Page 40 of Thorns of Love

I blinked, catching her worried gaze. I forced a smile to my lips, not wanting to worry her.

“Yes, I’m fine,” I assured her. “I’m sorry. I just remembered something, and it caught me by surprise.”

Her gaze studied me, and suddenly, I knew this girl saw and knew more than her big brother gave her credit for. The question was how much more.

We took the last turn and arrived at the end of the hallway and Isla pressed a button. “Elevator?” I asked incredulously.

She rolled her eyes. “I know. Like he didn’t have enough space to make a parking lot. He insisted on the parking garage.”

What Illias wants; Illias gets.Apparently.

The elevator door opened and we both stepped into it. She pressed another button and swiftly we were taken two floors below. The doors opened, and the two of us stepped out. I shook my head. All the men in the underworld had one common trait.

They all loved their stupid cars.

Rows and rows of parked cars. Maserati. Range Rovers. Land Rover Defenders. Mercedes G-Benz. Bugatti.

“Does he realize snow and sports cars don’t go together?” I muttered.

“He has one of these on every continent,” Isla grumbled. Apparently she wasn’t a fan either. She led me to the Land Rover. “This one has bulletproof windows,” she remarked.

“Well, I guess we’ll be safe getting pastries,” I remarked dryly.

Just as we reached the vehicle and my hand came to rest on the handle, a voice startled both of us.

“Where are you going?”

The voice had both of us turning around. Two guards were leaning against the wall on the far side of the wall. My eyes shifted around, wondering where they came from.

“That’s where the elevator is that leads to the other side of the house,” Isla remarked quietly. “We’re going to pick up something and we’ll be right back,” she shouted to the guards.

Two of the guards shifted off the wall and strode over to us. I studied them, surprised to see they looked to be of Asian descent. Maybe Mongolian. I couldn’t quite distinguish. Somehow I found it surprising. So far, I’d only seen Russian men surrounding Illias.

“Boss said to wait for him,” one of them remarked. A cigarette dangled from his mouth and moved as he spoke. “Nobody is to go anywhere without him.”

I watched the cigarette move up and down, his eyes traveling over me. Then he did the same with Isla. She shifted uncomfortably, glancing my way while the guard kept leering at her. I didn’t like it.

Narrowing my eyes on him, I took Isla’s hand and shoved her behind me. “We are not nobody. We don’t need your boss to dictate what we do,” I told him coldly. Then because I couldn’t resist, I added, “Don’t forget we are your boss’ boss. And you better watch yourself, or you’ll lose your eyeballs.”

He sneered, then advanced further, each step bringing him closer to us. It would seem the boss’ boss card didn’t seem to impress him.

“Who is this fucker?” I hissed quietly.

“I’ve never seen him before,” Isla muttered under her breath. “Usually they are never so rude.”

Blocking the view of Isla with my body, I kept my eyes on him. I could take him. He was lean, as tall as I was. High cheekbones. A scar across his left cheek. Hair as dark as midnight. But his eyes kept throwing me off. They were blue.

With each step he neared us, I sensed something was off about him.

“Let’s get you to the boss,” he ordered, grabbing my elbow. His fingers dug into my skin to the point of pain. The expression on his face was murderous. Like he blamed me for something, and I didn’t even know what.

“You can’t touch her,” Isla scolded him, trying to maneuver herself around me and get in front of me. I blocked her way. The other guard muttered something low, but I couldn’t understand the language. It almost sounded like… Japanese? No, it couldn’t be.

“Move it,” the fucker growled, shoving me. I attempted to shove him back. Unsuccessfully. God, he might be thin but he was strong. All muscles. His looks were definitely deceiving.

“Let go,” I hissed, attempting to jerk my arm out of his grip.

“Or what?” he scoffed.