“I suppose at least then I could tie you up properly. Are you losing feeling in your hands?”
He almost sounded concerned. But she wasn’t going to be taken in by that. It could be a mind-fuck. Carl had taught her that she couldn’t be fooled by someone pretending to care.
And she wasn’t going to admit to any sort of weakness. Sure, she was obviously injured, but that didn’t mean she was going to give him any sort of advantage over her.
Well, more of an advantage.
“Will you untie me if I say yes?”
“I have some handcuffs I could use instead.”
“I don’t need to be restrained.” Now he was just really pissing her off.
His eyes moved over her face. “Why did your boyfriend hit you then tie you up?”
He sounded casual, uncaring, but there was something in his face that made her wonder . . . but that was silly. Why would he care that Carl hit her? Why would anyone? She was nobody.
“I never said that anyone hit me.”
“You said you’d been beaten,” he pointed out.
Crap. So she had.
“Where is Carl Kansas?” he demanded.
“I don’t know. Don’t you think if I knew, I would tell you?”
“Would you?”
“Why would I protect someone that did this to me?” There was no point in denying it. She didn’t know why she had tried.
“I’m not sure. Why did you do it, Keira? Why did you steal this?”
Standing, he grabbed an envelope off the bedside table. It was the one that Carl had taken from the safe in Reyes’ office. She swallowed, feeling that nausea return.
“Kind of silly for you to leave this just lying around. And in the same original envelope. Is that due to stupidity or arrogance?”
She was thinking a bit of both.
“You don’t strike me as either, though.” Zander stared down at her, his gaze moving over her hands with a frown. “I thought Carl would be back by now. How long did he intend to leave you like this?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he doesn’t intend to come back.” Had he disappeared? But why would he leave some of the money behind?
“Interesting.”
“How is that interesting?”
“If you were mine, I wouldn’t leave you behind. But then, I also wouldn’t beat you and leave you tied up.” He blinked, looking almost surprised. “I wonder why I feel that way...”
“I don’t know, maybe you’re a decent human being.”
“No,” he replied. “That’s not it. Remember, I’m not a decent human being.”
She gave him a look.
“That surprises you? Why? Wouldn’t a decent human being have already untied you?”
That was true. Only she saw the way he frowned slightly as he said that. And she got the feeling he wasn’t as blasé about the whole thing as he was pretending to be.