Listening for any sound of footsteps or voices, I slowly rose from the leather chair I’d taken root in, sitting my playing card where my ass left an imprint.
Looking around the room more carefully in search of cameras, I moved towards the massive mahogany desk when I didn’t see any.
I reached for the book, pausing with my arm mid-stretch.
Gnawing on my lower lip, I stared like the thing was going to spring to life at any given second.
I reasoned with myself that since Mateo had left me alone in here, he had to know I would look inside it. Still, I didn’t want to be caught with my hand in the proverbial cookie jar.
“Grow some damn balls,” I muttered to myself.
Unsure how long his ‘meeting’ would take to wrap up, I opened the cover, feeling the rigid bumpy surface beneath my fingertips.
“What am I looking at?” I stared at the page in front of me.
Eva had gone on and on about this thing like it was some sacred old money bible. As I flipped through pages, I doubted she could even read it.
I sure as hell couldn’t, which was more than likely why Mateo didn’t care if I saw it or not.
The hand writing was neat, easily legible.
The part that was throwing me was the list of names, either a person or a business, followed by a set of numbers in random sequences of four, six, or eight.
The entire book was the same way, until I hit a point where Mateo’s name was circled with an arrow pointing to one word.
Ace had been written—no, gouged—so many times it tore through the remaining pages in a mess of bleeding blue ink. A softly printed question mark was beside it. This handwriting was different than all the rest. I was positive it was Eva’s. She was the only person I knew who curled their letters at the ends.
I was still staring at the page trying to decipher what it could mean when Peyton’s name flashed across my phone screen for a third time, giving me my light-bulb moment.
Not having charged my cell since hours earlier the previous day, a red ten percent sat glaringly in the corner.
Manually turning the brightness higher, I went to camera mode and took as many clear pictures of the pages within the book as I could.
I heard a door shut and my stomach dropped. Intently listening for the sound of footsteps, I flipped the book closed and hurriedly attached as many of the images to a text as I was able, with a lone question mark. I added in the word Roulette by way of explanation.
I watched the photos load painstakingly slow. The battery message popped up again with another warning and my palms began to sweat. I paced back and forth, willing the damn thing to just send, expelling a nervous breath when it finally said sent.
I anxiously waited for Peyton’s reply. Exactly three minutes and eight percent charge later, it came through.
Peyton: Give me 24h! B Safe.
I exhaled with a smile. God, I loved him. Peyton lived for shit like this. He was intelligent as hell when it came to anything to do with numbers and hacking. If anyone could decipher this mumbo jumbo, it was him.
I deleted the text and all the pictures from my gallery before powering the phone off.
I didn’t want Mateo to know that I intended to have Peyton decipher his precious book.
After securing my cell back in my clutch, I snagged the manila folder I’d been given off the desk, debating what I should do next.
Slipping out the doors that led to the terrace would be easy, but I highly doubted the guards manning the property gates would open them for me. Even if they did, where would I go and what would I do once I got there?
I knew zero people with enough spine to go against Mateo, precisely why I’d intended to use him to help me find Eva.
That had worked out fabulously.
“Okay…” I slowly exhaled, trying to get my thoughts in order.
I didn’t have a solid plan, didn’t even know what the hell was going on yet exactly, but I did know that anything I came up with would more than likely be derailed.
I decided to start with getting out of Mateo’s office.
Making a beeline for the exit, I reached for the door just as it was swinging open, bringing me face to face with the devil himself.
Chapter Two
Mateo fucking Remmington.
His head tilted to the right slightly as he perused me with his beautifully bold, tiger-like eyes, clocking every inch of my body.
I did the same unabashedly, starting at his head full of silky onyx locks that had just been threaded through my fingers. My gaze drifted downward, over his form fitting suit.
I knew underneath the flawlessly stitched fabric was luminescent golden skin and a body hand sculpted by the gods.
His high cheek bones and flawless jaw-line adorned with freshly shaved stubble only amplified his attractiveness.
Whether I wanted to fuck him or murder him, I couldn’t deny that Mateo was a stunningly exotic man. He was always immaculately put together, and the mask he wore so well had yet to slip and reveal the secrets he kept so guarded.
Standing before him with un-brushed hair, my skimpy club dress, complete lack of drawers, and slim heels, I knew I looked a hot damn mess.
The hand shaped bruises imprinted on my thighs served as a reminder of our indiscretions less than twenty-four hours ago. I could still smell him on my skin, feel him between my legs, and taste him on my lips.
Swallowing, I went to speak but he beat me to the punch.
“I apologize, that took me a little longer than expected. You must be famished.”
“Are you…are you serious?” The nerve of him floored me. “I don’t want any fucking food—”
“Watch your mouth,” he harshly interjected.
Exhaling a soft breath, I went for a sweeter approach. My father always did say you got more with sugar than you did with vinegar.
“I’m sorry. I just want to know where my sister is and what these papers mean.” I held up the manila folder in case he’d magically forgotten what I was referring to in his absence.
