The Dangerous Thief (Stolen Hearts #3)(22)

He left the elevator and the doors slid shut behind him, sealing them in together. He stood right past the threshold as he pulled off his jacket and hung it up on one of the hooks right next to the elevator. Each movement was precise and measured, and if he didn’t answer her questions in the next second, she was going to tell him exactly where he could shove that jacket.

“You left me,” he said softly.

She blinked a few times and stepped back. “I....” Damn it. Words. She never lost words.

He moved closer and she retreated even more.

“James, there was—” Her back hit the wall that separated the foyer from the kitchen and her throat went dry. “He was going to keep on sending guys and they never would’ve stopped and there was nothing I could do holed up in the desert. I don’t know how Jadon found me, but he did and I had to decide if I was willing to have you keep killing for me or I could work on my own mess and I knew that if I told you, you’d never let me go and—”

James set his palms flat on the wall on either side of her, effectively caging her in. Willa’s heart leapt into her throat. She wasn’t afraid of him. She was a hundred percent sure that James would never hurt her. Not through any logic obviously, but it was something she just knew. An instinct.

But that didn’t change the fact that he stood over her, radiating fury and rage. She finally forced herself to look up and meet his eyes. Lust. Big time lust.

Oh boy.

“You left me,” he said again.

“I was trying to protect you,” she said in a barely there voice.

His arms bent, bringing him closer to her. “I protect you. Understand?”

His golden eyes bore into hers and she couldn’t say anything. Because she couldn’t give him the answer he wanted and she had no idea whether that would push him over the edge. Over the edge of what? What would he do if she said no? Kiss her? Was that a bad thing? Her lips were suddenly dry as though her body was begging for that kiss. All she had to do was—

The elevator doors opened and Willa squeezed her eyes shut. Which was probably the exact opposite thing James would’ve done when something unexpected happened but she couldn’t help what her instincts were telling her at the moment.

When she opened her eyes again, James had turned from her and faced the door, but he didn’t have the defensive or angry posture she expected. When Willa craned her neck to see the uninvited guest to her apartment, she understood why he wasn’t more upset. The newcomer was a young woman, probably the same age as Willa, and not a lot taller. The woman had long blonde hair thrown up in a ponytail and was casually dressed in tight jeans and a T-shirt. Willa had an eye for fabric, though, and she knew for certain from the cut of that shirt that it wasn’t a random purchase off a rack. That was designer.

“Who are you?” asked Willa.

The woman smiled. “Oh, are you two done? Because I can always let you finish and I can come back later.”

Willa could feel the blood rushing her cheeks. She crossed her arms over her chest as she tried to keep her composure. “What I do and who I do it with in my own apartment isn’t any of your business. Now tell me who you are or I’m going to call security.”

The blonde tilted her head and regarded Willa. It was really frustrating to be sized up by an utter stranger. It was impossible to not feel at a disadvantage. Luckily the mystery was solved soon.

“This is Toni Murray,” said James.

That was a name she knew. “You’re Melody’s sister!” said Willa as it clicked. “The computer hacker.”

Toni winced. “Hack is a dirty word. I don’t hack computers. I seduce them. Cajole them. Romance them.”

Willa glanced over to James and he gave her a little shrug. He didn’t seem to know exactly what to do with Toni either.

“Did you seduce my elevator into letting you up?” she asked.

Toni smiled, but changed the subject instead of answering. “Since Weston is on duty with you and you’re an integral part of this plan, I figured it would be best if we were all working together. I am renting out the penthouse below you for a little bit.”

Melody’s sister was now her downstairs neighbor? Sure, why not? “What happened to Mrs. Willis?”

“Mrs. Willis won a free luxury cruise. Apparently even rich people love freebies. She’ll be out of our hair for a while.” Toni turned her attention to James. “Did everything go okay at orientation?”

“Wasn’t eventful. You gave them all my real information.”

Toni snorted. “Why make up a mercenary when I have a real live one who fits the bill? I just hid all your associations with a certain family of con women.”

Family of con women... Melody, Toni, and their oldest sister Jennifer. “Oh my God....” She turned to James. “They’re who Jadon hired you to protect me from?” Her father had said it wasn’t just the feds, but there was a family of vagrants after them.

“What?” asked James.

“Your dad said that?” said Toni.

Well, at least there was one thing she knew. “Yes. Before I knew James was here, I was trying to talk Jadon out of the security. He said there was a criminal family after him. I thought it was just an excuse to have someone spy on me, but I couldn’t put up a huge fight without seeming suspicious.”