Page 17 of Stolen Empire

Men are moving between buildings, starting their shifts, and from here, I can see most of the operation.

"Someone on my staff has been feeding information to the Radich crew. Guard rotations, delivery schedules, blind spots in security. They've been leaking everything, and it's been going on for weeks. I need to know who it is, and I need proof before I can act."

"And you think I can help you with that?"

Her voice is flat as she looks at me with a deadpan expression.

"I know you can."

I turn back to face her.

"There's a groom named Rodion. He's been acting nervous, avoiding eye contact, showing up late. I've had my eye on him for a while, but I can't prove anything. The other night, he left one ofthe sheds unlocked. I thought he was working with you to steal that horse, but clearly, he's not."

I deduced that in the way he acts when she's around.

He doesn’t know her.

"That's where you come in."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Pose as a buyer. Someone interested in purchasing information about upcoming races. You'll approach him, feel him out, and see if he's willing to sell. If he is, I'll know he's the leak. If he's not, then I'll move on to the next suspect."

She stares at me, her mouth tightening.

"You want me to be your spy."

"I want you to do what you're good at. Lie. Manipulate. Get people to trust you long enough to give you what you need."

"And if I refuse?"

I move closer, leaning down so my face is level with hers.

"Then I'll kill you. I told you that already. You broke into my property. You tried to steal from me. I've let you live this long because you're useful, but the second you stop being useful, you're done."

Her jaw tightens, and I see the anger flash in her eyes, but she doesn't argue.

She knows I mean it.

Being this close to her, I can tell she's intimidated by me.

There are little tells—the way her lip twitches before she speaks, the way her fingers curl and uncurl.

That glint in her eye as she meets my gaze.

All of those add up to her being afraid.

If I can only keep myself focused on reading her and not get distracted by how delicate her eyelashes are as her eyes close and open slowly, or the way her hair frames her face, catching the light.

"When?" she finally asks.

"Today. But first, you need to learn enough about horses and betting to pull this off. If you walk up to him sounding clueless, he'll shut you down immediately. So you're going to sit here, and I'm going to teach you." I lean back, still assessing her but realizing that my examination has to stay purely business.

I can't let her good looks or the curve of her ass in those jeans get under my skin.

She lets out a bitter laugh.

"You're going to teach me about horses?"