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“She’s fucking crazy,” one of the men mutters

“Oh, now that’s not very nice.” I pout. “I prefer the term wildly unpredictable. It’s much more fun and accurate.”

“Release me. Now.” The order is firm and used to being obeyed.

I give a delicate shiver, but my hand remains steady. “Oh, that would sound so perfect if you were tied up and at my mercy right now,” I croon. “Just think of all the delicious things I could do to you, pet. I’d have you begging for mercy before I put you out of your misery. I just have to hope that you’re packing what I think you are. It’d be disappointing if there’s not much there. How about we try again though?”

If looks could kill, I’d be dead, buried, and coming back to haunt him. Oh, he wants to kill me. Badly.

Why does that excite me so much?

“Uncle!” the girl screams. We tense, but neither of us look away from the other. “I told you she wasn’t part of this, and I want to go home. I’ve had enough. Just let her go and believe her. Believe me.” She curses him in Russian, and one of the guards near her laughs but follows it up with a cough. “Besides, if you saw what she did to the fucker, you’d be hiring her, not killing her.”

Really? Did she have to say that?

“I told her not to look.” I huff when Ilya’s glare intensifies. “But what do you think kids do with adults? They ignore the shit out of them. And since I’m getting tired of this little standoff, how about I show you proof of what I did to the slug and we be done with this?”

I need to get the hell out of here. Every second I linger is more and more dangerous.

“And how do you propose on doing that?”

“I took pictures, duh.” Really, men can be dumb. “How else do you figure? Shadow puppets? Or did you mean interpretive dance? I’m not great at it, but I could give it a shot.”

I’m not sure where this humor is coming from, but he seems to pull it out of me. Odd, since most men have me wanting to kill them in seconds. What is it about this man that has me doing the exact opposite?

That’s a problem for later.

The malice in his eyes dims to simple irritation. Aww, maybe I’m growing on the guy after all.

“You’ll let me go, show me the pictures, and then I’ll decide what I’m going to do with you.”

See? Dumb. Just plain dumb.

I sigh. “We were almost there. So close.”

His eyes narrow as he scowls. “You really think that you’re going to walk away free after this? You have a knife to my throat. No one does that and lives.”

“Oh, yay, I always do like to be the first,” I preen. “Makes me feel so special. That’s your only option, pet. Take it, or leave here with your throat cut and unable to speak. And I would hate to put your niece through anymore. Or should I tell you what the fucker did to her before I found her? Maybe that will help speed things up here.”

He goes still, and the dark, murderous look in his eyes makes me wetter. So hot. “What did he do?” he hisses between clenched teeth.

I could make him suffer and bargain some more, but instead, I give him a bone. “He took her, locked her in a hidden space behind the wall in his torture chamber. He bound her hands, feet, and gagged her. But not before he stripped her naked and attempted to put his disgusting fingers in her. But to give credit where credit is due, the girl is smart. She kicked him in the face then the nuts and bought herself time.”

The rage on his face is fascinating. It practically rolls off him, and it makes him ridiculously sexy. “And where do you come in?”

“Well, you see, that’s a long story. But to simplify it, I was told all about his activities, and I made it my mission to find him, verify, and kill him. Did all that. Based on the fact that when I found him he was rubbing at his stubby crotch, I’d say it wasn’t long after what he attempted to do to your niece that I arrived. Now, I didn’t know about her and didn’t exactly hear her over his screams, but once he was dead, I heard her and found her. And now, here we are. Satisfied?”

“How did he die?”

“If you want pictures, I have them, but you need to agree, no funny business,” I state. Then I grin. “And the pictures sure are nice. I think you’ll like them. And if you’re a good boy and keep your end of the bargain, I’ll even send you a couple of copies. And if you want them framed, I bet I could find a real fancy one too.”

The lies roll so easily off my tongue.

He stares at me then shouts, “Don’t approach and don’t shoot her.” Then he lowers his voice and says, “And if you even think about going back on your word, I’ll kill you where you stand.”

I give a soft moan. “Damn, why is that so hot? But I never go back on my word, pet. Bad for business, you know?” Another smooth lie, but one he’ll never know.

Removing the knife, I release him and drop back to my feet. I jump on the hood of my car, cross my leg, and set the knife down beside me. After easing the slim camera from my back pocket, I turn it on and hold it out to him.