Two

Chapter 2

Aviana

I blinked up at the god-like man that had

just called me mate?

What on earth did that mean?

I didn't have time to think about it because he began to walk towards me, his presence intense and fear inducing. I took a step back as he got closer, feeling some type of strange energy around him

Although I wanted to run as fast as I could away from him, I couldn't help but feel a pull between us.

He stopped just a feet shy in front of me and I sucked in a breath. He was handsome, the type of handsome that was cutting to look at. Sharp and delicious. There was something about him too that made me want to close the distance between us.

"Anna Reed, You say? " he said sharply , his eyes narrowed into skits and his nostrils flared.

"Y...yes, sir.," I said, my mouth suddenly dry.

"Hmmm. Take her away, Lucas, we won't be needing her services,” he said and turned away.

My eyes widened in shock. Was he not going to take me?

I couldn't let this happen.

Not after all the trouble I went to just to secure this job.

"Wait, what? You are not hiring me," I blurted out, trying to salvage the situation. I covered every ground. Studied what he'd like, including how he liked his women. I had worked out for years and had gotten a few cosmetic procedures to look the perfect fit for him and he was just going to discard me especially when I had already been hired absolutely not.

"No," he said, his voice sharp.

"You look too much like a nuisance. Get me someone else, Lucas," he said to the curly head man.

"What? No, please. I need this job. I'm the best in the country."

"Indeed but I don't trust you,"

He said, his eyes dark as he turned to look at me.

"What? Why?"

"Mrs Reed, how do you think a man like me has been able to stay in business for so long?"

He suddenly asked

"I don't know,"

"Well, I'll tell you,"

He stepped closer, and I felt the air shift between us, charged with something I couldn't name. His sharp gaze bore into me, dissecting, analyzing.

It was unnerving.

"I’ve stayed in business because I trust my instincts," he said, voice smooth but edged with danger. "And right now, my instincts are telling me that you, miss Reed are hiding something,"

My breath caught in my throat. Did he know? Had I slipped up somehow?

No, I was careful. The precinct was careful. But now under his intense gaze and scrutiny I wasn't so sure...

"I’m not hiding anything," I lied smoothly, keeping my expression neutral. "I just want to work for you."

"Why?" He asked.

"The pay...." I said, trying to be funny but he in fact didn't find it funny.

"You can find jobs with more pay somewhere else. I can give you my contacts if you want,"

Shit! Shit!

This was not going as I planned. Not only was I losing this, I was somehow sexually attracted to the head of a time syndicate.

Pathetic did not begin to describe this situation.

He watched me like a predator trying with its dinner, waiting for me to slip. My mind raced for a way to turn this around to salvage the plan before it completely collapsed. I couldn't let him dismiss me, this was my only chance to find out who had killed my mother and to bring the iron vine down

I straightened my shoulders and forced a smirk. "With all due respect, I don’t need your contacts. I need this job."

His jaw ticked, but his expression remained unreadable. "And why is that, Miss Reed?"

"Because I want to work for the best," I said, baring him.

"Flattery..." He chuckled dark and dangerous, "Doesn't with on me,"

"I'm not flattering you., i wouldn't dare,"

He chuckled darkly but his eyes had no amusement in them.

"You are either desperate or dangerous, Miss Reed" he murmured, his voice almost amused. "I don't like either,"

"I'm neither, I just know what I want," I responded with a defiant tilt of my head.

He tilted his head slightly, studying me like a puzzle he couldn't quite solve. Then, without warning, he stepped even closer. Too close.

I forced myself to stay still despite the intense energy emanating from him. My body for some reason was all too happy by his proximity. It didn't help that he smelled of dark delicious spice.

His fingers brushed my chin, tilting my face up. "You look afraid," he observed.

I held his gaze. "I’m not."

A smirk tugged at his lips. "Liar."

My stomach formed a knot but I didn't dare look away. I couldn't afford for him to think he'd broken me..

"Fine," he suddenly stepped back, "you can stay,"

Relief washed over me. I had won. Checkmate, you bastard!

My relief was short lived when he suddenly added.

"But I'll be watching you closely. If I so much as find out you have a connection with the cops, you'll beg for death," he smirked

I swallowed and smiled.

"Well, that was entertaining," Lucas , the curly head, suddenly said.

I ignored him, just sighing in relief but that was short lived as Duncan Romano spoke again.

"On second thought, I changed my mind."

"What?" I blurted out.

"Lucas take her down stairs, let's see how our new recruits handle pressure." He smirked.

"The basement?" Lucas asked.

"Yes, if she is who she says she is, let her prove herself,"

I glanced at both of them. I didn't like where this was going but I had come this far.

Lucas gestured for me to follow, a smirk on his face.

"Come on, Let's see what our new accountant is made of, shall we?"

We got to a dimly lit room in the basement of the hotel. He turned on a bright light and I winced.

I barely had time to process where I was before Lucas tossed a knife onto a nearby table.

"Prove yourself,"

"What?"

"If you want to work here and want the boss to trust you, you'll have to give us a reason to."

"But what did he do?"

"He's a rat, he fed information to the cops . You want to work here? Show us you are not one of them,"

Panic clawed at my skin.

This was not part of the plan. I never killed innocents but if I didn't do this now, It would be over for me.

I picked up the knife, testing the weight of it. I didn't dare look at the security cameras, I could feel the boss staring at me without looking.

The man stared at me weekly, his swollen eyes pleading with me not to do this.

I gripped the knife tighter. If I refused, I was dead. If I did this, I wasn't sure I'd ever come back for it.

I took in a slow breath exhaled and made my choice...