The last place on earth that I wanted to be was at Nathaniel Hale’s front door.

I sighed as I looked up at the obscene decadence looming before me. This was the mansion I’d come to loathe over the past few years, and one I’d ended up at more times than I cared to count. It was home to one of the most obnoxious playboys I’d ever met, a walking, talking, self-entitled stereotype who had made my life hell on more than one occasion.

And this time, I was not coming here to fuck him. It didn’t matter how much I wanted him to open this door and pull me inside by my hair for old times sake... I was here on police business, and that was the beginning and the end of it. Our history together didn’t put him above the law, and neither did his pile of money.

I stared at the thick wooden door, waiting for a response. Nathan wasn’t exactly a criminal, but he was definitely a nuisance. Maybe having a multibillion dollar inheritance dropped on your lap could do that to a person. Even now, the front lawn was strewn with remnants of another of his famous parties. I never knew what exactly he was celebrating, but it almost always involved half-naked women and rivers of booze.

And despite my best intentions, here I was again. Nathaniel Hale’s little puppet… He knew the power he held over me… Every time I showed up at his door, badge in hand, he’d flash me a lopsided grin and tell me: Loosen up a little, Officer Williams. Come on in and have a drink with me.

That wasn’t going to happen today. No matter how much I wanted it, I had to be strong. If I went through that door, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself. This time, he was coming with me.

I smiled at the thought. It was about damn time some of Nathaniel Hale’s skeletons came out of the closet.

The first time I knocked on this door I was a rookie just out of the academy, and I didn’t know anything about those skeletons. Barely twenty years old and on my own, I couldn’t even legally have the drink he offered me… But Mr. Hale insisted. He knew what he was doing. I was young and innocent and he was the kind of man who gets what he wants. Maybe if I hadn’t gone inside I wouldn’t be standing here again…

I could remember following him through the door that first time, ticket-in-hand and ready to fine him for the disturbance and get back to my beat. I lost my entire train of thought as he drew me inside. I’d grown up on the wrong side of the tracks, and I’d never been close to a house this big, let alone inside one. There was a chandelier hanging over the entry that probably cost more than my salary. Music pulsed through me, the beats keeping time with my own racing heart.

Nathaniel Hale didn’t give me a chance to get my bearings. “Come upstairs and we can get started,” he said, his voice barely audible over the sounds. He had gripped my arm and led me up the stairs toward his office, the crowd of beautiful people stepping aside and letting us through. I could feel the heat from his fingertips, my heart fluttering in an unexpected way with every step we took. I don’t know why I didn’t stop him. A moment later we were standing in front of the large wooden doors, my eyes widening as he threw them open to an even more opulent study.

“Did they tell you what I like?” he asked as we made our way into the office. He moved to a large chair, leaving me standing in the center of the space in a way that made me feel totally exposed and on display.

“I’m here on a noise complaint, not to discuss your likes and dislikes, Mr. Hale,” I’d replied, more confused than anything.

“A feisty one. You must be new. What’s your name, beautiful?”

I couldn’t help myself. I blushed. Mr. Hale wasn’t some ordinary man. His face was a masterpiece, as though he’d been chiseled from the finest marble by the most divinely-inspired sculptor there was. His burnt jade eyes were host to flecks of gold near their center, orbiting his pupils and glimmering every time he flashed one of those blinding white smiles. The man was unbelievably wealthy, almost criminally handsome, and he thought I was beautiful…

“Officer Williams,” I replied curtly, trying to maintain my composure. Standing here under his withering gaze was enough to make me lose my mind. His eyes swept up and down my uniformed body, appraising me the way a lion might look at a zebra.

“You said that at the door, Ms Williams. I’m asking you for your real name,” he replied, a smile blooming across his face.

“Sandra,” I whispered.

“Turn around, Sandra.”

The words were less of a request and more of a command. I don’t know why, but my feet were moving before my brain could catch up. I found myself facing away, gasping ever so slightly as I heard Mr. Hale moving from his chair. All of my police training was screaming out. This shouldn’t be happening. What in the world was I doing?

