Page 9 of Stolen Empire

"Get up," I say.

She doesn't move. "Why?"

"Because I told you to."

She holds my gaze for a moment longer, then pushes herself to her feet.

I notice the way she keeps her back straight, refusing to show weakness.

The room is colder than it was earlier as the heat kicked off and now night's effect on the Earth is taking hold.

She shivers, but she tries not to show her chill or the anxious energy she has.

But I see her hand trembling as she crosses her arms over her chest.

"Tell me again," I say. "Who sent you?"

"Nobody." Her voice is flat, tired. "I already told you that."

She glances at her bag still gripped in my fist.

I drop it onto the floor next to me and scowl at her.

"And I don't believe you."

"That's your problem, not mine."

She paces along the wall like an animal trapped in a cage with a predator.

Wise girl—she understands who I am.

I study her, taking in the set of her jaw, the way she holds herself despite the exhaustion I can see creeping into her posture.

She's too controlled for someone who should be terrified.

Most people crack under pressure, but she's holding steady.

"You're not a simple thief," I say.

"Simple thieves don't scout a place this thoroughly. They don't time their entry down to the minute. They don't walk straight to the most valuable target without hesitation. You had a plan, and that plan was well thought out. So either you're working for someone, or you knew a hell of a lot about this place before you came here."

She doesn't answer, and I push off the desk, closing the distance between us.

She doesn't flinch or step back, and I stop close enough that I can see the faint bruise forming on her arm where I grabbed her earlier.

"Here's what's going to happen," I say, keeping my voice even.

"You're going to stay here. You're going to do what I tell you to do, when I tell you to do it. You're going to run errands, carry messages, and keep your mouth shut. And while you're doing all of that, I'm going to watch you. I'm going to see who talks to you, who avoids you, and who tries to get you alone. If you're connected to the people sabotaging my operation, you're going to lead me straight to them. And if you're not, then you're still useful as a pair of hands I can control."

"I won’t do any of that for you, you dumb bastard," she snips.

"Then I'll kill you."

I say it matter-of-factly.

"You broke into my property. You tried to steal from me. Nobody knows you're here, and nobody will miss you if you disappear. That's not a threat. It's a fact."

She holds eye contact, and for a moment, I see emotion flicker in her eyes—fear, maybe, or calculation.