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There was no doubt he was waiting for it, studying me with the eyes of a snake and the desire of a vicious predator.

“I did not kill your father, Genevieve. I respected the man.”

“Bullshit. If you want this meeting to continue, you will not lie to me.”

“I’m not used to being called a liar, certainly not inside my house.”

“I guess you’ll need to get used to several things you don’t like.”

He scowled at first, his eyes flashing as his temper flared, but he managed to disarm me when he smiled. “You’re very formidablejust as your note suggested. Why don’t we start over? Then you can burn a cross into my forehead with your accusations. I’m Jago Torres. Welcome to my home. Would you like something to drink? Wine, perhaps? Champagne?”

At least he was the one who stepped away first. And so the game began. “Something stronger. Whiskey if you have it.”

“Ah, whiskey. A woman of discerning tastes. Yes, I do.”

He turned toward the bar, which allowed me to glance around the room. I also slipped my hand down to the inside of my thigh where I’d hidden a sheathed knife. If anyone thought I’d come to a meeting of this nature without being armed, they were crazy.

“How did you enjoy spending time in New York?” His question surprised me, which is what he intended on doing. He was making a point there was nothing about me he couldn’t discover.

“Beautiful in the spring. I enjoyed the food, but the people were horrific.”

“And Broadway?” he asked as he turned around. “I’ve always wanted to catch a show on Broadway. It’s on my bucket list. I’d be curious as to what’s on yours.” His eyes were pinned on mine, his strong jaw clenched, which made the dark stubble seem sexier.

His aura exuded power and as he walked toward me, he allowed his gaze to fall far too slowly. He wasn’t just sizing up an opponent. He was undressing them.

Damn the man.

“I was far too busy with school and my internship to truly enjoy what the city had to offer.” I accepted the drink and our fingers touched, shooting another wave of electricity through me. Mybody tensed in reaction, and his dark chuckle enveloped my system.

“Do I frighten you, Genevieve?”

“No, is that what you’re attempting to do, Jago?” Two could play the name game.

“What I’m attempting to do is to simply enjoy a nice conversation followed by what I hope you’ll find to be an excellent dinner with very enjoyable company.”

“Dinner? With you?” I’d been right about the room. He truly believed if he couldn’t coerce me into selling, he’d wine and dine me. What a jerk.

“I assure you my chef hasn’t poisoned the food. But if you’d prefer, I’ll taste yours to ensure there is no rogue enemy hoping to kill you inside my house.”

I had to laugh. “You are an arrogant son of a bitch.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment coming from a woman attempting to fill the shoes of a ruthless man.”

“I’m not attempting anything. I will handle his business from here on out.”

He lifted his glass, almost in appreciation. “I stand corrected. However, I will warn you that there are many outside this room who will stop at nothing to take what doesn’t belong to them.”

“Besides yourself?”

“You only recently returned home. Yes?”

There was no reason to lie to him. “Two days ago.”

“I’m so sorry your homecoming wasn’t what you’d hoped. What you may or may not know is that things are entirely different than when you left years ago.”

“How so?” I might as well learn as much as I could about the landscape of monsters.

“There are dozens of factions from other countries, inside Spain. They handle everything from drugs and illegal arms to slave trading. They are fighting amongst each other, almost in a feeding frenzy to gain more territory. They will see your father’s murder as an opportunity they can’t pass up.”