All of my protests came to a sudden halt as his hands found their way to my hips. A tingle flashed up my spine and I was lost. He held me so softly, his chest pressing into my back and his head finding its way along the edge of my neck. Even the thrumming sounds of the party downstairs seemed to fade away as he inhaled deeply, drawing scent from my shoulder up and over my collar, his lips pressing effortlessly just below my ear.

“Mr. Hale, what are you doing?” I managed to whisper, heat rising up my body in a way I had never felt before. No man had ever held me like this. I was too busy for dating, too driven for a casual encounter. What in the hell was going on?

“You can stop playing pretend, Sandra. We both know why you’re here.”

I couldn’t bring a single word to my lips as he pressed himself tighter against me. I could feel something pressing against the small of my back. Something almost frightfully big…

His… Is THAT his… Oh my God… What am I doing?

“You’re here to be fucked… Aren’t you Sandra?”

Oh GOD! My thighs clenched together, heat suddenly blossoming from my secret place between them. The whole world was being turned upside down, and all I could do was try to breathe and make sense of it all. I felt as if I couldn’t move. It was as close to an out-of-body experience as I’ve ever had.

Nathan’s hands swept up my sides, brushing up against the edges of my breasts through the clean and creased uniform. He gripped at my arms, bringing them together behind me. Before I could make sense of anything, I felt the cold metal against my wrist.

My handcuffs!

I couldn’t believe what had just happened. I started to protest, but he caught me mid-word and lifted me off my feet, spinning round and tossing me toward the big heavy wooden desk. I crashed into it, my thighs stinging as he came up behind me again, forcing me down until my face was pressed against the cool hard surface. Without a moment’s hesitation, his hands were moving around my waist, tugging at my belt and bringing my uniform pants down around my ankles. I could feel the air sweeping across my skin, only the thin protection of my panties maintaining my innocence.

“Happy birthday to me,” he said, his voice taking on a hoarse sound as he swept his fingers over the curve of my hips. I gasped as he brought one of them around and against the inside of my thighs, forcing my legs apart as far as they could go with the pants still wrapped round my ankles. “I don’t know where the agency found you, but remind me to thank them later.”

What in the hell was he saying? My mind swam and my body burned for his touch. None of this made sense. There was no way anyone would treat an officer of the law this way. Mr. Hale’s fingertips made their way to the scorching heat between my thighs and pressed against the thin cotton between us, sending a wave of pleasure over my body. Why in the hell wasn’t I stopping him? The cold realization dawned on me as pulled my panties roughly aside.

I wanted this.

I’d spent my whole life denying myself the pleasures of men. I had responsibilities. My sister… My schooling… The academy... My work ethic kept me away from these kinds of situations. Now I was at the mercy of a man who had never even bothered to ask permission. A powerful man who could have anyone he wanted… And he wanted me.

And I wanted him.

“You’re so wet, Sandra,” Mr. Hale breathed, his finger moving ever so slowly between my nether lips. My body shuddered beneath his grasp, the scent of sandalwood and scotch filling my nostrils as I inhaled deep. I could feel him moving behind me, and suddenly a new sensation entered the mix. Something very large was being pressed up against the soft and hidden opening.

“We can’t,” I gasped. “I’ve never… I’ve never… Oh God…” I squealed as his cock moved downward, slipping along between my virgin folds but not penetrating me. Instead, he brought his hips forward, the length of his shaft pressing against the front of my pussy, every inch of flesh sending courses of pleasure firing from my sensitive nub as it drew slowly along it. I could feel my slick wetness being drawn out, coating him in my own desire. His hands returned to the space between my thighs and I could feel him rolling a condom over his impossibly large member.

“It’s too big…” I whispered, feeling the sheer girth beneath me as my hips shifted, his cock slipping side to side against me and driving me out of my mind with pleasure.

“They didn’t tell you about that at the agency? Not every girl can handle it,” Mr. Hale responded, drawing himself back until the head of his enormous cock lined itself back up with my delicate tunnel. “What do you think Sandra? Do you think you can handle it?”

He was pressing just slightly between my folds, the head barely pressed against my maidenhead. I couldn’t respond. I couldn’t even breathe. His words held no meaning. Agency? Telling me about his cock? Girls? He may as well have been speaking Greek for all the sense it made to me now. I squealed as he lifted my arms behind me, pulling my breasts just barely free from the desk as he gripped the chain between the cuffs.

