Ares gives me a look as if questioning my sanity. Large hands settle on my shoulders and I’m back on the bed, and back on my ass. And my laptop right back where he placed it to begin with.
“Again. You speak as if you have options. My world, my rules. You can learn the hard way or theharderway. Your choice.”
I sit silently taking in the truth of his words. I hate every second because I know he’s right.
Shit.
The screen blares to life. He keys up a black window with several rows of numbers with one big one at the top with over seven digits.
He pulls a paper from his back pocket. “This is the account I want those funds transferred into. You have forty-five seconds or what you want won’t matter much at all.”
A hand on the back of my head turns me to face the screen when I don’t move. “Tick-tock, Nova Masters. Your sister’s fate depends on those fingers moving faster.”
“Well, do you have the authorization sequence?”
“Forty seconds.”
My heart pounds.
My fingers glide over the keys. I open three other dialogue boxes and start typing out back door codes some of the best hackers don’t even know about. My own creations I’ve used to crack some of the most highly encrypted sites and we are not talking just banks. If the government ever got their hands on my coding they’d bury me under the prison and probably steal my codes for themselves.
“Thirty seconds.”
“Not helping I am doing this single-handedly you know.”
“Twenty-five.”
“Fucking bastard,” I say between gritted teeth. “Hold shift,” I bark. “Again. And now.” He does as I instruct wordlessly.
“Five.”
I hit enter and watch the numbers on the account tick backward until the whole amount is replaced with zeroes just as my time runs out.
“Good girl.”
“Fuck you. I want out of these cuffs, Russian. I did what you asked. Twice. Or are you going to leave me hooked to your headboard and alone in this room for another night?”
His lip quirks into a half-smile that makes me want to drive my fist into the side of his face.
“You’re definitely sleeping here tonight,malyshka. Nothing is changing about that. This is my bed, my room. And I won’t be spending another night on the couch because of you. But whether you’re wearing my cuffs or not is entirely up to you and if you run again.”
I don’t embarrass easily, but the way he says that has my face filling with heat. “You have such a wry sense of humor.”
Muscles tick in his jaw as if he’s biting back more than just his deadpanned response. “Who is joking, Nova Masters?”
“Oh, don’t you dare act like this is any of my fault.”
Steely eyes meet mine.
Change of subject before my mouth gets me into deeper trouble.
I arch a brow. “Whose account did I just bleed dry? Some mom-and-pop business you want to take over and strong-arm? Some poor soul who didn’t pay for your protection and now you’re extorting?” What a piece of work this one is. I’ll use him to get my sister and then leave this town behind like I’ve done so many others. Maybe Rio or London. Polaris would like a change and I need as much distance between me and this monster as possible.
“Mine. You just gave five point seven million dollars to the local children’s hospital. Congratulations.”
My mouth falls open.
All the boiling anger leaves my blood. I want to hate this man, drive a blade into his fucking beating heart for what he’s done to me. But every minute I spend with him I find it harder to want to see him dead.