He didn’t respond, continuing to leer down at me with an intrusive gaze. I accepted the silent challenge to not look away.
It was a task all in itself. He overwhelmed me just by breathing the same air as I did.
The prickling of my skin had nothing to do with him staring at me, and everything to do with the way he was looking at me.
There was something predatory lurking in his eyes. It was possessive and angry, making it hard to differentiate whether he wanted to devour me whole or simply tear out my throat.
It made me contemplate that maybe I was right when I’d thought I’d been wrong about who he was.
I’d always considered my intuition a gift, a voice of clarity that had never let me down. Right now, it was telling me to slowly back away from him and get someplace safe.
I’d ignored it weeks ago when I was faced with the extensive red warning label affixed to his persona. Now, it was speaking again.
“What is it you want me to say?” he finally asked.
“I want you to stop pretending everything is fine! You left me in a hotel room, destroyed my car, and lied to me about my sister.”
His laugh was full of scorn.
“Outside of the game, I lied about nothing.”
He reached out and gripped the back of my neck, making me grimace. I found myself flush against him with the folder slipping away.
“Playing the victim card will get you no sympathy from me. If you had any idea of the things going through my head right now…” He paused and shook his head, sinking his teeth down on his lower lip. “The things I want to do to you would make your worst nightmares seem like sugarcoated fantasies.”
I swallowed any smart-ass retorts before they could recklessly fly out of my mouth. My stomach rocked like a ship stuck in a violent storm.
Peering up at him through my lashes, I caught the briefest glimpse of how upset he truly was. That was never my intention. I never wanted him
to be hurt or angry, especially because of me.
“I’m not playing the victim, Mateo. I only want to know where my sister is.”
“Then why didn’t you just ask me that, Ley?”
“Because…” The simplicity of his question made me momentarily feel like a fool…until I recalled the fact he had lied by omission. “Because you wouldn’t have told me the truth!” I shoved against his chest, catching myself off guard when he let go.
He caught me by the forearm with a cocky smirk tilting one side of his luscious mouth. Pulling free, I played it off by retrieving my folder from the floor.
His hand came to rest on the back of my head, firmly yet gently keeping me down almost on my knees and eye level with his zipper.
“You want answers? How badly do you want them, amada? Is it bad enough to make you slide my dick down your throat?”
Narrowing my eyes, I knocked his hand away and slanted my body in the opposite direction.
“I’ll never be that desperate, but if I were to suck you dry, you would be,” I retorted.
Standing upright, my palm twitched with the urge to slap the cheeky grin right off his pretty face.
We weren’t going to get anywhere like this. I stepped forward but he continued blocking my only exit, making no effort to move.
“Get out of my way.”
“You trying to be assertive is very cute, Ley.” A bit of warmth seeped back into his eyes. “However, you won’t be going anywhere but my dining room for substance after drinking last night,” he said smoothly.
I couldn’t help but scoff. “So you’re going to pretend you’re concerned about my well-being all of a sudden?”
“Are you going to pretend I haven’t always been? You have no idea how tantamount you are to my state of mind.”
Staring at him for a beat, I tried not to get tangled up in his words. It was such an easy thing to do. He was safety and comfort and so, so wrong.
My mindset couldn’t do a three-sixty in the short time span of a few hours. Maybe some women could flip their feelings off and on like a switch, but I wasn’t one of them. I was more undecided about what I should do than I’d ever been.
“I need to go,” I repeated, my voice strained. I surged forward again, and this time I forced my way past him.
He took advantage of the move the second I cleared the doorway. His arms wrapped around me from behind, abruptly stopping my getaway.
It was impossible to ignore his cool breath on my neck or the scent of his alluring cologne.
That smell…it was gradually becoming more and more familiar. A hazy memory echoed in the recess of my mind, demanding to be acknowledged.
“Mateo…”
“Don’t be upset, amada,” he softy interjected with infuriating geniality.
I forced myself to remain stoic, holding my clutch and folder close to my chest. For a split-second I could go to back to yesterday and imagine nothing had changed, but that just wasn’t the case.
“Let me go.”
“You know I can’t do that,” he replied, picking up on my double meaning.
“It’s a little too late for you to think you have a choice in the matter,” I snapped, propelling myself forward a little too fast. I stumbled and lost my balance.
He caught me around the middle before my face made contact with the floor.
His hands fell away the instant I was steady on my feet. I couldn’t believe I’d just done that twice in less than ten minutes. My entire face warmed.
“See, you need me.”
Refusing to acknowledge that asinine comment or his quick save, I embarrassingly tugged my dress back down, and hastily made my retreat, heels loudly clicking across the hardwood.
“Humor me. How do you plan to get to your destination?” he asked, following.
“With the legs God gave me.”
“Ah, you do have very lovely legs. They look even better when they’re wrapped around my waist.”
