Adrian

At the bottom, he’d scrawled a number. Just looking at it made me feel sick. Even after I’d told Tom ‘no’ in no uncertain terms, he’d clearly called Petrov and given him the go-ahead. Tears prickled in my eyes, and one slipped down my cheek. My brother had gone completely crazy if he thought I’d let him do this to me. I didn’t even know who he was anymore.

I ripped the card off the flowers and spun away, halting when I realized that both Imani and the receptionist were still watching me.

“Excuse me,” I muttered and brushed past them.

I found an empty meeting room, shut myself inside, and dialed the number on the card.

Petrov answered on the first ring as though he’d been waiting for me. “Do you like the flowers?”

I didn’t respond. I was burning with anger because Tom must have also given him my phone number. There was no other way he could have known it was me. We hadn’t spoken over the phone before.

“I’m not marrying you,” I stated bluntly. “Tom lied. I’ve already told him it won’t be happening.”

Petrov laughed. “Yes, it will.”

“No.” My heart hammered forcefully against my rib cage. “My brother may have gotten himself into trouble, but I refuse to give up my freedom to get him out of it. We’re living in the twenty-first century. Women can’t be bought and paid for.”

“They can, and frequently are,” he replied as though bartering women were an everyday occurrence. What the hell was this man’s deal? “Let’s get something straight. I allowed you to speak to me disrespectfully because you’re clearly angry, but I won’t tolerate more of it. I will see you at the steakhouse tonight.”

I shook my head. “No, you damn well won’t. You won’t see me tonight at all. You won’t be marrying me. And if I have anything to say about it, you’ll never so much as set eyes on me again.”

He spat something in Russian. It sounded angry. “Tell your beloved brother that our deal is off.” His voice was dangerously low. “If there’s no wedding, I’ll take what I’m owed another way.”

The call ended before I could respond. I stared at my phone, breathing hard.

Oh my God. That was a threat.

What if Petrov was behind everything?

Ronan

“Our offices will house a number of high-end jewels.” The man opposite me steepled his hands and watched me over them. “They are worth millions of dollars, making them a tempting target for thieves. We need to be sure that nobody will be able to get to them.”

I nodded. “While I can’t make any guarantees, our systems are the best on the market. They’re sensitive, customizable, and we have professionals monitoring the alarms twenty-four-seven.”

He nodded, and his heavy brow furrowed in thought. “I’ve asked around about you, Mr. King, and everything I’ve heard is good. You were trained by Frank Lennox, is that correct?”