Page 61 of Taming Seraphine

“Why do you want to know?” I ask.

“Humor me.”

My fists clench. Can’t he see the situation is urgent? We spent all morning eating, meditating, and getting deliveries. Now that we’re ready to get started, he wants to add one more useless task. I shoot him a glare, still not understanding why he wants to know my kill count.

“Don’t know,” I mutter.

“Guess.” His stare intensifies until my skin begins to itch.

Teaming up with Leroi was a mistake. Each time he’s on the verge of giving me what I want, he withdraws. Now that we have a lead on Pietro, he wants to make a detour. This is just like how he got me so close to my first orgasm last night and then tied my wrists behind my back to leave me aching.

The weight of his glare is suffocating, but I refuse to cower. Leroi’s eyes are too dark, too penetrating. It’s like he’s peering under my skin and looking into the ugly void.

My nostrils flare. The urge to claw at him spreads across my flesh like wildfire, but I force my hands behind my back. As soon as I find Gabriel and kill those men, I’ll hollow Leroi’s eyes until he’s crying blood.

For now, I’ll be civil and remind him of what’s really important.

“Gabriel could be all alone without food or water?—”

“I asked you a question, Seraphine,” he says.

“Maybe twenty. I lost count.”

“Twenty or more deaths under similar circumstances, with each man last seen with an angelic little blonde.”

“So?” I snap.

He raises a brow as though the conclusion is obvious. “The only reason there isn’t a manhunt for you is because Capello suppressed any investigations with the shit-ton of dirt he had on the police.”

My lips tighten. “I don’t have time for this. We need to find Gabriel.”

“The only reason the relatives and associates of the men you killed haven’t found you is because Capello kept you in a basement.”

“What’s your point?”

“Your appearance is too distinctive. Eventually, someone will recognize you as the girl who was seen on the arm of multiple dead men and word will spread. Finding Gabriel will be the least of your worries if you become a target.”

Oh… I hadn’t thought of that. Tearing my gaze away from Leroi’s, I walk toward the building’s entrance.

“Besides, Fiori will disappear if word gets out that he’s being hunted by a little blonde angel,” Leroi adds.

I scoff. “You should see what I did to the last man who called me that.”

“Don’t tell me you stabbed him in the eye.” He opens a door that leads to a huge art deco hallway.

“I electrocuted him in the bathtub.”

“Bullshit.” He strides down the corridor. “Most circuits are designed to shut off power if there’s any risk of electrocution.”

“Then why did he die twitching?”

We cross a black-and-white tiled hallway of ebony walls adorned with paintings of flapper girls. I have to walk fast to keep up with his long strides. At the elevator, he glances down at me, his gaze skeptical.

“Did you drug him first?” He presses the call button.

“Why do you ask?”

“Did you?” The elevator doors open, but he doesn’t step inside. “Well, did you?”

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