I ignored that, ignored the treacherous dip in my stomach, and ignored the panty melting accent curving around his every word.
“You don’t have to walk, amada. I know how sore you must be.”
A soft pop resounded in my ear as I clenched my jaw, refusing to bite his bait. I’d just reached the foyer when he spoke again.
“You really don’t have to walk. The car I bought you is in the garage.”
“The car you bought me?” I stopped and whirled around to face him, my hand securely gripping one of the brass handles attached to the front door.
Not realizing how close he’d been, I nearly smashed into his chest.
Catching myself at the last minute, I put as much space between us as possible. The grin he gave me in response was nothing less than feral.
“Yes, the car I bought you when I knew you’d be coming back. The Cadillac. I thought you’d have figured out where it came from when the gates opened for you that first time.”
I’d wondered what had made that happen, but why the hell would I automatically assume it was because Mateo had purchased the car?
Just like I never would have guessed he’d paid for my aunt and sister’s funeral.
“I don’t want anything from you but answers. Until then, you can put my car back together, and I’ll be on my way.”
He released an elongated sigh, glancing up at the ceiling before leveling me with a dimpled smile that was much more sinister than friendly. “Elena, I don’t really give a fuck if you want anything or not. If I did, I would have asked for your opinion. Being with me means accepting nice things. Your inability to do so will only piss me off.”
“You’re a very delusional individual.”
He hummed in response, sliding his hands into his pockets as I turned away.
I attempted to open the door on the right and then the left, quickly realizing they weren’t going to budge.
“Now seems a good time to mention that the only way to leave is by me manually disengaging the locks.”
Closing my eyes, I dropped my forehead to the cool stained glass window. I’d never expected him to actually let me walk right out the door, but at the very least, I had to try.
I knew right then that he wasn’t ever going to let me go, and some twisted side of me reveled in the notion of being possessed by him, unaware of the insane lengths he would go to ensure I remained by his side.
Chapter Three
“You’re still trying to run away from me. Have you learned nothing?”
I schooled my features to cover my warring emotions before turning to face him.
“I’m not running from you. I just need some space.”
“Space?” He nodded to himself like I’d just confirmed something. Squinting, he pulled his bitable bottom lip between his teeth, studying me intently.
“You openly admitted you were going to use me. Do you not understand that I’ve killed women for far, far less?”
His cold words tested my rapidly weakening composure. I clung to what was left of it like a lifeline, knowing it was too damn late to retract my confession.
“Then why am I still here?” I asked, taking the high road and swallowing down my defensive retorts.
“Because I’m far from finished with you, Elena, and I know you’re not finished with me,” he sighed, rubbing a hand over his chin. “If I kissed you right now, you’d kiss me back whilst pretending to hate every second of it.
If I spread your legs and fucked you against that door, you’d convince yourself you didn’t want me, but I guarantee you’d still scream my name when you came all over my dick.”
“If I told you to admit you fell for me a long time ago, you’d lie and say you didn’t, but we both know that’s not true.”
I shifted in place as his words had their desired effect between my legs, and penetrated the organ racing in my chest.
I opened my mouth once, twice, but no sound came out. My lips pressed into a thin line and I cleared away a small lump in my throat. “What does any of that have
to do with me wanting space?”
“It has everything to do with you needing space. Space won’t help you. It won’t change anything between us. It won’t save you from me.”
He took two steps forward and closed the gap I’d made between our bodies, dwarfing myself with his height. His knuckles traced beneath my chin and titled my head back. Our faces were nearly nose to nose. We fit together like two puzzle pieces.
His cock, snug against my apex, increased the wetness between my thighs.
I kept my hands curled, tightening my grip on my clutch and folder when they slightly began to tremble.
“It doesn’t matter how far away you go because your thoughts will always come back to me. Your mind is a program; I have every intention of being a virus.”
I felt a laugh bubbling up in my chest, unable to stop it from spilling out. What the hell had I gotten myself into?
He shamelessly admitted he was going to fuck my head up. By far the most dangerous creature I’d ever encountered, I knew he would do anything to get whatever it was he wanted exclusively — me.
For whatever reason, despite all my issues, he continually pursued me. His one man cavalry was severely detrimental to my defenses.
I diverted my gaze to the shiny points of his shoes, noting how clean they were.
“Come with me. I won’t hurt you. We’ll go talk and you can eat,” he finally said, stepping back and extending a hand.
I immediately decided that was a much better idea than whatever dance we were currently doing. I blatantly ignored his outstretched palm, still trying to keep a pretense of distance between us.
He laughed amusedly beneath his breath, and followed on my heels.
Reaching the elaborate dining room that had a suspiciously fresh, chic atmosphere, I saw the grand sandstone fireplace had been lit and the table was already set with a variety of brunch items in the center.
Natural sunlight streamed through the massive windows, making the room as a whole seem even cozier than it already did.
From here, the vast ocean view was much more noticeable.
Old Money Roulette: Complete Trilogy Page 12
