Page 47 of Savage Little Lies

“I can give you some privacy,” Cara offers as she raises her eyes to mine.

I shake my head and stand from my seat, grabbing my coffee and my phone. “I need to take a walk, anyway.”

Cara’s gaze trails me as I walk past her to leave my office.

I need to make a move soon. Carefully.

If misery is waiting for me either way, I might as well choose my sin.

18

Cara

I’m getting so close to obliterating Dmitri’s willpower, along with his arranged marriage to Annika, that I can feel it slipping. Another night alone in the office with him under the pretense of discussing “real estate,” and I’ll have him.

With eagerness in my step, I venture to work, carefully touching up my lip gloss that I know catches his eye. I’ve noticed that the raspberry pink shade draws his attention the most, and I’m intent on making it hard for him to focus on anything but me today.

I’m close to rounding the corner when my phone buzzes in my hand. An incoming call from my father. My stomach knots as I stare at the caller ID, fighting the urge to ignore his call. If I do that, he’ll be pissed, and I hate it when he’s angry.

I swallow hard, preparing myself before hitting the answer button and pressing the phone against my ear. “Hello?”

“I’m getting very impatient, my dear,” Sean says in greeting. “My sources have told me that things are still going forward with the Ivanov-Suyunov alliance, and that there are whispers Dmitri will be made Pakhan at the ceremony! Are you making even a hint of progress?”

Dmitri will become Pakhan with the wedding? Is that why he refuses to call it off? He’s that desperate for the power?

I move closer to the building on my left, my shoulder pressing against the cold brick. “I’m making some progress. I’m so close, I promise.”

He sighs heavily. “You’ve told me that you were close before, but you have nothing to show for it, yeah? Why should I believe you now? The bug in his phone has been useless.”

What he means is that I have been useless.

I refrain from raking my fingers through my hair in frustration and messing up all the hard work that I put into it this morning. “He doesn’t want to marry her. I’m going to convince him that the marriage isn’t worth it.”

“You should’ve done that by now,” Sean bites out, his frustration coming through the phone and hitting me like a rough wave. “If you can’t do what needs to be done then what use are you to me?”

“Just give me some more time,” I tell him, my voice threatening to shake.

“Time is running out, yeah?” he snaps at me, making me flinch.

My eyes start burning and my chest feels painfully tight. He has no idea what kind of pressure I’m under right now, the things I’m contemplating doing with Dmitri to accomplish my goal.

“If I don’t have results from you soon, you’ll be planning your own wedding so I can raise the money I need for a war.”

He’ll sell me to the highest bidder, some perverted old billionaire who wants a young wife.

A tear slips free before I can stop it just as the call goes dead. I can’t believe him…

“Ms. Reynolds?”

I quickly wipe the tear away before spinning around to face Gabe, my blood running cold as he gives me a concerned look. “Hi. Good morning.”

He inspects my face closely, and I know that he can see the glistening in my eyes. The red flush on my cheeks. “Is everything okay?”

The last thing that I need is for him to express any concerns with Dmitri. If Dmitri suspects anything suspicious of me, he’ll unravel everything.

“I’m fine,” I assure him as I force a smile onto my face. “I was just heading to the office.”

Gabe’s eyes drop to my phone that I’m clutching tightly in my hand. “Are you sure something isn’t bothering you, Ms. Reynolds? Or someone?”