CROWN ii
408 Words
Her fork slid through the roast, but she didn’t lift it to her mouth. “You make it sound like meeting him is… an honor.”
Adrian gave a short laugh. “Honor? No. Privilege? Definitely. My father doesn’t waste his time on just anyone.”
She tilted her head, studying him. “And you think I’m worth his time?”
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he set his glass down and watched her like she was a puzzle that might rearrange itself if he stared long enough. “I think you could be dangerous,” he finally said.
Her lips curved. “Dangerous can be useful.”
For the first time, his smile faltered — just slightly, like she’d stepped half an inch over some invisible line. “Or it can be fatal.”
She let the silence sit between them, letting him think he’d unsettled her. Then she laughed softly. “If you wanted safe, Adrian, you wouldn’t have sent your dog sniffing after me in the dark.”
His eyes darkened at that. He leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers against the table. “I like knowing what’s mine before I decide what to do with it.”
She arched a brow. “And am I yours now?”
“Not yet.” His gaze swept over her again, deliberate and assessing. “But you’re playing the game well enough to earn a seat at the table.”
She lowered her gaze just enough to hide the flash of satisfaction in her eyes. That was the goal — get to the table. Get close enough to shake the hands that pulled the strings in this city.
Close enough to slit the right throat.
Adrian stood, circling the table until he was behind her. He leaned down, his breath warm against her ear. “Tell me something, sweetheart… what are you really after?”
Her pulse thudded once, heavy in her chest. She kept her voice steady. “Maybe I’m after the same thing you are.”
“And what’s that?”
Her smile was slow and deliberate. “The top.”
He chuckled, but there was no humor in it. “Then I’ll enjoy watching you try to climb.”
She didn’t respond — because in her mind, she wasn’t climbing. She was cutting rungs off the ladder until only one man stood at the top. And then she’d pull him down.
- Writer
