Page 66 of When He Lies
“Simone.”
“Hugo, Hugo, Hugo.” She tut-tutted. “I thought we were on the way to being friends, and now I know you are just a serious dick who will forever be on my list of lifelong enemies.”
The plan had not been for Simone to talk with the bad guy. Time to take control of the situation before it was screwed beyond repair. “Hugo,” he growled.
Silence. Then, “Just who is it that I’m speaking with?”
“You’re fucking speaking to Ryan Quinn. Remember me? I’m the sonofabitch who was supposed to bankroll your boss.”
A bit of heavy breathing, followed by, “Ryan! Uh, how are you?”
“I’m still living, and that’s a win. Even better, my fiancée is living, too.”
Simone tried to sidle away. Holding the knife with one hand, he caught her wrist with the other. Ryan’s head turned toward her. “You are going nowhere.”
“Uh, no, no, I’m not leaving,” Hugo assured him. He coughed. “I think I might have missed something. Just who is your fiancée?”
“The woman you are currently trying to kill.”
“Hi, Hugo,” Simone said again. “Remember me?”
“Fuck,” Hugo choked.
“Exactly,” Ryan assured him, no small amount of satisfaction in his voice. “You are fucked. Your boss is fucked. His entire world is about to be fucked. Because no one touches what is mine. Tell your boss if he wants to salvage any part of this deal, he will haul his ass to London. He knows where I am. Obviously. Because I am right beside Simone. I will stay beside her. I will be between her and any threat. Every threat.”
“Hot,” Simone mouthed to him.
He meant the words. This wasn’t for show. Someone came after her? He would be guarding her. Always. “Frederick will come to see me, alone, or else…” He let the threat trail away.
But Edward craned his head toward him. Wide-eyed, the waiter-slash-would-be-killer asked, “Or else what?”
Hell. “Or else I start lighting matches and I burn down Frederick’s world, one match at a time. One light at a time. One fiery hell at a time. That good for you? Are we clear now?”
Frantic head bobs from Edward.
But Ryan didn’t care about being clear with that idiot. It was Hugo who needed to understand. Actually, not just Hugo… “I know you are there, Frederick,” Ryan said, taking a gamble. “And I know you understand me. Call off the bounty on Simone’s head. Do it now. Come face me, man to man. We’ll either work out a deal, or I’ll send you to hell.”
Silence.
Ryan let that silence tick a little bit longer and then knew he had to push. “Any deal is off the table in five, four, three, two?—”
“I’ll be there,” Frederick Bradwin said, voice cracking. A very distinct voice. Ryan would have recognized the prick’s pompous tone anywhere. “I’ll meet you in London. I was, ah, already planning to travel there in the morning.”
And that’s how you draw your prey right to you. “Good. I’ll be waiting. Plan to get your ass here by eight. You know where I am, so I’ll meet you in the hotel’s restaurant.” Ryan rattled off a specific meeting time because he wanted to be very clear. Then Ryan motioned to the waiter. “Hang up the phone, Edward.”
“Right, right?—”
“Did you kill Alexei?” Frederick demanded before Edward could end the call. “Or was it Simone? Who did it? Who?—”
“Me,” Simone said. “I’m the guilty one. Don’t screw with me again, or you’ll meet the same fate. A knife in the heart.”
Ryan’s back teeth ground together. He let go of Simone’s wrist and snatched the phone from Edward. He ended the call. Tossed the phone aside. Slapped the knife down on a nearby table.
“I think that went really, really well,” Edward told him, all big eyes, sweaty forehead, and desperate expression. “Now, will you please not kill me? Please?”
“I make no promises,” Ryan snapped. “Especially considering you came to kill what is mine.”
“I have a name,” Simone pointed out. “Not just ‘mine’ but an actual name. It’s Simone.”