“Are you ready, Sandra?”

Oh God… Was I going to do this? Could I possibly? What in the hell was I thinking?

“Say yes, Sandra.”

I bit my lip as his free hand wrapped itself in my hair, pulling my head forcefully back and lifting me even higher off the desk. My thighs strained against the edge of the wood, my legs parted, his cock pressing against me but still unmoving. None of this was supposed to be happening! Pleasure and desire was coursing through my veins as I found my voice.

“YES!” I shouted, screaming out as he thrust forward, taking my innocence. His cock impaled me, every inch sinking into my willful depths, his body freezing up in the aftermath.

“Sandra… You’re a virgin?” he asked, holding himself steady with his cock still throbbing inside me.

“Just fuck me,” I screamed out, lost in the overwhelming sensations of pleasure mixed with pain. “Fuck me please…”

I’d lost all control, and Mr. Hale was no better off. His hips began to move faster and faster as he wrapped my hair with his hand, forcing me around his cock as if her were holding the mane of a horse at full gallop. Nothing mattered except this moment, and I was overwhelmed as an orgasm seized my body, the shuddering waves of pleasure rocking over me even as my overstretched depths grasped at his flesh. That was all it took, and with one deep thrust that nearly sent me across the desk, I could feel his cock throbbing and thrumming inside me. For the first time, I could feel what it was like to please a man… And I liked it.

But something was wrong…

I could sense the tension behind me as I lifted my gaze toward the doorway. With Mr. Hale’s cock still throbbing inside me, I stared into the eyes of the young blonde who had let herself in, her slutty police officer uniform clinging to her large fake breasts, the blue shorts cut off high and showing off miles of legs. For a moment, nobody said a word, but the leggy blonde smiled and broke the silence.

“Honey, I don’t do couples. If that’s what you’re looking for, it’s going to be triple my rate.”

Mr. Hale seemed to stutter, his cock pulling free as he reached down and pulled me upright from the table. I couldn’t look him in the eye as he spun me around, his hand brushing up against my chest, grasping at the shining badge still pinned to my uniform…

“Well, what’s it gonna be sweetie?” the blonde asked, but Mr. Hale had lost all of the color in his face. Leaving me standing there, he reached down to pull up his slacks, stumbling across the room and managing to sputter the words ‘leave’ and ‘now’ at the girl before slamming the study door in her face. He returned to me without saying anything more, fishing my keys from my pocket and delicately uncuffing my hands before collapsing into one of his chairs.

“I… I’m sorry… There’s been a misunderstanding. I need to speak with my lawyer,” he began even as I pulled my panties back up over my hips, working to get my uniform straightened out. My pussy ached, partly from the sex we’d just had, and partly because it wanted more. I had to get out of here now. If anyone back at the district found out about this I’d be off the force before I’d even gotten started. There was no turning back now. I’d let this happen, and now, there was only one thing left to do…

“What’s this?” Mr. Hale asked as I thrust the small slip of paper into his hands. He glanced up, but still avoided my eyes.

“A ticket for the noise complaint, Mr. Hale.”

Now he caught my eyes full-on, the crystalline jade pools eroding what little strength I’d managed to muster up. My knees were going weak.

“But… What just happened here… I…”

“You know what happened,” I replied, trying to calm myself. I could still feel the heat between us, my heart beating out of my chest. “I gave you a ticket, and I went on my way…”

“Will I see you again?” he asked, his voice almost desperate.

I stared at him in disbelief, trying desperately to hide the feelings of desperation and desire that were still boiling beneath my skin. He’d mistaken me for some kind of prostitute! He’d taken my innocence and now he wanted to see me again? My mind battled itself as I tried to make the right choice.

“Maybe…” I replied.

That ‘Maybe’ turned into a definitely. Once or twice a month there would be a call into the station, and I’d be taking the drive out to the mansion like Nathaniel’s own personal police officer. Usually it was something innocuous. A theft on the property that Mr. Hale needed to report… A dispute with a neighbor that needed resolution… And of course, there was the possibly a little fun on the side.

