gap.Anunprepared man was often a dead one within seconds.

Myeyes rose to hers again, locking in on that warrior underneath, the survivor.Perhapsit would be quickest to appeal to the side of her she thought she could hide from me. "Yourfather was a piece of work, wasn't he?"

Hereyes flickered with shame and hatred for a split second before the mask came down over her eyes, guarding all her secrets. "Idon't know what you mean."

Toobad you already told them to me, sweetheart.

"Surelyyou knowI'mtalking aboutSlimJimhimself.Theman is a legend in the underbelly of our city.Thoughthat's one man greased by too many wheels, if you catch my drift.Notto be trusted."

Istudied her reaction, but the girl determined to win this battle of wills had come out to play against whatIcould tell was her better judgment, and she wasn't holding back now. "Thatman is not and has never been myfather."

"Ah, but he is something to you, then.Thoseemotions all over your face make it hard to hide."

Malloryscrewed those pretty lips up in a mulish frown, breaking my gaze to stare at the floor. "Fuckhim.Andfuck you."Shelooked back, and the fear was all but gone now, replaced by acceptance and anger.Raw, unfiltered anger. "Ifyou're going to kill me, just fucking do it."

Icouldn't resist leaning forward and grabbing her by the throat, tugging her body toward me aggressively, reminding her she was literally in the den of a cobra, my fangs waiting to strike.Ilet her see the hood of the monster, squeezing her windpipe just enough to make her gasp for air.Hereyes widened, the whites rolling dangerously as her hands reached up and clawed at my fist around her neck.

"Iknow you're new here, but around this place,I'min charge.Itake orders from no one, especially not you."Igave her a single, meaningful shake and released her, letting momentum carry her back toward the couch.

Herback slammed into it, and what remained of her breath left her with a harsh grunt.Jokertwitched to help her, but whenIshook my head, he froze in place, knowing to offer her support now would sign his own death warrant.Iwas in a mood, and none were safe.

Spadedidn't have the same compunction, and he was off the couch in a flash, his brooding glare staring daggers into me as he lifted her from the floor and curled protectively around her, his hand moving to cup her jaw tenderly. "Areyou hurt?"

"Spade,"Ibarked, eyes narrowed at his defiance. "Lether go.Mallory'sa big girl; she can handle herself, can't you?"

Spadeblatantly ignored me and put himself between her andI. "Youdon't have to be a dick about it,Ace.Shedidn't do fucking anything but her job.Nother faultJoker'sa fucking idiot when he's drunk."

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