“I never invite anyone into my kingdom without my personal assessment—and I must say, I found your performance during the boat ride uneventful, boring, and downright Oscar-worthy.” He lifted his chin at Ignacio. “Leave us.”

Ignacio headed for the doorway, unknowingly leaving Blake alone with the man he hated the most in this world and a woman he was pretty damn sure was becoming his world. Not the most stable of situations for any of them.

“So, Mr. Wright,” Alvarez said the instant the door shut, “back to your Oscar-winning performance. Your complete silence this past hour allowed me little opportunity to assess you or your relationship with Kara. While frustrating, it was also quite brilliant. You have my attention.”

“If that’s supposed to give me a hard-on, it doesn’t.” Killing him was another story.

Surprise and a flash of irritation registered on Alvarez’s face. “You do know who I am, I assume?” There was an arrogant bite to his tone.

“We’ve covered this. I get it. You run the show, but I’m not part of the show. I’m contract. Free as a bird in a blue sky, and I plan to keep it that way.”

“I have no problem with you being ‘as free as a bird in a blue sky’ as long as it’s my blue sky.”

“That’s not happening.”

“You like money. I’ll make you a rich man.”

“Why do you want to make me anything?” Blake asked.

“Because I have a puzzle missing a piece. I think you’re that piece.”

“The only puzzle I fit is my own.”

“Your Oscar-winning performance we just discussed says you fit wherever you want to fit. I need people who know how to stay off the radar. You do. I also need people who know how to problem solve.” His gaze shifted abruptly to Kara, his dark eyes narrowing on her. “I understand you saved us from a potential disaster with the feds.” It wasn’t a question.

“I did what I had to do,” Kara replied, her tone as steady as if she were talking to a grocery store attendant, not the worst, most deadly kingpin.

“Au contraire,” Alvarez disagreed. “You didn’t have to do anything but run.”

“I’m smart enough to know that anything that happens while I’m working for you, and perhaps even after, will come back on me. Protecting you means protecting me.”

“You could have helped the feds,” he observed.

“If you’re on their radar, so am I,” Kara answered coolly. “And besides, the government isn’t paying my bills. You are.”