But that was then, and this is now. The girl he’d deflowered on his big beautiful desk had grown up, and Nathaniel Hale stayed exactly the same. He didn’t understand what it was like to have the responsibilities I was saddled with. Everything was just given to him, and I started to realize that I was just another of his little toys. What we had… It wasn’t even exclusive. When I broke things off he didn’t have an argument for me. There was no declaration of love or boom box held aloft at my shitty apartment window.

For whatever it was worth, I’d have been happy to never see him again.

I closed my eyes and felt a hot trickle of summer sweat roll down the back of my neck. I wasn’t that girl anymore. I didn’t need some rich and dominant asshole to validate me. I am a detective now, and I should be dealing with real police work. How had this man-child become my responsibility?

All I could do was knock again, louder this time.

I knew the answer, of course. Nathan had unwittingly engaged in some business dealings with the Irish mob and was our only chance at cutting off the head of the snake, Peter Wallace. Wallace was a ruthless son of a bitch, even as far as the mob went. He had no problem trafficking young women and girls to all corners of the globe, and we had reason to believe he’d even moved a few shipments through our very own bay. When the Coast Guard tried to intercept one of the containers, they pushed it overboard and straight into the Pacific Ocean. It wasn’t airtight. Sank like a stone, and took all those poor girls with it.

That was where Nathan Hale came in. His testimony would put Wallace behind bars for good this time. There was just one problem: Nathan Hale wasn’t so keen on testifying against a known killer. Especially not one with a history of beating the system, one dead witness at a time.

How do you convince a self-important yuppie that there’s a bigger picture to think about? How do you make a man like that care about something other than himself?

I opened my eyes and pressed hard on the doorbell. Self-preservation—that was my angle. That was the way I’d convince Nathan to put himself on the line in order to save dozens, if not hundreds of people. Rich men felt very strongly about their belongings. If I could convince him that everything he held dear, including his own life, was at stake, surely he’d come around.

But as I jammed my thumb into the button a second time, I wondered if I was just fooling myself. After all, it wouldn’t be the first case I’d wasted my time on, and it certainly wouldn’t be the first time I thought I could change Nathaniel Hale.

You can lead a horse to water…

I was just about to drift into that dark place where all my failures lived when I heard the sound of steel bolts unlatching from the other side of the massive double doors. I took a deep breath, composing myself before Nathan Hale opened the door, inflicting another one of his cocky grins on me.

“Officer Williams,” he said, his eyes scanning every curve of my body. He leaned on the doorframe. “Fancy seeing you here again.”

I stared at him for a long moment, chewing on what I would say next. His gilt hair glistened in the blinding sunlight streaming through the old trees riddled with Spanish moss. It was that time of year when the heat became unbearable around here, when even ducking into the shade meant enduring matted hair and clingy, sweat-stained clothes. I had only been out of my car a few minutes, yet my skin was already prickling with the late summer swelter.

But the longer I looked at him, the more I wondered if it was really the sun making me hot. Objectively, the guy was gorgeous.

His shoulders were broad and his chest was vast, hard, and unyielding beneath his surprisingly low-key t-shirt. It was loose near his stomach, the fabric pooling above his belt and jeans, but I was sure the parts of his body hidden beneath it were just as taut as the rest of him. Clearly, he’d been working out quite a bit since the last time I’d torn his clothes off…

Nathan Hale would have been quite the catch if not for his selfishness.

Then again, that kind of thing seemed standard for rich boys with too much time on their hands. He’d never known a day of hard work in his life—I was pretty sure the title of CEO at his father’s old company was just for show—which meant that he had no empathy for anyone who had to do their jobs to keep food on the table. He was a spoiled brat, and all the good looks and money in the world couldn’t make up for that. Standing here now, I wondered what I ever saw in him…

He had no idea what it was like to be a cop, and a female cop at that. He had no idea what failing to convince him to testify would do to my career. It was no coincidence that I’d been chosen for this task. The Chief knew I had some bad blood with Nathaniel Hale, and setting me up to fail meant that I’d be easier to write off in the future.

And that wasn’t fair.

I’d clawed my way into this detective position, but the Chief seemed determined to keep me from going any higher. For all the talk of equality, the upper echelons of the force were as much of a good old boys club as they ever were… Everything I’d earned up until now hinged on Nathan seeing the light. It made me sick to my stomach to think that he might be holding the future of my career in his hands.

