Page 12 of Forbidden Boss

Her lips part in surprise, and I can see the outrage sparking in her eyes. She’s far fiercer than I would have given her credit for.

“That’s it?” she asks, incredulous. “That’s all you have to say to me?”

“That’s all you need to know,” I say, keeping my tone casual.

She leans closer, palms pressing harder into the desk. She’s close enough that I can smell her perfume. It takes a fair amount of self-control not to pull her over the desk and start ripping her clothes off.

“Am I in danger?” she asks, with more fury than fear.

I let out a low laugh, rough in my throat. “This isn’tThe Godfather,” I say, though it isn’t really an adequate answer to her question. I tilt my head, a smirk tugging at my mouth. “Relax, Mari. No one’s going to put a horse head in your bed.”

The joke doesn’t land. Her glare sharpens and she straightens, sizing me up.

“Do you think this is funny?” she demands. “Because I really fucking don’t.”

“No, Mari,” I answer more carefully, my tone icy. “I don’t think this is fucking funny. I think you’ve got a lot of gall coming into my office like this. What did you think was going to happen here?”

It’s only then that her demeanor cracks in the slightest. I’ve knocked some wind out of her sails and we both know it.

I lean back further, deliberately casual, pretending that her knowledge doesn’t put her life in grave danger. She hasn’t answered me, and I don’t think she will. I try another tactic.

“How did you find out?” I ask, shifting the subject.

She reaches into her blazer, pulls out a white rectangle, and flicks it onto my desk without a word. The card slides and stops against the ledger. I see the federal seal and clean type. I don’t need to read the name to know the agency.

“Agent Cole was waiting for me when I got home,” she says, breaking through my thoughts. “He told me everything.”

I pick up the card and turn it once between my fingers, considering this. I’m not familiar with an Agent Cole, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know me.

“And what, exactly, did you tell him?” I ask sharply.

“Nothing,” she answers, her tone still defiant. “Because, as far as I was concerned, you hadn’t done anything illegal.”

“So you thought it would be a good idea to confront me?” I let out a humorless laugh. “Honestly, Mari, do you have no sense of self-preservation?”

I watch her while the clock on the credenza ticks once. She doesn’t drop her gaze, but she doesn’t answer me either. Slowly but surely, her mask is falling. I finally see the worry behind her eyes. It finally clicks for her.

“What will you tell them when they come back?” I ask, my words laced with a threat. “Because they will come back.”

She tips her head a fraction, a spark in her eyes as she considers the question. “Don’t be an asshole and I’ll keep my mouth shut,” she says, cocky, though she’s not nearly as confident as she was when she stormed in here.

I fight to keep from smiling. She’s all false bravado. Completely and utterly full of shit. She was brave to come in here like this. Ihave to give her credit for that. But now that the reality is sinking in, she has no leg to stand on.

“You don’t know anything,” I tell her coldly. “So there is nothing for you to share. You work for a legitimate business that has absolutely nothing to hide. No part of this company is illegal, and my books will reflect that.”

She lets out a breath, and I see that I’ve finally broken her down. She has no rebuttal.

“Go back to work,” I command her. “Find my money. That is your job. That is youronlyjob.”

She holds my stare for a beat that feels longer than it is, then turns and walks out. The door shuts with a hard click. Silence returns, and I take a breath, finally letting myself react to what just happened.

My first instinct is anger. Not at her, but at this Agent Cole who thought he could harass her and get away with it. I don’t know who he is, but I’m going to make it my mission to find out. Then I’ll need to seriously consider what I’m going to do about her knowing who I really am.

I look at the card again and call Yuri to my office.

He comes in half an hour later without knocking. He kicks the door closed behind him and sinks into the chair in front of me, his eyes glued to the small rectangle on my desk like it’s a live bomb.

“What the hell is going on?” he asks, clearly recognizing the federal seal as easily as I did.