“Great. I’m glad we’re on the same page.” Maybe Kailler’s being weird because of Cora, but I’m reluctant to ask. A mean Kailler is not someone I’m in the mood to deal with. “Back to the Cloister address. The Vieth orphans have to be pulling in seven figures to be shacking up in that high rise. Even the one-bedrooms start at a million, and hers is on the seventh floor.”
“Do the boys know the identity of the owner?”
“No. They say it looks abandoned. The refrigerator has milk over three weeks old, and the fruit is decayed. There are plenty of pictures there, though.”
“Of her?”
“Could be. None of Poppy though.” I get to my feet and grab the jacket off the back of my chair. “Have the car brought to the basement elevators. I’ll be coming down with Cora.”
“Cora? Wh—” she stops. “Oh, she could identify people in the photos.”
“That she could. In fact, she’s in one of them.”
“At least we know she is a Vieth,” Kailler muses.
“Not Karin’s daughter biologically, but maybe Karin views herself as the mother of all the girls under her wing.”
“Or the girls view Karin as a mother figure.”
“Correct. In the end, it doesn’t matter. Blood related or not, Karin’s going to be treating all these girls the same.”
“So if we harm this one…”
“Then Karin will use it as an excuse to take another one of mine, which I can’t tolerate. The Vieth organization is a good one, but it’s no match for ours.”
“He just wants us to go to war with Vieth so that he can swoop in and eat off the remains of the loser like the vulture he is.”
I pause at the door as a thought hits me. “Or maybe he’s arranged this whole thing to get Vieth and me at each other’s throats. He knew that Cora was Karin’s daughter.”
Kailler’s eyes grows wide. “Shit.”
“Let’s take Cora over to the apartment and see what shakes out. Afterwards, we’ll come back here, put all the pieces we have on the table, and see what kind of picture it forms—whether it’s Vieth or Ashford. And tell everyone else to be extra careful.”
* * *
Upstairs, I find Cora lying on the sofa reading. She doesn’t notice me at first. Her eyes are glued to the screen in front of her. Like Kailler, her skin looks flushed and her lips are glossy as if she’s licked them a few times.
“You sick?” I bark out, my own arousal making my voice harsher than it should be.
She lets out a little scream, and the Kindle goes flying, landing halfway between me and the sofa. I reach for it, but Cora flies off the cushions like she’s been ejected from her seat and beats me to the device.
“W-what are you doing here?” she stammers out. A lock of hair falls over her eyes, and she has to blow it away from her face.
“I own this building,” I say. My mild tone belies my curiosity. What was she reading that would make her look like she had just been kissed? I hold out my hand. “I’ve been wanting a new book. Let me see what you were reading.”
She cants her body away from me, holding the device protectively against her chest. “Is that an order?”
I hesitate because now I’m burning with questions, but for some reason forcing this information out of her doesn’t sit right with me. “Not at this moment.”
“What’s that mean?” She eyes me with suspicion.
I find myself irritated that she doesn’t trust me and that I’m mad she doesn’t trust me. She’s my hostage for fuck’s sake. Why should I care how she looks at me? I tamp down the desire to rip the Kindle out of her hands and throw her down on the sofa. “Come.” I snap my fingers.
She tosses her head. “I’m not a dog.”
“I know you aren’t. My dogs are obedient,” I say testily. I spin on my heel and head for the door before I give in to the urge to show her exactly what I think of her.
“I’m your hostage,” she tells after me. “I’m not supposed to be obedient!”
I yank a coat from the front closet and jerk my head. “As much as I would like to teach you a lesson, it’s time to do some work. Come with me.”
“Wait. You’re letting me go?”
Is that hurt in her voice? No, don’t be dumb. This is all part of her ploy. She’s trained to read a man’s mood and to play with their affections. Once a Vieth has a man in her grip, she squeezes him until his wallet is empty and his body is a husk. That might be an end some men walk willingly into, but I’m the head of this organization, and all the people who work with me depend on my leadership.
“We are going to see someone, and this time you will answer every question.”
“Or what?”
I swing and spear her with as dark a look as I’ve ever given anyone. “You don’t want to know.”
Chapter 10Cora
I sit in the back of the SUV between Aidon and Kailler. My arms are folded over my chest. I don’t want Aidon to know he hurt my feelings, so I’m focusing on my irritation.
How could he be so cold after what happened between us? It’s a bitter reminder that Aidon and I are enemies. And that I can’t let my mind get that twisted. While he might be attracted to me, I have to continue to remind myself that means nothing to him at the end of the day.
He is a man. If presented with an opportunity, he’ll take it. I bite the inside of my cheek wondering what he’ll do to me if I don’t answer his questions. The look he gave me felt like a small stab to my chest.
I should be thankful for the reminder. I’d found myself substituting the hero’s name in the book with Aidon’s name while