“It’s detective now,” I said, pulling myself out of the doomsday spiral I’d sent myself into. “May I come in?”

Nathan shrugged. He opened the door wider, gesturing into the atrium. “I thought you’d never ask.”

I tried not to roll my eyes as I stepped past him and into his mansion. Sunlight glinted off the crystal chandelier above us, spraying fragments of light across the dark wood paneling of the walls. I caught a few Technicolor prisms dancing on Nathan’s skin as he closed and locked the door.

“It’s certainly been awhile,” he said, his voice a thick, honeyed purr that, despite my best efforts to resist, made my skin ripple with goosebumps. “If I’d known you were coming, I would’ve prepared the good stuff.”

“I’m here on business, Mr. Hale,” I corrected him as gently as I could. There was no use ruining my chances by bruising his ego. “And I think you know exactly what kind of business I’m talking about.”

I looked around, taking in the vastness of our surroundings. I didn’t like being out in the open like this, even within the relative safety of Nathan’s house.

“Is there someplace we can sit and talk?” I asked him.

Nathan nodded, sliding his hands into his pockets. His grin was gone, and the light in his eyes had faded like the setting sun giving way to twilight. He gestured up the flight of wooden stairs run through with a strip of plush red carpet.

“Come up to my office,” he said, though he let me mount the stairs first. I glanced up as I began to climb, remembering my first trip up these stairs. Fitting that we would talk there… Knowing Nathan, he was just doing this to make me uncomfortable.

But it wouldn’t be the only thing making me feel uncomfortable right now.

Nathan’s home was big, but it felt hollow. Every step I took on the hardwood floors echoed throughout each chamber like an errant round ricocheting in the dark. It was empty, cavernous, and though from the outside it was truly an enviable estate, traversing its innards like this made me shiver.

Most houses had some kind of life built right into them, the product of the people who lived there spilling their energy and warmth right into the walls. Hell, even in the worst cases, you could still feel something below the surface, some vibrating remnant of what the house had seen.

Nathan’s mansion was barren, devoid of life.

Despite all those parties I’d had to interrupt, and all the times I’d let myself get lured inside, there was not a single spark to be found. It was like I was walking a museum for a relationship that never was, and never would be.

I turned over my shoulder to him, only to find his gaze glued firmly to the steady sway of my ass. I rolled my eyes. No wonder he’d let me go up first.

We reached the landing, and I felt him lay his hand every so lightly on the small of my back. A chill shot up my spine, then a rush of heat as he guided me toward a door at the end of the hall.

It’s not a big deal, I told myself as Nathan’s fingers sent little electric arcs to play across the flesh beneath my blouse. Stay focused. I have a job to do.

I waited as Nathan opened the door for me, ushering me into his private study. I raised my eyebrows as I looked around. I’d expected the cold, sleek and heartless room where Mr. Hale had taken my virginity, but what I found instead was the only room in the whole house that seemed to have a pulse.

He must have hired an interior decorator… Or maybe it was some small sign that Mr. Hale was finally starting to act his age.

We were surrounded by bookshelves. They ran from floor to ceiling, each one brimming with the colorful spines of dozens of books. There were too many of them to count, their subjects so varied that this one room could have doubled as a public library.

I spotted some classics, like Moby Dick and The Wizard of Oz, and more contemporary titles, like Gone Girl and The Life of Pi. He had a wide selection of Asimov’s works near his desk, an executive-style Louis XVI reproduction that very nearly looked real, and on a small end table near a hulking stone fireplace, I saw a copy of Machiavelli’s The Prince.

That hardly surprised me. It was practically required reading for opportunistic capitalists everywhere. What I was surprised by was how every book in Nathan’s tremendous collection seemed worn enough to have been read through at least once. I hadn’t pegged him for a reader, and I’d certainly never seen him pining for books in the times we’d spent together. He didn’t seem like he had the patience.

I turned as he closed the doors behind us and crossed the room to the small seating area near to the fireplace. “Have a seat, detective. If you’re here for business instead of pleasure, we might as well get comfortable.”

