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“Is Cole here?” I keep my tone light. Calm. I don’t show an ounce of the exhilaration currently flooding my veins at the thought of the smug piece of shit hiding out in the building somewhere.
“I…” He scrubs his hands against his pants for a third time. “Let me get you that stool.” He starts for the end of the bar. “I won’t be long.”
He walks away, taking long strides across the open expanse of the restaurant to disappear behind the swinging doors.
I lock down my emotions, determined not to jump to crazy conclusions while my limbs tingle, and the slightest buzz begins to take over my head.
Normally, Cole would be back there somewhere. Not in the kitchen. He would be in the surrounding rooms he uses as offices to run his operation. But not today. It’s stupid to think he’d be anywhere in the vicinity while his father is being hunted.
No, that smug piece of shit would be somewhere strategic.
He’s smart. Really smart.
That’s why I’ve always been drawn to this case. The Torian family aren’t simple. They know what they’re doing and have a brilliant method to their madness.
But what if he is?
What if Cole is here? Watching me? Laughing at me?
He would think I was weak and pathetic for succumbing to my anger. And he’d be right.
I am weak.
I am pathetic.
I’m also a little psychotic, just like him, but my psychosis remains on the right side of the law. I’m crazy with the need to take him down. I’d do anything. Give anything.
I grip the bar and dig my fingertips into the wood as I stare at my reflection behind the wall of mirrors partially covered by glass. I look like hell. My eyes are wild, my cheeks rosy. And my hair. Jesus. The chin-length strands are a tangled mess that would probably seem trendy if I had a speck of makeup on to help me appear slightly respectable.
I’m the living, breathing definition of what Cole has made me—distraught.
Tormented.
I really should go.
“I’m told you need a stool.”
The briefest snippet of a horror re-run brushes my ears. That voice. The provoking lilt. The arrogant tone.
I remain still despite the threat at my back and the mass of wasps swarming in my stomach.
“Where is he?” I whisper.
“Where is who?” Cole drawls.
I close my eyes, succumbing to the comfort of darkness for a few seconds before I turn to face the picture of arrogance standing right before me in his perfect suit.
“I would’ve thought you were far too proud to play dumb, Mr. Torian.” My voice climbs, letting those in the vicinity hear our conversation. “Is he here? Do you have him hiding out back?”
He inches closer, leaning into me so we’re almost chest to chest. His cologne regains its hold in the air around me, the woodsy scent settling into my lungs. “As much as you seem to be enjoying yourself at my bar, why don’t you follow me and take a look for yourself? We can talk in private. Just the two of us.”
The words are intimate. Almost like a lover’s promise.
“Just you and me?” I mimic his sultry tone, refusing to retreat even though he’s deliberately smothering my personal space. “Without witnesses or anyone to hold you accountable for what you might try to do to me?”
He chuckles, the warmth of his breath brushing my cheek, triggering an ambush of goose bumps to skitter across the back of my neck. “A woman like you wouldn’t be able to fathom the type of things I want to do.”
He’s toying with me again. Playing the master manipulator. Attempting to inspire fear.
“I’m not scared of you.”
“No.” He inclines his head in agreement, his mouth kicking at one side. “I’m well aware you shiver for different reasons.”
I glare, my lips parting, about to spew my bottled hatred.
“You didn’t come here to make a scene, Niss.” He enunciates the nickname with deliberate affection, dangling it like a noose. “You came here to my restaurant, despite the risks involved, because we have unfinished business you want to resolve. So let’s resolve it.”
He turns and strides away, heading toward the swinging kitchen doors.
I'm sure the attention of every person in a one-mile radius is on him, taking in the perfect fit of his tailored suit, the styled hair, the thick, broad shoulders.
He doesn’t wait to see if I follow. He knows I will. This asshole is well aware he’s got the upper hand, and it needs to stop. But how? He’ll only gain more power if I walk away.
I’m left with no choice. I have to give chase.
I stalk after him, catching up at the kitchen door he holds open for me. The bartender stands inside, his eyes curious.
“Thanks for the drinks,” I mutter. “You can put them on Cole’s tab.”
Torian chuckles, the thickly rich sound another taunt to slap away my attempt to anger him. He leads me through the spotless kitchen, the staff staring at me with intrigue.
Their attention is reassuring. He can’t pay everyone for their silence. Someone in here has to cling to a moral or two. So if I wind up in a ditch in the early hours of the morning, Cole won’t get away with it.
“This way.” He holds open another door with a dimly lit hall on the other side.
This time I take the lead, not letting the darkened shadows spook me.
“Keep going until you reach the last door on the right.”
I glance over my shoulder. “And what if I want to check these other rooms?”
“Have at it. But I think you’re smart enough to know there’s nothing illegal on this premises.”
Another taunt. More softly spoken ridicule.
God, I detest this man.
I continue to the end of the hall and pause, waiting.
“After you.” He indicates the door with the wave of a hand, his gaze narrowed as if daring me to continue.
I don’t play into his intimidation. I refuse to whimper in fear.
In fact, I scoff, practically laughing in the face of it, and step closer to the door.
I grab that handle, twist, and shove inside, a woman on a mission, only to stop dead at the wall of muscle that greets me.
The three men put an immediate halt on their murmured conversation, their menacing faces turning to take me in, their relaxed expressions morphing to incredulity as recognition hits.
“Don’t stop now, little fox,” Cole whispers in my ear. “Make yourself at home.”