Page 31 of Revenge

“Which would bring me to my other question as to why you have such a strong reaction at the sight of blood?”

I sighed, “It’s a long story.”

Kai rolled his eyes, “And I intend to hear it, Ava,eventually. But for the time being, let’s focus on Quinn. Is he your boyfriend?”

Hot angry bitterness swept through me, “What?” Shit, my training was falling by the wayside.

Poker face remember, Ava? Give nothing away.

Now there was no way I could say I didn’t know anyone by that name. Kai would have checked who owned the apartment he’d found me in.

“Who is he to you?” Kai repeated, his mouth twisting with derision.

My non-answer seemed to drag on forever. I could feel the colour rising in my cheeks.

“Look, he’s nothing. No one. I knew his brother from school.”

Suddenly feeling hot, I pulled the edge of my top off my skin and started to waft the skin of my throat.

“Are you hot? Do you want a drink?”

“Actually, yes, please. I will have that glass of wine,” I back-peddled, hoping to give myself more time to construe a reply.

Make it simple! A lie is always easiest to stick to when it isn’t complex.

Kai rolled his shoulders and then moved to lift the wine decanter from the table, pouring a measure into the crystal wine glass by my hand. I thanked him and took a massive gulp.

Releasing my top, I could feel Kai’s eyes on my throat as I drank greedily. Fuck me it was strong as the liquid started to melt my oesophagus.

“Easy, that’s fourteen percent Rioja.”

Shooting him a glower, I coughed into my hand as my eyes watered.

He waited for me to recover with raised eyebrows.

“You were saying,” Kai prompted as he refilled his glass.

In an unladylike manner, I wiped the back of my hand across my lips, “Anton hasnothingto do with anything.”

“Anythingbeing the dossier on my father?”

I started to fidget, “No. I mean, in general. He’s just a friend and you’re to stay away from him.” The glance I shot him was ridiculous, I looked as threatening as a mouse to a bear sitting beneath that impenetrable glare.

“That’s quite an extreme reaction for someone who is just a friend to you. I think you’re lying to me, Ava.”

If there was one thing Kai had always been good at it was grilling people. That’s why he had been his father’s right-hand man for getting people to talk.

Pushing to my feet, I’d had enough for one night. I prayed he’d let me go as a wave of exhaustion swept through my body. Telling lies uses excess energy.

I stared down my nose right into his face. “I’m not lying, Kai. I mean it,please. I don’t want him involved in anything. He doesn’t know about this part of my life.” I explained with a hand gesture around the room.

Kai too pushed to his feet, towering over me, “Yet, you were living with him at his apartment in Milan.” His tone was deceptively even but the undercurrent of threat was as clear as day.

I pushed my chair away and started to pace and Kai stood still and watched me. He was so aggressively male with a fantastic rugged physique and too bloody attractive for my heart rate.

“I’m going to need an answer, Ava.”

Fuelled by anger at his bossiness I snapped, “No, we weren’t living together. I was staying there temporarily. He was putting me up. I couldn’t go back to my apartment forobviousreasons.” A sickness started in my stomach at the thought of anything happening to Anton. I found it amazing that Kai hadn’t joined the dots and realised that Anton was the son of one of Gerard’s past mistresses.

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