Page 8 of Stitched Up in You
“Oh, but you are. In fact, I insist.” I grate out, my face falling from easygoing and affable to entirely expressionless as I pause just before sitting in my chair.
The mask I show the world falls away, and I allow my overall lack of humanity to show clear on my face as I straighten my spine. I will the idiotic human to come to her senses, and she gasps.Thata girl.
“No, I’m going home,” she stammers, but her eyebrows come together and her voice wobbles as if she doesn’t quite believe what she’s saying either. Nero and Bruno close in on her.
“You are going to return every dime you took when you stupidly chose to hack my company, and every bit of my time that you have wasted. And I can assure you that my services do not come cheap.” I will do everything in my considerable power to track down what is mine and make sure no human finds out what I am, whatweare, which means she has all but sealed her fate.
She will never leave; I can’t risk her ruining me if I let her go.
“I don’t know what the hell you are talking about?!” she shrieks, the wildness in her gaze telling me all I need to know.
Yes, she does.Her vivid green eyes widened ever so slightly the moment I said the word ‘hack.’
I smirk and cock my head at her. “Then why are you trembling, Miss Crenshaw?”
Chapter 3
BERNADETTE CRENSHAW
Shit.
If I could go back in time and kick my own ass, I would. It must have been the blow to the head, or trauma from being kidnapped, but the first thing coming to my mind when seeing Frank Stein was not remorse fromhacking his company.
How did he find out when I didn’t take anything? I barely even looked at the one file I opened.
I clear my expression and paste a contrite smile on my face. Heat spreads up my chest and neck followed by a cold sweat as I try and fail to come up with a response to what I now realize is coming.I am so screwed.
The hateful expression on his face has dread coursing through me on a wave, but it’s the venom in his eyes, saying loud and clear, this man has no softness to him. Normally that would be a major turn on, but when faced with abduction and how this dude’s eyes say he wants to kill me, it’s a bit of a lady boner killer.
“Probably because I’ve been kidnapped, and I’m being held under duress?” I murmur under my breath in the most pacifying voice I can muster.
The giant man smirks. “You hacked my company, and as a result valuables were taken from me. I want to know who you work for, and once I find them, I will decide whether to allow them to continue to do business. We can discuss how long you’re being held under duress once you set what you did back to rights.”
A frown pulls at my brows. I didn’t take anything, and I don’t work for anyone, he must have the wrong person. “Listen I don’t know what you think I did, but you’ve got the wrong gal. I don’t work for anyone.”
Sure, I hacked your company, which is fucked up.But then again, I still have no idea why I was brought here since I encrypted what files I did find, but it wasn’t anything worthy ofkidnapping. Short of gathering the list of his shareholders, which is on public record anyway, I don’t know much about him. Other than he is way hotter in person, I thought he was maybe only good looking on TV.Frank Stein can get it.
“So, you didn’t hack my company?” he asks, his steely gray eyes staring into me as if he’s trying to see into my soul.
I look away, unable to hold his stare as guilt eats at my insides.Crap.
“Look at me,” he says, his voice calm and cold.
I meet his gaze and I’m certain that without being a product of Lady Theodosa Crenshaw, who had one of the meanest stares I’ve ever encountered, I would be begging for my life after glimpsing Frank Stein’s mad face.
God, he’s hot.
“Tell me you didn’t hack into my company, Miss Crenshaw, and you’re free to go.”
I lick my lips, and he tracks the movement with his gaze, sending my stomach somersaulting.
Oh, fuck me. No one should be allowed to be this handsome. His size and overall demeanor are having the opposite effect hewants because I’m pretty sure Frank would rather me quaking in my boots instead of my lady bits tingling.
“I didn’texactlyhack your company—sir,” I toss in for good measure, and his nostrils flare. Oh my.
He takes a purposeful step around his desk toward me, and my chin goes up, and up, as he moves closer. Oh my god, he’s huge, easily the tallest man I’ve ever laid eyes on. My gaze lands on his massive fists balled at his side and a nervous flutter roll through my middle. He’s a very big boy.
I can make out the gunmetal gray of his eyes as he gets closer, and how clear and flawless his skin is, like cut from marble. His skin tone is pale, as if he never gets any sun and now that I think on it, never once in any of his posts did I ever see him on the beach.
