Page 63 of Dance of Devils
Kir is standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms folded over his chest.
Most shocking of all, it's the first time I’ve seen Kir in anything but a suit. He’s wearing black gym pants and a fitted black t-shirt.
When I catch my breath enough to speak, I clear my throat and look at the Hermes gym bag, then back at him.
“What is all this?”
“Call it an investment in your future,” he growls.
I tense nervously. “Investments usually imply an expected return.”
Kir shakes his head. “This is a gift.”
“I don’t like handouts.”
He rolls his eyes. “Fine. You can repay me by showing upon timeand being ready to work whenever we meet. Is that understood?”
I suck my lower lip between my teeth and glance at the Hermes bag again.
“Your eye is looking better today.”
I don’t know what it is—a slight note in his tone, or the hint of smugness in his lips? The spark ofknowingin his gaze, perhaps?
Regardless, I’m connecting dots I didn’t see before.
“Was it you?” I ask quietly.
Kir arches a slightly amused brow. “Be more specific, Ms. Ellis.”
There’s that fucking tone again, and the glint in his eye.
“You went to my home. You asked Maya about me.”
Kir’s face stays totally neutral as he cocks his head to the side, his eyes never leaving mine.
“I went tosomeone’shome, yes.” He eyes me cooly, his jaw tightening. “Who’s your lawyer?”
I bristle. “What were you doing?—”
“I asked you a question, Brooklyn.”
Goddamnthat infuriatingly authoritative way he speaks to me sometimes—partly because it’s so fucking bossy, and partly because it soundswaytoo good to my ears.
“None of your business,” I snap. Then my eyes narrow. ”Why were you at my apartment?”
“Notyourapartment,” he tosses back. “I think we can agree on that.”
I swallow. “Someone beat the shit out of a man at my work last night.”
The seconds tick by in silence, Kir’s dark devil eyes trained right on me before he finally answers.
“Did they now…”
There’s something incredibly sinister yet franklypulse-quickeningabout the way he smiles when he says it.
“Yes. They attacked him in the men's room. He had to be hospitalized.”
Kir nods slowly. “Well, perhaps that person has learned a valuable lesson about the consequences of smacking defenseless young women around.”
