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.He watched her for a long moment, and she could barely keep stiff under such a gaze.How did people think this man was made of ice? How did he believe it of himself? He all but seethed with heat.Every time that gaze touched upon her, she felt the need to divest herself of any outer garments.To strip bare under the flames.“And you won’t need to leave this building either anymore,” she added.His eyes narrowed suddenly, but the heat kept pressing.“No?”“There won’t be need to seek outside pursuits.” She hoped that was adequate in telling him that he would no longer need to stand outside to guard their house.They’d be right here.There was something quite odd about his reaction, though.His muscles tensed as if he were readying for a fight.She had the strange notion that reading wasn’t correct though.What made a man react like that?“Is that right?” Was there something.sensual in those words?“Yes.” She cast off the odd notion and nodded instead.He shook his head suddenly, scowl reappearing, the lines around his eyes tightening.She could see her chance slipping through as he opened his mouth.“I will give you a share of the company,” she blurted out.His gaze went from resistant to unreadable.“And staying here will stop me from doing anything.hasty.That has to be a boon, correct?”It stung her pride, but sacrifices were sometimes necessary.“And if you need me to stay away from you.I, I can do that.I actually enjoy speaking to you, of course.I find you fascinating, and”—she clamped her lips together, a bit mortified for once—“I will give you thirty percent of the company.”He studied her for long moments, muscles shifting beneath his shirt—it suddenly occurred to her that he was quite underdressed, and that was the reason she could discern the play of the cords at all.“And I can get Lord Garrett to leave England,” she added.He stilled completely.“I, I won’t do anything to cause Edward or Henry harm, I won’t disgrace the family and have one evil set of deeds brought to bear upon the rest.But I can make it so their father has to leave.I have Christian’s notes.”He was so, so still.Statuesque.“Very well.” His usual surly tone was all but a purr suddenly.“As Roman likes to say, let us see how this plays, Miss Pace.And if you regret it”—he shrugged, but his eyes pinned her, dark and glittering and intense—“don’t say I didn’t warn you.”“Yes,” she responded, though her heart was beating entirely too quickly.Her response anchored to the collection of darkened intentions that stole over his face.He leaned forward, spreading the path of scorching heat over her, tightening it around her, like the dark manacle on his wrist that was still not fully healed, and her heart hammered, not unlike it had when cool steel had rested against her neck, as he smiled darkly.“Then welcome to hell.”Chapter 9He tapped.Taut like the cord of a clock one wind too tight.Watching her disappear again.Upstairs.He tapped harder.Dangerous, dangerous thoughts.Ones that he could not convert to reality.Promises made—promises that she thought something else entirely.He could call Donald.Donald was in charge, after all, and it was who Roman would have wheedled everything out of if he’d been here.But there were obstacles with whomever Andreas called tonight.Normally, he would coldly question Donald without fear.Because normally he felt little more than disregard.But Donald, skilled in showing no emotion around anyone other than Roman, would deduce both Andreas’s interest and his lack of complete knowledge.Andreas lived by the reputation that he knew everything, all of the time, without having to interact with anyone.It was the gift of his partnership with Roman.He tapped his finger again on the desk, lips tight at the admission, even to himself, that emotion was involved.He needed someone he could verbally batter and coerce without exposing himself in return.Andreas eyed the third cord on the wall with something akin to resignation.He loathed that cord.He reached out and yanked three times.Footsteps pounded up the stairs moments later.Three sets of feet stopped outside his door—two sets quick, the other dragging behind.“Enter,” he barked.Two boys tumbled into the room, one large and fearful, one reedy and eager.God, he hated that cord.The third stalked in behind, small arms crossed, jagged scar the length of his forehead.Belligerent little fuck.Andreas remembered Roman skirting the boy around him when the boy had first come to their fold.“Sir, sir, what needs doing?” the eager one asked.He had carrot-top red hair, his skin irreparably spotted from an overabundance of freckles.His eyes held the sort of glazed eagerness of an unintelligent puppy.Andreas dearly wished for Milton or One-eye at the moment.Someone with proper respect, fear, and intelligence.It seemed like the boys before him comprised only one characteristic each.But One-eye was with Roman.And Milton was still on assignment.None of this would have happened if he hadn’t sent Milton off.If he had been the type to snort, he would have done so.Milton would have probably carried all of her bags inside himself.“I want to know about our.guests.” He let the word roll off his tongue.He could do nothing at this juncture but pretend he had known they would be moving in all along.Anything otherwise would undermine him.Perhaps that was her ultimate goal.She was doing well by it, all in all.“How they arrived, what they’ve been doing.”“They came in a week ago.They are living in Mr.Roman’s old rooms.”Two sentences containing nothing.Eager and blank.He gave the boy a cold stare.“Do you not know how to report? Or should I dismiss you now for the imbecile you are?”Carrot-top looked confused.“Imbecile means idiot.” Andreas tapped his pen harder.“Oh!”Andreas continued the painful tapping on his desk, and he saw the fearful lug of a boy nudge Carrot-top in the side, his pupils nearly overtaking any color surrounding them.Carrot-top tripped over his words.“Right.Johnny and Tommy helped ’em move out the house, Benny, Trip, and Lefty made sure everythin’ got tossed upstairs.We didn’t break anything, swears.And we’ve had fresh baker bread and lil’ cakes and—”The scarred boy elbowed Carrot-top hard.“Er,” Carrot-top continued.“That’s it.We did everythin’ right, swears.”He wasn’t going to pull that cord again.He could bully Donald so hard that he couldn’t tell his ass from his judgment center next time.“And the occupants themselves?”“The lady, course.An older lady too, and.another old lady.” He nudged the scarred boy, chortling.“Right? Another lady.”The scarred boy kept his gaze straight ahead, eyes narrowed on Andreas.Snotty little shit.“A man dressed as an old lady,” the scarred boy corrected crisply.“Sir.”Carrot-top continued, as if the interruption had been part of their act.“Wouldn’t believe it at first.Great big side whiskers on a hunched granny.” He pulled the hair in front of his ears out.“Me maw would have had a.” He trailed off, as he finally looked at Andreas.His face turned an unattractive shade of green.“That is.there are three of them, sir.The servants disappeared.Oh, and there’s a dog.Tommy’s been walking him.” He motioned to the scarred boy, then quickly backed away, leaving Tommy to the figurative canines.Tommy was eyeing him mutinously across the desk.Andreas gave him a black look in return and turned to the third boy, who was quite a bit bigger than the other two.“And what have you observed?”The boy’s mouth worked for a moment with no sound emerging.He was a hulking little beast really.He’d be a force to be reckoned with in a few years.When his mouth kept working, Andreas wondered if perhaps his tongue had been removed.He eyed the boy with anger and distaste
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