Page 6 of The Rise of Saint (The Sins of Saint 1)

“Asking, yes. Expecting, no.” Rosy pink lips turned into a hint of a smile, her expression softening—compassionate, almost. “I don’t expect you to trust me, but this is me giving you a friendly warning. Fight, and you’ll make this much harder than it is.” She picked up a black dress hanging over the back of a chair and placed it on the bed next to me. “Fighting will make this harder for you. But if you cooperate, I can promise you won’t get hurt.”

Not trusting this woman, I kept my glare on her as she rounded the bed to stand at the end. “In fact, once this is all over, you might even find it all…liberating.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means you might find answers to the questions you’ve been asking your entire life.”

The knowing look she gave me had me holding my tongue, and in that moment, I got the feeling she really did know me as she had claimed a few a seconds ago.

She smiled. “That caught your attention, didn’t it?”

I didn’t react.

“Good.” She straightened her shoulders. “Now, you can either dress yourself, or James and I can assist you.”

Silence fell around us, her eyes never leaving mine. The only reason I was able to play the cards life had dealt me for the last twenty-two years was because I had learned how to bluff. And now, my every instinct was screaming at me to do what I did best. If I wanted to survive whatever hell this was, I had to focus all my energy on this one thing.

Bluff.

3

Saint

I could still feelher skin beneath my fingers as I walked away. Still see her eyes go from terrified to desperate as she fought for air while I struggled to contain myself. Struggled to control my anger while I held her life at my fingertips, seconds away from crushing her throat. But nothing would stop me from doing what I had set out to do, especially not an ignorant young woman like her. She needed to be taught a lesson. She needed to learn that challenging me, telling me what to do, would always end with painful consequences.

I saw the fight in her eyes slowly turning from a glimmer to a searing flame. It had to be doused before she had the chance to acknowledge it, before she could even think of standing up against me. There was no fighting me, no stopping me from getting what I wanted, and it was a lesson she needed to learn as soon as possible.

My bags had already been packed hours ago. The night had gone exactly according to plan, and now we needed to leave this hotel penthouse suite like we were never even here. For this to work, I had to make sure he didn’t come close to figuring out my plan, knowing what cards I held in my hand. Now that I had the Torres girl, I had to make sure no one else knew about her—or the fact that she would be my biggest trump card.

My phone vibrated in my jacket pocket, a message from my pilot to confirm everything was ready for our departure.

I slipped my phone back into my jacket pocket when James knocked and walked into my room.

I gave him a sideways glance. “Is the girl ready?”

“She is.”

Scratch marks on his hands caught my attention, and I frowned in question.

James shrugged. “She’s a fighter.”

“I expected nothing less.” I smirked then righted my cufflinks. “Has the clean-up crew taken care of the mess Brad left on the carpet?”

“It’s like he’s never been here.”

“Fantastic. Everything in place for our exit?”

“Yes, Mr. Saint. The chefs and kitchen staff have been briefed, and three unmarked cars will be waiting for us at the back exit.”

“Good.” I turned toward the full-length mirror and straightened my tie. “Make sure any security footage is wiped after we’re gone, including those of when they entered the hotel earlier. I want every trace of her erased.” I spun to face James. “There’s no room for error here. If they discover we have her, our plan will be shot to shit.”

“Understood.”

James was on his way out when I called him back. “When are you going to stop calling me Mr. Saint?”

He smirked. “The day you stop paying me.”

“Smartass.”

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