Page 122 of Wicked and Claimed

“Anything else?”

“Everyone is terrified of Gray. In Black Velvet’s absence, he has carte blanche, and he’s absolutely ruthless. I’m doing my best to play the dumb blonde. But I’m super shy”—she rolled her eyes—“so I listen more than I talk.”

“Good. Any talkers? Allies?”

She bit her lip and glanced up at him with a coy smile. “Not really. Too early to tell.”

He caressed her face for show. “You’ve met the other operative on the island.”

“Kane? Yeah.”

“Good. He should be your primary contact going forward. Probably best if I keep my distance unless necessary.”

“Agreed. But if something big goes down, we’ll need to compare notes.”

She was right, and he hated that pretending to romance Karliah was probably the only way. “If I make an appointment to have my beard trimmed, you’ll know something is up. If you come across credible intel you can’t pass through Kane, just send me an appointment reminder.”

“Perfect.” She pretended to rub his arm like she was impressed with his biceps, but the shrewd look in her eyes wasn’t remotely flirty.

He pressed his face into her neck and whispered, “Be careful.”

“You, too.”

Yeah. Every hour that passed ratcheted up the pressure. He could almost feel these bastards breathing down his neck.

Karliah blew him a kiss and playfully pushed him away before running down the beach with a final giggle.

Nash turned to head back to the suite. He stopped when he heard footsteps approaching on the sand. Mr. Gray—a shark in human form—appeared, looking immaculate in white linen.

His smile didn’t reach his icy eyes. “Mr. King, might I have a word?”

The smarmy bastard had come alone, so he probably didn’t have violence in mind. If he got aggressive, Nash could overtake him, no sweat. But it would blow up the whole operation. So he waited as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

“Sure. Beautiful evening,” Nash said casually.

“Indeed. I must admit to some…concerns.” Gray clasped his hands behind his back, circling Nash. “You paid quite handsomely for your breeder, yet our monitoring suggests you haven’t utilized her at all since your claiming.”

He’d known these freaks were keeping tabs, but damn. “Are you questioning my methods for dealing withmyproperty?”

“Merely making certain you understand that she’s yours to use at your whim, however you like. Whenever you’d like. The goal is, after all, to impregnate her.”

Nash’s stomach turned, but he kept his voice steady. “I prefer to break a woman slowly. The longer they resist, the sweeter the eventual surrender.”

“An admirable technique, but given her…spirit, some might wonder if you’re being too gentle. Almost…protective.” Gray’s smile didn’t hide the veiled threat in his voice.

“I know what I’m doing, and I don’t need you or anyone else interfering. As you pointed out, I paid handsomely for her.”

“Of course.” Gray studied him. “Still, we do have certain expectations. It would be…unfortunate if your purchase required additional motivation from our staff.”

Images of what that might entail burned across Nash’s brain—the equipment he’d glimpsed in their dungeons, the screams he sometimes heard at night. Letting these monsters “motivate” her was unthinkable.

“That won’t be necessary. In fact, I’ve been planning something special for tonight. Something that should diffuse her attitude and make her putty in my hands.”

Gray’s wide smile said that idea excited him. “Excellent. I look forward to seeing you taking the…situation in hand.”

As the asshole walked away, Nash breathed through his anger. But he had to take at least part of the blame. Last night’s cuddle on the couch with a movie had been unwise. He’d known it was a risk. Push had now come to shove, and he had to convince Haisley to play along tonight. Worse, he couldn’t even explain himself. She was going to have to trust him.

Which she seemingly didn’t.

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