Cynthia’s breath hitched as she clutched her phone tightly, Ava’s voice still faintly audible on the other end.
But Mike’s gaze pinned her down, his towering figure blocking any chance of escape. His presence was suffocating, his eyes dark with an emotion she couldn’t quite place.
“You know him, don’t you?” he repeated, his voice dangerously low.
Cynthia swallowed hard. “I—” She hesitated. Lying wouldn’t work. Not with the way his sharp gaze dissected her, stripping her of any pretense. But admitting the truth? That was even more dangerous.
Mike took a slow step forward, his expression unreadable. “Say it, Cynthia.”
Her fingers tightened around the phone. “Yes,” she finally whispered, her voice barely above a breath. “I know him.”
A muscle in Mike’s jaw twitched. “How?”
Her throat
