Page 23 of The Brigadier
“So?”
He growled. “And your pseudo uncle is the Brigadier for the Bratva. Yes?”
“What does it matter?”
He smirked. “Because both entities are bad seeds and have caused issues for my world.”
I wasn’t even certain if I gave a shit what he was getting at. But I could instantly tell he was going to try to use the information as leverage. “I’m my own person, Mr. Davenport. I thought you hired me for my skills.”
“I wouldn’t have hired you at all had I known. Now, you can simply leave the premises, never to return or you can agree tobecome my mistress. If you do, you’ll never want for anything. The shitty apartment you live in will disappear and you’ll be living in a penthouse. How about that?”
The fucker knew where I lived? Well, of course. I had to put an address on my application. I was brought back to boogeymen and nightmares.
I’d faced this kind of crap before. If you were considered a beautiful girl in Beverly Hills, you were hit on, propositioned, or expected to ‘perform,’ but he’d picked the wrong girl. Also, between what Sonya had told me and now this, my gut told me something was going on. It was as if the world was getting ready to implode. Had my father done something while he was here I didn’t know about? I wouldn’t put it past him.
But I wasn’t my father’s daughter right now. I was me, a hardnosed bitch.
“What will it be?” He dared to rub the tips of his fingers down my arm and that was it. And I did mean it. I hauled off and punched him with all the fury of a mafia princess.
“That’s my answer. I quit. Oh, and go fuck yourself, you pig.”
I flung open his door with enough force, it slammed back against the wall. There wasn’t a pair of eyes that wasn’t locked on me as I walked down the corridor of shame to my cubicle. Forget about the assistants’ pool. I wanted to shout out to get some damn popcorn, but I still thought best not to do something so impetuous.
Even if it might make me feel a little better.
I grabbed my purse and the little lunch bag I’d brought my PB&J in, heading toward the elevator. Maybe the man would call thepolice. I didn’t plan on hanging around long enough to find the fuck out. God, I was pissed. And worried.
And frustrated.
And needed a punching bag and…
Oh, God. What was I going to do?
Find work elsewhere. I refused to put my tail between my legs and run home to Daddy. Shit, for all I knew, the man had paid Mr. Davenport to do exactly what he did just to force me back home. Oh, men.
As soon as I walked outside, a rumble of thunder occurred. Of course it did. I took long strides toward the subway, forced to wait for almost ten minutes. I continued to glance over my shoulder, certain I’d see the boys in blue chasing me.
I couldn’t call my father.
Then I’d have to tell him I’d failed. He’d insist I come home.
Crap.
A creepy crawly feeling washed over me. Why?
Swallowing, I glanced all around me seeing nothing but people trying to find a way to wherever their lives were taking them.
But the strange feeling remained.
Nope. I wasn’t going there.
The subway came and I was fuming, climbing on, shocked how crowded it was this time of day. And the oddest thing was that I could swear eyes were watching me. Of course it was nuts but seconds before I’d stepped on, I’d glanced to my left. A man ina hoodie had jumped on quickly, but not before glancing in my direction.
Given the ominous light, I was able to see his black and very piercing eyes.
As the subway rumbled to a start, I glanced at the doors connecting the two cars, my heart racing. Nothing happened at first but suddenly, the doors opened and while there was a crowd of people in the way, I was fairly certain the hooded man had walked through.
As if acting out a movie, I inched closer to the front, trying to figure out what to do. I didn’t know the area very well, which had me at a disadvantage. But I did know the stop coming up in less than a minute. Maybe the smartest thing to do was to get off there and scurry back to my apartment. It was still light. I could walk fast and certainly didn’t want the bastard to catch me here.