As he draped himself lazily across a tufted leather settee, I sunk into one of the high-backed armchairs across from him. I felt like royalty just sitting there, but Nathan didn’t seem to share my perception. He lounged like a bored lion, his muscular limbs dangling almost petulantly off the edges of his seat.

“If you’re not here to fuck, you’re here about Peter Wallace, aren’t you?”

“I am,” I admitted. “His trial’s coming up soon, you know.”

“I’m aware,” he answered in a tone that was half a sigh, half a groan. “I watch the news. I hear the prosecution’s built a decent case this time around, too.”

“Decent isn’t going to cut it,” I interrupted, “and you know that. This is Peter Wallace we’re talking about—the same guy who’s weaseled his way out of prison a dozen times before. And he’ll do it again, unless someone could, say, provide testimony about the particulars of his business in our fair city.”

Despite the oppressive heat lurking just outside, I felt a distinct chill in the air. It was blowing in gusts from Nathan’s side of the room and got stronger with every mention of Peter Wallace’s name. I almost wanted him to turn on the fireplace just to drive it out.

“Sounds like you know a lot about this guy,” he said at last, though he was staring at his bookshelves and not at me. “If you do, then you know what he does to witnesses who agree to testify.”

I nodded solemnly. “I do. And I also know what he does to witnesses who don’t. Last I checked the only difference is how pretty the corpse looks.”

Nathan went quiet, his eyes finally meeting mine. I scooted to the edge of my chair, holding his gaze. “I expect we’ll keep this talk off the record for now?”

“I understand your concerns, Mr. Hale,” I replied, trying to keep my mind off the dark little desires that kept bubbling up inside me.

“Off the record, you’re right. Wallace is not a man to be trifled with. He’s got connections. He’s got ways of making everybody miserable. But that all stops if we put him behind bars, and I’m afraid the only way for us to do that is with your help.”

“And what do I get in return?” he asked me, raising an eyebrow that made it clear he was being coy. As I gave him the death stare, he sat up straighter, his voice taking on a more serious tone. “I mean, sure, there’s some satisfaction in watching this guy get put behind bars for the rest of his life. And from what I understand, he deserves it. It’s not like I don’t want to have a hand in putting him there. But you have to understand, detective—the price I’d pay for that… it could be steep. What guarantee can the police offer me that I’m not going to end up in one of those shipping containers?”

I frowned. I didn’t think we’d released that detail yet, but men as powerful and rich as Nathan had a way of getting information. Some jaded beat cop had probably forked it over for a small fee. I counted my blessings that at least the culprit hadn’t talked to the media—as far as I knew, anyway.

“You don’t have any family, no wife, no real girlfriend,” I said, watching as he grimaced, “so there’s only you we’ve got to worry about. We’ll move you to a safe house, someplace that Wallace’s men won’t be looking for you.”

Nathan shook his head. “I’m staying here.”

“You can’t. This place—well, I’m sorry to say it, but compared to the rest of the city, it stands out like a sore thumb. Your address isn’t exactly private information these days, either. I’m pretty sure half the population’s been to one of your parties, which means if the mob is looking for you, you’re making yourself damn easy for them to find. And if they do…”

I trailed off, hoping Nathan’s imagination would fill in the blanks. He stood up, turned his back on me, and visited the bar at the far end of the room, prying a tumbler from the other side along with a bottle of what looked like whiskey.

“This is my home,” he said as if I’d somehow forgotten. “But I’m not going to pretend like Wallace’s men don’t scare me, because they do. I’m not the fighter type. I guess you’d call me more of a lover.”

Although he wasn’t facing me, I distinctly detected the smirk in his tone when he said that last bit. A moment later, he cast a glance at me over his shoulder as if to confirm I understood what he was implying. I shook my head, and he continued:

“But that being said, I’m not about to let some IRA rejects run me out of my home. There are some things a man just can’t abide, and for me, turning tail and running is one of them. So if we’re going to do this, detective, then we’re going to do it my way. The city can spare some officers to guard my home, I’m sure, and if not, there’s always private security—”

I held up my hand, signaling for him to stop talking. He frowned and opened his mouth to speak again, but I gestured more firmly this time, settling my gaze on the floor as I listened hard to the silent, empty house.

