Page 85 of Bad Girl
“Ms Horvat? Are you okay?”
My eyes snapped open.
Nora. Holding the door to Conrí’s private reception area. Composed. Professional. Looking at me with the careful expression of someone who had not been trained for this specific situation.
Self-important entitled little shithead—
FOCUS, Bad Girl snapped.
I am focused, I snarled back.Part of me wants to kill him. This is his fault.
A pause.
That will pass, she said.Most likely.
“I’m here to see him,” I said, slipping past Nora.
“I’m afraid he’s currently—”
I stopped.
Turned.
The look I gave her was not something I entirely controlled. Long. Still. Bad Girl pressing right up against the surface of it with everything she had.
Nora’s eyes widened fractionally.
The calculation crossed her face in real time—was she paid enough for this? The answer was clearly and immediately no.
“I’ll just—get a drink,” she said, and closed the door behind her with quiet dignity.
Smart woman.
His scent was stronger here. Concentrated. I followed it without thinking—past the reception desk, down the short corridor, to the door at the end.
I turned the handle and pushed it open.
Chapter 41
Conrí
My eyes had drifted to the door again.
I inhaled slowly, deliberately—and got nothing useful. Whatever Nora had doused herself in this morning was doing significant damage to my ability to read the air. I made a mental note to address the fragrance policy at my earliest opportunity.
My excuse? An allergy.
“Hello.” Cuán’s voice. Pointed.“I’m down here. Why are you staring into space?”
I dragged my attention back to the laptop screen.
He sat behind his desk adjusting his tie with the unhurried authority of a man who believed his time was the most valuable in any given room. The tie sat at his throat in a neat, snug knot.
An excellent noose, if one applied oneself.
Stage the scene carefully. Wear gloves. Act distraught at the appropriate intervals. Nobody would question it—I was his twin, grief would be expected.
“I took time out of my busy day for this,” he muttered.
