Page 46 of Seductive Desires

I grimaced when I stepped into the kitchen and three sets of eyes all zeroed in on me. Liam, Jo, and Dmitriy all sat at the table. They had been deep in discussion about something but when I came into the room, all three had matching grins on their faces. I felt my cheeks burn. We obviously weren’t very discreet. Humiliated, I did an about face, eager to flee.

“You’ll have to face us eventually,” Jo snickered.

I froze, gritting my teeth before I spun back around, narrowing my eyes. “Shut up.”

They all chuckled as I dropped into the seat next to Jo, dropping my head onto the table and hiding in my arms. “I hate you all.”

“No you don’t. Cheer up, Andre made risotto. He left you and Mateo plates in the oven. You just need to warm them up.” Jo nudged me with her elbow. I didn’t move, still not eager to see their faces.

“You should not be embarrassed. O’Connor and Jo get caught nearly once a week.”

I peeked over my arms as Jo threw her napkin at Dmitriy. “Shut up! It’s not like you and Gabi have never been walked in on! She told me your open door policy was driving her up the wall!”

Dmitriy just looked smug. “They never see her and I enjoy rubbing it in their faces that I have the perfect woman and they do not.”

I raised my eyebrows. “I can’t tell if that is sweet or really misogynistic.”

Jo smirked. “Both. I’m going to go with both. And I’m definitely going to tell her.”

Dmitriy scowled at her. “You enjoy making trouble for me, don’t you?”

Her only reply was to pull out her phone, her fingers flying across the screen until Liam plucked it out of her hand. She lunged for it but he just grinned, holding it out of her reach. She eventually gave up, sitting back in her chair with her arms crossed. I pulled out my own, handing it to her while I gave Liam a droll look. Jo hopped out of her chair, hiding behind me as she typed out the message.

Dmitriy crossed his arms. “And here, I stopped by to assist with the preparations for the incursion.”

I frowned. “You make it sound like a military exercise.”

He raised an eyebrow. “What word would you use then?”

I hesitated, pursing my lips. “Trap? Ambush?”

“What about sting?” Jo supplied, handing me back my phone. I shrugged. It all meant the same thing. We were going to poke the angry psychopath and hope he didn’t rape me or kill me before the guys got there to stop him.

Liam must have noticed my discomfort. He nodded at me. “Are you ready?”

I bit my lip. I had hoped my afternoon with Mateo would’ve made me feel better, but if anything, it only made me more afraid that something would go wrong.

“Ready for what?”

I stiffened. Mateo had come into the room at the worst possible moment. I threw Liam a panicked look but before he could speak, Dmitriy replied. “For Mariana to go home so we can gather evidence against Stephen. I still think killing him is the better option.”

Dmitriy seemed oblivious to the tension that rose through the room. I risked a peek over my shoulder. Mateo’s normally relaxed and exuberant demeanor was gone. His whole body seemed to vibrate with anger, his fists clenched. He wrenched his gaze to mine and I fought the urge to flinch. Right now, he looked every bit the criminal I thought he was when I found out what he did. His lips flattened out and the look in his eyes was cold and distant.

“When were you going to tell me this?”

I couldn’t speak to answer him. I was frozen under his gaze, a tremble working its way through my body. I felt Jo’s warm hand on my arm but I couldn’t move.

“I’m sure she would’ve told you eventually. You guys were busy before. Maybe it slipped her mind.”

My eyes slipped shut. Jo was digging me deeper into this hole without even knowing it. I had no plans to tell him until after everything was over. He could see it in my face too, because when I finally opened my eyes, he looked hurt. It felt like I got kicked in the gut, seeing that expression on his face. I struggled to pull in a breath.

“Absolutely not.”

“What?”

“No. You will not be involved. It is too dangerous.”

I scowled at him. “You don’t even know what the plan is. Besides, it doesn’t matter, I need to do this. I’m going to go home and we are going to get the proof we need so he can be thrown in jail.”

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