PROLOGUE
Her eyes fluttered open, and she stretched like a damn feline. “Ready for the next round?” Her voice was low and husky.
“Last round.” He swallowed the disgust welling up in his throat, sucked in air through his teeth with a hiss, and wrapped his hands around her slim neck.
She was beautiful, no doubt about that. Endless legs that had wrapped tightly around his body just minutes ago, lustrous skin, sapphire eyes. If she hadn’t crossed his path, maybe she could have turned her life around, and gone on to become a model or be some lucky bastard’s trophy wife.
He grinned as he watched her thrash and gasp for air, the gleam of his teeth reflected in her liquid gaze.
Her slender fingers clawed at his hands, the red nails digging into his flesh. A small price to pay.
The choking sounds she made grated on his nerves.
“Shut up, whore,” he said between clenched teeth and tightened his grip around her neck. “Die gracefully.”
Her nude lips parted and her eyes looked ready to pop out of their sockets. She stopped fighting, surrendering to him.
“That’s it. Good girl.” He squeezed even tighter, finishing her off.
As her eyes dimmed, his world brightened. He was alive, in control of the situation. In control of his life.
He shut his eyes to better enjoy the moment, to drain it of all it was worth, while breathing in the scent of her cheap perfume and sex.
Her body went slack beneath his fingers, but he waited before letting go, counted to ten.
Satisfied, he uncurled his fingers from her neck, leaving only red marks. He climbed out of bed, and reached for his pants. Digging into one of the pockets, he located his Italian switchblade stiletto knife, and dropped the pants back on the floor.
Exerting slight pressure with his thumb, he flicked the spear point stainless steel blade open and returned to the bed. He lifted the white cotton sheet to reveal her stomach.
With quiet precision, he inserted the gleaming tip into the skin just below the hollow of her neck, where a necklace pendant would normally rest.
Blood oozed out of the cut, glinting in the dim light like a garnet. He held his breath, his hand steady as he carved the mark into her skin. When he was done, he wiped the excess blood away with a rag to reveal a perfect infinity symbol.
CHAPTER ONE
The light struck the top of his head, highlighting the golden hue in his nut brown hair, which was just long enough to brush his collar. His gunmetal-blue eyes never left my face, narrowed and searching for something. He was handsome, the kind of man I’d have been attracted to in other circumstances. He had to be in his early thirties, at least four or five years older than I was.
I met him last night, and as if hypnotized, I’d followed him into his private jet. Now I stood inside a European-inspired estate in Madison, Wisconsin. I had gone home with a stranger, and I didn’t even know his name. He had refused to tell me, saying it wasn’t important. Not yet.
“You’ll be safe here.” He picked up what looked like a remote control from an antique wood mantelpiece and pressed a button. Bright light flooded the room. Beyond the glass wall, I caught a furious sparkle. A lake.
I swept my gaze over the antique furniture of the spacious living room. If someone asked me what money smelled like, I’d have said it smelled like the air wafting around his living room—a cocktail of leather, wood, and expensive cologne.
“No.” I tightened the blanket he had given me earlier around my body. It did a good job of covering the stains on my black, strapless evening gown. A dress could be washed, but the stains on my soul would remain. I was still shaking from the blow to the system I had experienced earlier. “I can’t stay… I need to leave.”
He turned to face me, his movements fluid and graceful, his charcoal suit barely crinkling. “If you walk away from the protection I’m prepared to offer you, your only destination would be prison.” He spoke with cool authority that matched his demeanor.
I dropped my gaze and bit back tears. As his words registered, my chest tightened to a point where I found it hard to breathe. “That’s where I belong. I should … I should turn myself in.”
When I’d bumped into him, my head had been clouded and I had been unable to think straight. I had needed someone to think for me, to make decisions I had been incapable of making. This man had offered me the opportunity to escape the situation I never thought I’d find myself in. But it had been wrong to run from the consequences of my actions.
His face creased into an unexpected smile, and I got a peek of even and strikingly white teeth. His smile made me feel both comfortable and uneasy at the same time. Why hadn’t he just remained serious as he had been from the moment I’d met him at the resort, and during the journey here?