Killer Instinct (Instinct #2)(69)

“Neither do I.”

“That’s good. Perfect,” she said. “We can both not usually do this together.”

I would’ve laughed at that line were it not for her suddenly leaning in to kiss me. She pressed her lips softly against mine, keeping them there for only a second, as if to tease me for what was to come. There was barely any time for me to kiss her back, and that was the point. I might have been the one to suggest getting out of here, but I was hardly in charge. She was.

That’s good. Perfect. You keep thinking that, Sadira.

We rode in silence the rest of the way. After we passed Union Square, she reached over and held my hand. Only when we arrived at her place did she let go.

“At least let me pay for the cab,” she said, taking out her wallet.

I would’ve bet the cost of dinner and then some that Sadira didn’t live in a doorman building. That would’ve defeated the purpose of her wearing Halo. No, I fully expected to be walking into a brownstone. The surprise, though, was that it wasn’t merely a brownstone. It was her brownstone. All of it.

“Just how much are they paying you at NYU?” I joked as she led me into the foyer. It opened into a massive living room beyond which was a kitchen that would’ve made Martha Stewart jealous. And this was only the first floor.

“Family money,” she said without any hesitation.

It was possible. Or maybe it was just a straight-up lie. The point was, I couldn’t tell. Not with anything about her. Was any of this real? I didn’t think so, but damn, she was convincing in every way.

From the get-go I’d felt there was more to Sadira than met the eye, and nothing about that had changed. Until now.

Now it was more than a feeling. I was sure of it. One way or another, I was about to learn the truth.

As Sadira put down her purse and wrap, there was no doubt that she had me exactly where she wanted me. This was home-field advantage.

“Let’s go upstairs,” she said.





CHAPTER 98


SOME THINGS you simply don’t need to be taught. For example, if someone wants to kill you, the last thing you should do is turn your back on her.

I extended my arm toward her staircase. “After you,” I said.

We walked up to the second floor and down a short hallway to what was clearly her bedroom. The sheer size of it, for starters. Also the books piled up on her nightstand, most with dog-eared pages. This was definitely where she slept. Among other things.

Sadira slipped out of her heels and dimmed the lights. What exactly are we about to do?

It was hard enough playing it straight, so to speak, back in the cab when she kissed me. This was shaping up to be a little more than kissing. Or was that simply what she wanted me to think?

In poker, sometimes you wait for the bluff. Other times, you have to draw it out. “Come here,” I whispered to her.

Never mind that the last time I’d been with a woman was my freshman year in college. It was a Let’s just make sure I’m gay encounter and, as I barely recall, it involved about the same amount of alcohol as the bourbon merry-go-round back at Gramercy Tavern.

“Who, me?” Sadira playfully whispered back.

“Yes, you,” I said. “All of you.”

She slowly walked toward me, her eyes trained on mine. I could swear she never blinked. Then, only inches away, she spun around. “Can you unzip me?” she asked, pushing her long brown hair to the side.

I reached for the zipper, pulling it halfway down her back. “How about the necklace?” I asked. “Do you need help with that?”

“No, that’s okay. I’ve got it,” she said. “It’s a little tricky.”

You’re telling me …

I waited for her to turn around to face me again. Instead, she headed for her walk-in closet. “I’ll be right back,” she said over her shoulder.

Sadira closed the door behind her. And like that, she was gone. So much for not letting her out of my sight. I couldn’t see her or anything she was doing.

Of course, the same was true with me.

A minute later, she reappeared. She was standing in the doorway of her closet, wearing a plush white robe and seemingly nothing else. Gone was her Halo necklace.

“Take your clothes off,” she said.

Only there was nothing sexy about it. There wasn’t even a smile. At least, I’m pretty sure there wasn’t.

I was too busy staring at the gun pointed at me.





CHAPTER 99


“I’M DEAD serious,” she said, tightening the grip on a Russianmade Makarov with a suppressor attached. “Strip.”

She’d hidden the gun in her closet. Now she wanted to make sure I wasn’t hiding one as well.

“What the hell’s going on?” I asked.

Nothing more, apparently, until I started undressing. Sadira just stood there with the gun aimed at my chest.

Okay, we’ll do it your way. For now …

I removed my sport coat, tossing it on the bed behind me before motioning to my ribs. Look, see? No holster.

Next came my dress shirt. I intentionally fumbled with the buttons.

“Faster,” she said.

I ignored her. “I know who you are. I know who you’ve killed,” I said. “And I’m not the only one who knows.”