LITMIR.BIZ

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      Unfortunately he couldn’t do a damn thing except stand there looking bored and mildly put out.

      Murray’s gaze swung to him, blue eyes as cold as the arctic zeroing in. “What the fuck is this, Trace?”

      “A nuisance, that’s all. I was just getting rid of her.” Trace clamped a hard hand onto her arm.

      With a flick of his hand, Murray stopped him from taking a single step. He dismissed the other men and after they’d walked away, he looked at her again. His brows were down in that fierce way that made most people quake in fear.

      It was an affectation wasted on Trace.

      Beneath his well-trimmed goatee, Murray’s mouth was flat and hard. “Bring her up to my office.”

      And with that, he walked away to the private elevators.

      Fuck, fuck, fuck. Glaring at the girl, Trace asked, “Happy now?”

      She looked almost smug when she said, “Getting there.” She gave a pointed look at his hand on her arm.

      Ignoring that silent command, Trace high-stepped her toward an empty conference room on the lobby floor.

      “Hey!” She tried to free herself, but couldn’t.

      Funny thing, though, Trace noticed that she moved in an expedient, stylized way that, against someone without his level of skill, might have gotten her free. “You’re going to hurt yourself.”

      She worked up a few tears, letting them glisten on her long dark lashes. “You’re hurting me.”

      “Not yet,” Trace told her, unmoved by the false show of emotion. “But the idea of putting you over my knee gets more tempting by the second.”

      That left her tight-lipped and silent—with no remnant of tears to be seen.

      Trace propelled her into a room and toward a conference table with chairs. “Sit.” When she started to defy him, he filled his lungs and made a move toward her.

      She dropped into a seat. “Why are you doing this?” Hands gripping the chair arms, she summoned up lost bravado and lifted her chin. “You heard what Mr. Coburn said. He wants you to take me to his office.”

      “Yeah. But I heard what he didn’t say, too.”

      She shook her head. “What are you talking about?”

      “I have to search you.”

      Aghast, she said, “I beg your pardon?”

      “Beg all you want.” He was so pissed right now, he might enjoy hearing it. “I’m still going to check you over. Everywhere.”

      Her eyes widened in alarm.

      Too late, honey. Trace nodded at her, grim, but sort of anticipating it, too. “Every nook and hollow, honey, inside every piece of clothing.”

      She sputtered, and Trace noticed the flush blooming in her cheeks.

      With her entire small body pulled tight in rebellion, she gasped, “You’re insane!”

      Trace propped his shoulders against the wall. “If you want to see Coburn, I have to ensure you aren’t hiding a weapon, or a transmitter, of any kind.”

      “No.”

      “Fine.” Perfect, in fact. “Then leave. Right now.”

      She hesitated. “But …”

      Again, Trace took his gaze over her. She tried to hide her body under the prim clothes, but he wasn’t fooled. He’d bet his favorite knife that this particular babe was in no way innocent. Whether or not she was Murray’s spawn, he couldn’t say. There did seem to be something of a resemblance in the color of her hair, though hers was a shade or two lighter than Murray’s. And when she connived, which she’d been doing from jump, she had a certain look about her that reminded him of Coburn.

      Trace glanced at the chunky black watch on his wrist. “Make up your mind, but make it up fast. What’s it to be? Do you want to leave, or do you want my hands all over you?”

      The new gleam of tears looked authentic, but her chin didn’t lower. “I’m not leaving.”

      Trace pushed away from the wall. “Up with you, then.” He caught her elbow, drawing her to her feet. The top of her head barely reached his chin. She had a delicate bone structure, but was clearly filled with underlying steel.

      He turned her. “Put your hands flat on the table and spread your legs wide.”

      For a span of five seconds, she didn’t move. Her shoulders were rigid, her neck stiff. That high, dark red ponytail hung almost to the middle of her back. Freed, her hair would just kiss the top of her ass.

      He smoothed his hand down that long tail—and his palms burned.

      As if in slow motion she plopped her heavy, loaded purse onto the tabletop. First her left hand, then her right, landed on the table, fingers opened for balance.

      Trace gently kicked her feet back a little, then said, “Open up, honey.”

      Her narrow back expanded on a breath of courage. She lifted her right foot and dropped it back down a few inches away.

      Trace took great pleasure in saying softly, “Wider.”

      When she still barely moved, he stepped up behind her. Holding her waist, he nudged her feet far apart, as far as the skirt would allow.

      The muscles in her bare calves strained. The skirt pulled taut around that rounded behind. Her shoulders remained as proud and stiff as ever.

      They were in a position of lovers, so it was no wonder that he suddenly noticed her delectable scent. Baby soft, and woman sweet.

      His nostrils flared—and he forced himself to step away.

      “Stay like that.” Moving to the side of her, Trace upended her purse on the tabletop. Photos, pen, notebook, makeup, brush, comb, mirror, tissues, calculator, candy bar, book … “Jesus, everything but the kitchen sink.”

      “Bastard,” she whispered.

      He tsked. “Now, is that any way for a schoolgirl to talk?”

      “I’m a grown woman.”

      “Yeah? How old?”

      He could almost hear the sawing of her teeth before she ground out, “Twenty-four.”

      Trace opened her wallet and checked her driver’s license. “Twenty-four,” he agreed. “But dressed like a parochial pupil.” With no more than a casual glance he memorized her address. Seemed odd that she’d live in the same state as Murray if they’d never met.

      Soon as he could, he’d have the address checked out.

      But just in case Murray had the same thought … Trace glanced at her, saw her gaze was averted, and slid the license into his pocket.

      He rifled through the rest of her belongings, searched the interior of the purse for any hidden pockets. “Speaking of your clothes …” He glanced at her. “I’m not fooled, so you can save the prim act.”

      She whipped her head around to burn him with a look. The tight ponytail emphasized her high cheekbones, the straight bridge of her nose. “You’re suggesting what, exactly?”

      Trace examined a photo of her as a younger girl with a woman who looked a lot like her. Maybe her mother.

      Even when young, she’d still looked pugnacious, as if preparing to take on the world. The photo left him unsettled. “You’re up to something, and I don’t like it.”

      “It’s none of your business.”

      He continued his examination of her belongings, saying casually, “Who gets killed around here is my business.”

      There

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