Page 108 of Hunt Me

“I think there’s far too much of a coincidence that your father suddenly left his highly respected career in Los Angeles to move to Las Vegas. I think, in fact I know for certain your father was lured to the amusement park all those years ago not by chance orsimply for a good time, but because he was important to a man named Tristen O’Shaughnessy.”

“The Irishman. Another mafia leader.” She wasn’t asking a question, merely taking in every scrap of information. Processing.

“A true monster who doesn’t care about the people he kills. If they get in his way, he shoves them aside. I need your help, Bristol. We’re both seeking the same thing. The truth.”

“Yes, but our methods of discovering the truth are entirely different.”

“Yes, black and white. Good versus evil. At some point you’ll realize those in power live inside the gray area.”

Her eyes flickered in appreciation. “Yes, I’m beginning to see that. Perhaps I’ve been wrong about a lot of things.”

“The report you just watched regarding the overdose?”

“You mean the one outside your casino?”

“The very one. We don’t allow illegal drugs on any of our properties. Is it possible for guest to conceal fentanyl or ecstasy? Yes, it is, as we don’t search everyone who walks through the door, but if anyone is caught, they are banned for life.”

“So what are you saying?”

“It’s apparent that someone is trying to ruin our reputation. Now, with your father creating a commission to look into organized crime, I do find the timing interesting.” I watched as her expression changed from utter disbelief to questioning everything she’d believed in.

“While I understand what you’re saying, I can’t believe such terrible things about my father. He taught me right from wrong.” Her insistence was admirable.

“Then help me understand.”

“By spying on him for you.”

I crowded her space. While the desire lingered like a wall of intense need, I would not allow her to undermine my world, my life, or my family. “By discovering the truth. You owe me, Bristol. You will do what I say, providing me with information. For that, I’m allowing you to return to your life.” I wasn’t certain she understood how difficult it would be for me simply letting her go.

She narrowed her eyes. “With strings attached, which you told me there wouldn’t be.”

“That was before you found yourself in the middle of my world.”

“You mean a nightmare. How are you going to keep me safe?”

The woman was goading me, pushing my buttons. I crowded her space, allowing her to feel the weight of the situation. “You will be protected. Just from afar.”

“Let me guess. You’re going to have your watchdogs following me everywhere I go to ensure I’m… a good little girl.”

“Exactly.”

“What if I can’t find the truth?” she asked.

“You’re intelligent enough to know when the facts are presented in black and white. You’re also tenacious.”

“Don’t use my beliefs against me. That’s not fair.”

“Nothing in life is fair. The sooner you learn that, the better.”

“God, I really want to hate you.”

“But you can’t.”

She huffed, shaking her head. “No. What does that say about me?”

I cupped her face, enjoying the quiet moment between us. If she only knew how strongly I felt about keeping her locked down in my house, she’d be shocked. Or perhaps once again terrified of me. When I brought her close, she jammed her fisted hands against my chest. She should know by now that I would take what I wanted.

I brushed my lips against hers, expecting her to recoil, but there was so much electricity sparking between us that her body shifted involuntarily, her back arching. Her slight actions pushed our lips together, leaving me tingling all over, my cock at full attention. As my cockhead pushed against her lower stomach, I captured her mouth, holding still for several seconds and enjoying the taste of her.