Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

VAR

S he was exquisite. All soft curves, fair skin, and full, crimson lips. With hair so long, I was already wondering if I could tie it in a knot around my bedpost.

Unfortunately, she was also a liability, and I was running out of time.

Serg would return with the cleaner crew soon.

The more people who learned she was a witness, the more dangerous her situation became.

Vivian blinked those startlingly bright emerald eyes up at me. "What?"

"Your bra, beautiful. I need you to remove it so I can check for a wire."

Her arms wrapped over her breasts, which only pushed the luscious curves up higher. "There is nothing in my bra."

Nothing but a pair of gorgeous tits. Damn, I was never much of a breast man, but she made me a believer. My cock lengthened at just the idea of fucking them. I could just imagine how the lush curves would feel hugging my shaft.

"Are you going to kill me?"

"What does that have to do with my request?"

"I don't want to die with my naked boobs hanging out and police detectives ogling my corpse."

Fair point.

"If you do as you're told, I will do my best not to kill you."

She raised her chin. "Fine."

Her nimble fingers re-buttoned her shirt.

The man's shirt I found oddly irritating.

That she was wearing the clothes of another man did not sit well with me. The only thing that kept me from tearing it off her body was that then her stunning curves would be on display for my friends, and anyone else who came into the warehouse as well.

There had already been enough killing for one evening.

My hand stilled hers. "What are you doing?"

"I'm taking off my bra."

Once she finished buttoning her shirt, she slipped her arms into the sleeves.

Her shoulders shifted left then right, then she pushed her right arm back through the sleeve holding her white lace bra.

I raised an eyebrow. "Nice trick."

Taking the still warm piece of fabric in my hand, I ran my fingers over the underwire until I found the small slit opening. I yanked the wire free.

"Hey! That's from Victoria's Secret! It cost me sixty bucks."

Ignoring her complaint, I tore the wire out of the other cup. When I was satisfied there was no listening device, I tossed it aside.

She dove for it.

I was quicker.

Cupping her shoulders, I slammed her against the wall of towering cardboard.

Her eyes narrowed. "Can I please have my bra back?"

Not a fucking chance.

"Not yet. I have some questions. What are you doing here?"

She crossed her arms over her middle. "Did you murder those men?"

"I asked you first."

"And I asked second."

I placed a hand under her chin and raised her gaze closer to mine. "You're rather feisty for a woman who is in mortal danger."

Her lips thinned. "If you were planning on killing me, you would have done so without caring about a wire."

I nodded. "Fair point. Now answer my question."

"Answer mine first."

Clearly, I would need to change interrogation tactics.

Pushing my fingers into her hair, I anchored my hand at the back of her skull. With her head yanked back, I stepped forward, pressing my hips against her stomach. Only slightly easing the growing ache in my cock.

Her jewel eyes widened. "Wait, what are you?—"

My mouth slammed down onto hers.

Fuck, she was sweet.

Even as she fought me.

Her small hands tugged at my shirt while a soft, plaintive whimper escaped her lips.

My tongue pushed inside her wet heat, picturing doing the same with my cock. I bruised her lips against the harsh edge of my teeth as I pressed down hard, subduing her resistance.

The tip of her tongue swirled around mine, trying to push me out, as I feasted.

My other hand moved to her front. This time tearing at the buttons on her shirt. The first two popped off and scattered across the cement floor as I pushed my hand inside, desperate to feel the weight of her breast against my palm.

Her bare flesh was heavy and full in my hand. I groaned against her mouth as I brushed my thumb across her erect nipple.

Fuck, I could come just from touching this woman's breasts.

Forcing her against the cardboard wall, I pushed my hips into her harder, applying pressure to my shaft to ease the rising tension.

When I pulled back, her breath came in ragged gasps.

I leaned in and skimmed my lips across hers. "You have two options, beautiful. Use this mouth to answer my questions or suck my cock. Choose."

As much as I needed answers, in that moment, even at the risk of half of Chicago's S.W.A.T. team encircling me, I gladly would have surrendered to her mouth.

Her fingernails dug into my shirt as she fisted the material in her efforts to shove me aside.

I didn't budge.

Her eyes scanned my face. I could practically feel her thinking up a lie.

Finally, she blurted out, "I'm nobody. I was just a temporary assistant to the man in there. I came here to get my last check."

"How much did you see?"

"Nothing! I swear. I promise. I don't know anything about what is happening."

She was lying. She definitely knew more than she was letting on.

The problem was what was I going to do about it?

I couldn't leave a witness… and I couldn't kill her.

"Why were you climbing around in the air duct?"

"I saw you and the others entering the office and got scared. I planned to escape but ran in the wrong direction. I was trying to get to the loading dock undetected through the air duct."

That part at least rang true. Thanks to years of gambling, starting with my misspent youth, I was exceptionally good at reading the tells.

Irrational anger rose inside me. I tightened my fist in her hair as my lip curled. "That was a stupid thing to do. You could have been killed. You're lucky I was there to catch you."

Despite her precarious predicament, she huffed and rolled her eyes. "Apparently, you don't know the correct meaning of the word ‘luck'."

"I'd say luck was having a beautiful woman with a mouth for sin fall into my lap."

She blinked several times, staring up at me in silence. Shocking this woman speechless was clearly a Herculean feat to be celebrated.

"Do you know what Abakar was up to?"

Her brow furrowed as she shifted her eyes, as if in thought. Then her gaze returned to me as she squinted. "I'm sorry, who?"

Nice try.

Playing along, I repeated, "Abakar, your employer."

"Oh!" She nodded as if suddenly understanding. Then, lying with obvious practiced ease, she said, "Yeah, I'm sorry. I never really caught onto his name. The agency I work for just sends me on these jobs and takes care of all the details."

"Really? I thought you said you were here to pick up your paycheck from Abakar?"

Her gaze lowered.

Busted.

She cleared her throat. "I did?"

My eyebrow arched. "You did."

She once more grasped the ends of her shirt together, covering her naked breasts. "Yes, well, he was giving me a bonus for a job well done."

Jealous rage, fierce and quick, rose inside of me. I slammed my fist into the cardboard over her head. "And just what did you do to deserve this bonus ?"

Her hand snaked out and slapped me. "Fuck you."

Using my grip on her hair, I slammed her body forward into mine as I wrapped my other hand around her throat. "Challenge accepted."

Just as I leaned down to claim that gorgeous, lying mouth again, Mac called into the room. "Var? You're needed."

Taking a deep breath through my nose, I released her and stepped back. After snatching a roll of duct tape off the nearest table, I captured her wrist.

She pulled back. "No! Stop!"

I stretched her left arm out to a nearby metal support pole. Forcing her onto her knees, I crouched down and secured her wrist to the pole with duct tape. Leaning in, I tore the tape with my teeth before tossing the roll aside. I'd wrapped it around her wrist so many times and with so many twists, it would take her twenty minutes to unwind it.

My hand cupped her jaw. "Be a good girl and stay nice and quiet until I return."

"You can't just leave me here! Please, let me go! I'm sorry I slapped you."

"We will deal with the more creative ways you're going to apologize for that when I return."

My decision was made.

I'd bring her back to the Four Monks with me for further interrogation .

After all, at this point, she was our best lead. There was a chance she got a look at who really killed Abakar and his men. She may even know the name of the art forger he employed.

Yes, she would be very useful to me in more ways than one.