Page 68 of Hunt Me
“The kind of woman who senses when a man is threatening her.”
“At this point, I’m doing no such thing. We’re simply having a nice discussion.”
Leaning forward, Mikhail placed the remote on the bedside table before rising to his feet, his actions forcing a whimper to escape my mouth. I hated that I was afraid of the man.
“I have nothing to talk to you about. Now, get out.”
His laugh was as electrifying as it was disturbing. I inched backward toward the door and he wagged his finger. “I suggest you don’t attempt to escape. That won’t bode well for our relationship.”
“We don’t have a relationship.” I calculated the odds of being able to get downstairs and out the door before he reached me. They were not in my favor. Yet I had to try. Before I had a chance to bolt, his deep voice penetrated every cell.
“You’ve been a very bad girl, Bristol, but you already know that, don’t you?” He crossed the room within seconds, gripping both my wrists and dragging me against the heat of his body. He was so strong and tall, his chiseled cheekbones and high forehead only adding to his dangerous appearance.
“No. No! Let go of me.”
“Hmmm… Not until I’m finished with you. What you might not have realized, sweet, precious Bristol, is that no one crosses either me or my family without paying a significant price. Now, all you need to do is to tell me the truth about what happened in Sergio’s home. If you do, then we can consider this chapter closed.”
This chapter. Why did I have a terrible feeling he thought I’d been hired by my father to spy on him? Because in a way, that could be true.
“I didn’t see anything, Mikhail.”
“But you admit you were there.” He cocked his head, his eyes narrowing.
“I was.” There was no point in lying to him, at least not about where I was. Within a phone call, he could figure it out. Then he might kill me.
“If you lie, I’ll know. There is no reason for you to hide the truth. It would seem that you had nothing to do with Sergio’s death, but from all appearances, you were the only one at the scene.”
“I…”
Inhaling, he tilted his head back and forth, his eyes sparkling in the dim lighting. My God, the scent of him was full of exotic spices and cedar wood, the fragrance entirely too intoxicating. I was thrown by the haze forming around my eyes as I was forced to stare into his. The same frigid cold, soulless cavern that I’d seen on television peered back at me, but this time, his gaze was filled with something else.
Burning desire.
I struggled in his hold and in doing so, the towel slipped from around my chest, sliding ever so slowly to the floor. Mortified, heat rose across my jaw.
He took a deep breath, his nostrils flaring, and the look of lust intensified.
“Talk to me, Bristol. Did you kill Sergio?”
“No!”
“But you saw something. Didn’t you?”
“Like I said, it was dark, Mikhail. I didn’t see anything. I was there to deliver a goddamn pizza.”
He chuckled. “Some truth, but not enough. Keep talking or you will be punished.”
“You’re not going to bully me. You stand in your expensive clothes and hide behind your mask of legitimacy while engaging in illegal activities, so you’re not allowed to judge me.”
“Quite the contrary. I am a legitimate businessman, but you’ll soon learn I’m ruthless, refusing to accept apologies or excuses. At minimum, you were at the scene of a crime, yet you didn’t stay where you were until the police arrived. You fled the scene, merely calling in the tragedy. What were you afraid of, Bristol? That I’d find out?”
“I was shocked, Mikhail, when I noticed a dead man lying on the floor. Certainly, even someone like you could realize sticking around wasn’t in my best interest.”
His laugh only increased. “Have you been listening to your father, the great mayor of our city? Did he promise to protect you? Did he suggest you lie to protect his illustrious career?”
Oh, shit. He knew everything about me. He did think I was involved in a conspiracy against him.
“To hell with you,” I snapped. “I don’t need to listen to anyone. I can read, including between the lines. You’re Russian Bratva and you think you can threaten anyone who gets in your way. I’m not one of your enemies. I delivered a pizza based on an order from Door Dash, which you can easily check if so desired. He was dead when I got there. I called the police. End of story.”
