“Ivie?”

I pulled my own mask up to reveal my face.

“Fuck,” spilled from her full lips as she rolled her eyes. She attempted to sit up, but I placed the gun closer to her face.

“Oh no. Don’t fucking move,” I ordered.

“Oh please, Nix, get that thing out of my face. I’m unarmed,” she admitted, but I didn’t buy that shit one fucking bit.

“You must take me for a fool. Don’t forget, I know who you are and what you’re capable of. Stay where you are and keep your fucking hands where I can see them.”

Ivie, pronounced ee-v-yay, didn’t argue. She did as she was told; however, a sly smirk spread along her gorgeous face.

I ignored her sexy arse and asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Same as you,” she responded.

“Yeah, but why? I asked Vlad if he had anything to do with the hit on us, and he said no. Now you’re here. Should I take that to mean he lied to me? Are you here to finish the job?”

Ivie rolled her eyes and began to sit up.

“What the fuck did I say about you not moving?” I barked.

Her eyes held a challenge in them that I swear made my dick hard.

“Oh, what are you going to do? Shoot me? You know that would be suicide. Plus, you’ll bring heat to this apartment I know you don’t want.”

“This apartment is soundproof. No one would hear you scream. And as far as your father is concerned, he’d be hurt about your death, but he’ll eventually get over it. Now, spread your legs.”

She arched an eyebrow.

I frowned and snorted. “Oh please, don’t give me that look. It’s not what… I’m not… oh for fuck’s sake just do it,” I demanded, frustrated.

Lying on her back, she bent her legs, then spread them, her dark eyes darkening even more.

Keeping my shit in check, I directed, “Now, slowly remove your boots. Let me see your ankles.”

She obeyed and very slowly unzipped each boot and pulled them off. There was no gun tucked away in her shoes or strapped to her thigh. I gave her a questioning glance, knowing that wasn’t like her. Ivie never went anywhere without her guns. She was a killer, for fuck’s sake. She stayed packing heat of any and every kind. For some reason, tonight, she wasn’t. This caused more questions than answers, but unfortunately, I didn’t have time to dive into her deranged brain.

“Pull your sleeves up and show me your wrists,” I instructed next, making sure she didn’t have any knives hidden. “Then lift your shirt and roll.”

She obliged without a fuss, showing me her wrists first, then lifting her shirt to reveal smooth, dark skin. She rolled onto her stomach to show me she was indeed unarmed. Yet, I wouldn’t say she was helpless. The woman could kill with just her fingers if given the opportunity. Her whole body was a weapon.

“Do you believe me now?” she tested, but I was temporarily distracted by the curve of her arse.

You wouldn’t expect it from a woman with such a narrow waist, tall frame and a lean body. Yet, she had nice size hips, a gorgeous arse, and tits I sometimes dreamt about.

“Are you done eye fucking my ass?”

“For now,” I replied without a hint of remorse for ogling her delicious body. “You can get up, but do it slowly, Ivie. I have no problem with painting that wall with your brains.”

The sexy as fuck woman stood slowly, turned around and faced me. The head covering that she had worn was completely off, and I could now see all of her beautiful face. I did my best not to be affected by her, but I couldn’t fucking help it. She was gorgeous, a very fit woman, if you catch my meaning. She had slanted eyes that always rendered me weak. She possessed high cheekbones, rich brown eyes, and a complexion that reminded me of smooth, rich, deep dark chocolate. She was five seven without heels, with a muscular body, and as I said, shapely hips, a very stellar arse and lovely breasts.

I had actually climaxed on many occasions thinking about this woman. I would never admit that to anyone, but fuck, she did it for me in so many ways. I was never drawn like this to any woman. I prided myself on my steadfast control, but this woman… I knew for certain if I allowed her close to me, I would be screwed big fucking time. Good thing I was good at hiding my emotions. That steadfast control I possessed was solid. You would never know what I was thinking or feeling. The only people I have shown any sort of emotion to were my brothers. Not even my mum saw that side of me. It was a weakness I couldn’t afford to show.

“Are you going to tell me the reason why you’re here? The truth? Or should I just kill you now and save me the time?” I ask, dropping a bit of coldness and callousness into my voice.

Ivie remained silent, those slanted eyes of hers studying me. I didn’t waver the coldness I knew she saw in my eyes, nor did I waver my stance or my grip on my gun. I even applied just the right amount of pressure to the trigger. All I needed was a little bit more and…

“Look, I’m telling you the truth. I’m here to get answers. Same as you,” she admitted, finally.

“Why?”

“Because… I…,” she paused and tightened her lips, her eyes darting everywhere around me as if she was thinking hard. Of a lie? Maybe. Probably. Finally, her eyes came back to mine, and fuck if I wasn’t relieved to have her gaze back on me.

“When you came to my father questioning if he had something to do with you being set up,” she began to explain, “he asked me to look into it. He has no issues with you or your brothers. You’ve been extremely helpful to him. He’d rather keep you on his side than make you an enemy. My father is a smart man, not stupid or arrogant. If someone ambushed you at our warehouse, then that means there’s someone on our side who betrayed you and us. We won’t let that stand. That’s why I’m here.”

Bloody hell, did I say her voice was hypnotizing? She has this rasp to her voice. It wasn’t one of those smoker-type voices—you know, the ones that sounded as if they’ve been smoking since birth. No, her voice was different. It was soft, yet with a hint of gravel to it. It was a singer’s voice. I wondered if she could sing.

“Nix? Did you hear me?”

I blew out a sigh but didn’t release the tension on the grip of my gun, nor did I move my trigger finger.

“Yeah, I heard you. I’m just wondering if what you said was true or if you’re blowing smoke up my arse.”

She smirked at me and folded her arms underneath her breasts. Lifting them, drawing my attention to them.

Cheeky lil' minx.