Page 31 of The Lieutenant

She gave me a side-eye as she continued to rinse the plates, even placing them in the dishwasher. After running water in the pots, she pulled the scrubby brush from the container and that’s when I stopped her.

“You’re eager to continue on an adventure, I assume,” I told her.

I was surprised seeing her playful side as she rose onto her tiptoes, trying her best to grab the rough pad from my hand.

“Answer the question, Kara. Can you handle an adventure?”

“That depends on what you have in mind.”

“As you mentioned, there is more to life than work and maintaining whatever persona you believe must be projected. If you can’t trust me, trust your intuition. Come with me.”

“Not unless you tell me where you’re going.”

“To a location I’ve never taken anyone else before. You might find my choice as pleasant as it is surprising.”

“Would I?” My words intrigued her. I could tell by the look in her eyes. Even though it took a few seconds, she finally nodded.

Another sea of filth slithered through my brain.

Dismissing her from my life was the best option all the way around. She was too tempting. Too intuitive. Too determined.

But I’d made up my mind and nothing and no one would force me to change it.

Tonight, she’d learn just how correct her beliefs were about me.

This dangerous man was about to take what he wanted. The subject of his near obsession?

One dark-haired beauty. Soon, she would be writhing underneath me, offering her full surrender.

CHAPTER 10

Kara

Surprises happened often in my line of work and usually they weren’t pleasant ones. To find myself having flown halfway across the country for a single interview only to be turned down at the airport upon landing topped the list.

And moving in with an asshole who’d stolen my notes and made a name for himself was a great reminder of how conniving men could be. Was there any difference between Havros and my asshole ex? I honestly didn’t know the answer, but the handsome Greek would not pull the wool over my eyes. It wasn’t happening.

I’d suffered through backlash from articles written that hadn’t seemed controversial at the time. That one had almost cost me my job. The insults I’d endured while interviewing a boxing champion had forced me to retaliate in a not-so-nice way. I’d hurled some fairly nasty accusations at the man and it had been caught on camera.

That was the one where I had lost my job. I’d thought my career was in the toilet at that point. Yet when I turned freelance and decided to capture the truth about criminals? That was when my career had zoomed up a notch or five.

The surprise Havros had instigated was so unexpected, I wasn’t certain how I felt or how to react.

“A scuba shop?” I asked as I stared out the windshield. If the man expected me to go diving with him, he was out of his mind. I wasn’t going ten feet under, let alone any deeper. For all I knew, he was finished with the interview and was planning on disposing my body on the ocean floor. Perhaps I was being somewhat dramatic, but the moment of shock and excitement was quickly wearing off.

But the terrible fear won out and I was immediately perspiring all over. It was close to impossible to keep from whimpering like a child. I’d prided myself that I’d gotten over the fear, but that obviously wasn’t the case.

“We do have them in Kolonaki.”

“I can’t go diving with you. I mean I won’t. Do you understand me?”

He obviously wasn’t listening since he’d already stopped the engine and had opened his door. We were parked directly in front of the quaint-looking store and I was hesitant to climb out, clutching my purse like it would help me get out of this mess.

I was also almost certain I was going to faint.

You can do this. It’s safe. It’s normal to be apprehensive.

The pep talk wasn’t one I’d been prepared for or accepted.

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