Tamed by Stacey Kennedy Read Free Book Online Page B

playing it with, Ms. Hart.”
    “Are you trying to intimidate me?” she retorted, now pressed against the counter to avoid him.
    “I don’t need to intimidate you. I’m giving you the warning that you are not listening to. You’re playing a dangerous game. I’d suggest you find out exactly whom you are playing it with. When there is a billion dollars at risk, I wouldn’t be so quick to say no.”
    Kenzie saw no deception in his features before he exited the store. Icy fright filled her veins, as she had the oddest sense that she had just been targeted to be hunted.

Chapter Five
    Kenzie cut the ignition of her silver Volkswagen Eos, and the clock on the dashboard read 7:15. Heaviness settled into her body as she studied the Georgian-style mansion. Decorated with trees and cactuses galore, the mansion on the large lot set back from the road held a timeless elegance, looking almost Victorian, with rich black accents against the dark red brick.
    She always preferred cozy houses with a lot of little nooks and crannies, just like Gran did. With a heavy sigh, she leaned her head back against the headrest, her mind swirling back to how much she missed Gran. How much she missed everyone who had left her. She needed tonight more than ever.
    Being so emotional and on edge wasn’t a state she preferred. She also knew she was suffering now for more reasons than one. Turning her head, she read the magazine article she’d printed after work.
    Adrik Petrov found not guilty of fraud and money laundering. Does the billionaire have Russian Mafia ties?
    From the second she’d read the headline a hard lump had formed in her throat. It still remained, making her chest feel weighted. Adrik’s warning earlier had been clear cut, but she hadn’t suspected the man who entered her bookstore had dangerous ties to a crime family. Even if the article came from a gossip column, she always believed there was a bit of truth behind those trashy magazines—maybe not the entire truth, but at least a small part.
    The strain that had insinuated itself this morning as she dealt with painful memories had multiplied after Adrik arrived. Now it became all-consuming. Dark strain sank into her bones, and her body ached as if she was fighting a high-grade fever. There was only one person to blame for all of this: Porter.
    If he’d given her the scene she had been expecting, filled with pain and ecstasy, she wouldn’t be on such rocky ground. Her soul would feel a lot more put together. Though she realized part of the frustration came from not knowing how to deal with Adrik. She could talk to Kyler, who was also a cop on the Las Vegas police force, though she instantly rejected that thought. She didn’t want to bring the police into this yet; she wanted to deal with her own problems on her terms, at least until it was clear that it was out of her hands.
    To ask for help was to let someone in closer than she wanted to, and broke her rule to keep Club Sin a fantasy that stayed far away from her personal life. She simply needed to find a way to get her shit together. More important, she needed to play tonight.
    A car driving up the long cobblestone driveway grabbed her attention, and she settled on the idea that Adrik’s warning had been only to scare her enough to get her to sell her store to him. Knowing that clearly he’d had trouble with the police before gave her some relief, because that also meant he was on their radar. She doubted he’d do anything too rash, since she knew it was him threatening her. One quick call to Kyler, and Adrik’s ass would be in jail.
    That option gave her a way to safety, if she needed it.
    The car pulled in behind hers, and she glanced into her rearview mirror and saw Aidan and Cora exit the car and move toward the front door. Kenzie wanted to join them, but she still sensed the bite of unease—was this because of Adrik or because she knew she had to deal with Porter’s crap?
    The clock on the dashboard now showed it