“You’re lying about the text,” Rafe continues. His voice is a rough scrape against my nerves. “You meant every word. You want us.”
“Excuse me?” I bristle, stepping to the side to put a fraction of an inch between myself and Nick.
“Your heart is beating so fast I can see the pulse in your neck,” Rafe points out. He takes another step closer. “You smell like fear. But you also smell sweet. You like this.”
“I want you out of my kitchen.” I glare at him.
“Too bad.” Rafe smiles. It is a terrifying, feral baring of teeth. “We go where you go. Those are the rules.”
The USB drive shifts again.
The sudden movement sends a sharp spike of pure panic straight through my veins. The metal slides a full inch further down my ribcage.
If I move too fast, it is going to fall straight out of my dress and clatter onto the marble floor.
I need to get to my bathroom. I need exactly two minutes alone to hide Dominic’s stolen secrets.
“Move,” I demand. I place my hands flat against Nick’s solid chest and push hard.
It is like trying to shove a concrete pillar. Nick doesn’t budge a single millimeter.
“Where are you going?” Nick asks quietly. He doesn’t move his hands, but his body traps me completely.
“To my bedroom. To change out of these clothes.” I glare up at him, injecting every ounce of Costa arrogance I possess intomy tone. “Unless you plan on supervising my wardrobe change, too?”
Nick stares down at me for a long, agonizing second.
He looks at Rafe. Rafe gives a tight, almost imperceptible nod.
Nick finally steps back. He gives me exactly one inch of clearance to slip past him.
“Five minutes,” Rafe says. His rough tone brooks absolutely no argument. “Then I’m coming in to check your windows.”
I don’t wait for them to change their minds.
I slip past the two massive men. I keep my arms pinned tightly to my sides, praying the drive will stay lodged in the lace.
I practically sprint out of the kitchenette. I cross the plush rug of the sitting room, my eyes locked entirely on the heavy mahogany door to my bedroom.
I grab the brass handle. I twist it, shove the door open, and slip inside.
The lock clicks shut behind me.
My breath rushes out in a ragged, desperate exhale. I lean back against the cool wood of the door for exactly three seconds.
I don’t have time to panic.
I push off the door and cross the sprawling bedroom. I head straight for the massive walk-in closet.
I reach into the plunging neckline of the emerald silk. My fingers brush the sharp edge of the hard metal.
I pull the stolen USB drive from my bra. It is warm from my skin. It feels ten times heavier than it actually is.
I drop to my knees in the back corner of the closet. I push aside a row of expensive designer shoe boxes.
There is a loose floorboard perfectly hidden beneath the baseboard. I pry it up with my fingernails. I drop the tiny silver drive into the dark cavity and snap the wood back into place.
Safe.