It wasn’t so silent anymore. There were footsteps downstairs, heavy and deliberate. I closed my eyes and focused, trying to ascertain how many there were.

Two… three… four… five…

There were five men downstairs. I was sure of it. I finally looked back up at Nathan and whispered:

“Were you expecting any company?”

He shook his head, flattening his lips into a thin, grim line as I stood and slipped my sidearm out of its holster.

“I didn’t call for backup,” I told him.

Then, holding up my hand again to signal Nathan to wait, I readied myself for the worst and approached the study doors.

I listened carefully. I could hear them talking on the first floor. They all seemed to still be centered in the atrium. I wet my lips, surrendering to the pulse of adrenaline coursing through my veins.

I hadn’t come here prepared for a fight. Not a firefight, anyway. But that was the thing about being a cop: whether you knew it or not, your life was always on the line.

Stay, I mouthed to Nathan, hoping to get my point across. I couldn’t have him in the crossfire. If things went south, then it was best he was out of harm’s way. I might need a clear shot.

He sipped his whiskey like the sounds downstairs were nothing, but I could see his hand was shaking. His emerald eyes stayed trained on me as I quietly opened the door and slipped out into the hall.

Outside of the study, I could hear their voices much more clearly. They weren’t being subtle in the least. Were they hoping to flush Nathan out?

If so, that probably meant they’d come prepared to subdue him. I hoped to God that they hadn’t considered the possibility that Nathan owned a gun.

There was a lilting brogue that might have been charming under any other circumstances coming from the stairs. “Oi, make sure you get the rugs and the drapes. Don’t leave any room untouched.” I took that to mean he was the leader, and most likely the one I should be speaking with.

Nathan’s mansion wasn’t exactly easy to get to. Though it was still within the city limits, it toed the line. It’d take backup ten, fifteen minutes to get out here in full force. I didn’t have that kind of time. I’d have to negotiate.

I stopped at the end of the hall leading to the rail. Through it, I could see the man on the stairs. He was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans with a pair of scuffed-up work boots, but I didn’t see any weapons on him.

As I surveyed the rest of his crew, I didn’t spot any on them, either. That was good. That meant that these were just thugs hired to beat a little sense into Nathan.

Or, judging by the gas cans they were carrying, burn down his house.

Maybe both.

I came around the corner fast, gun drawn, and aimed at the one on the stairs, their blue-eyed leader with a pathetically stereotypical Celtic band tattooed on his bicep.

“Police,” I said, breathing evenly to steady my gun. It was easy to let nerves and adrenaline get the better of you, no matter how experienced you were. “Drop the gas. Now.”

The other four paused, glancing at their ringleader, who regarded me with one of the coldest stares I’d ever suffered. Then he shrugged his massive shoulders and set the can down on the stair beside him, holding up his hands, his palms facing out.

“We don’t want any trouble, miss,” he said, his voice low and gravelly and filled with dark promises. Despite his hulking frame, there was something distinctly serpentine about him. “Just came to have a little chat with Mr. Hale, is all.” He looked past me and down the hall. “Is he in?”

I narrowed my eyes. “I’m Detective Williams,” I replied. I wasn’t about to give up any more information than I had to. “And you’re trespassing on private property.”

“Well, I’m Francis O’Rourke, and the garden door was wide open,” he insisted, those glacial eyes sending icicles straight into my core. “Figured we’d come in and see if our friend was about. Ask him. He’ll tell you.”

There was no way I was bringing Nathan out here. We’d be swarmed in seconds. A cool bead of sweat raced down my spine. I was glad that I was sweating in places this guy couldn’t see. I didn’t want him to think I was nervous.

But somehow, I got the impression that he already knew. I felt like he could smell it on me, like his crooked grin mocked the blood rushing in my ears. This was a bad situation. There was no denying that. But there was also no reason to add any fuel to the fire.

So to speak.

“I know who you are,” I said, keeping an even tone. “You’re Peter Wallace’s men. And I doubt, given Mr. Hale’s sizable estate, that you’re carrying those gas cans in here to help ease the burden of his fuel costs.”

Not a single one of them uttered a word. I had their attention, though. That had to count for something. There was no way these guys were going to let me arrest them without a fight, and I wasn’t ready to die protecting Nathan’s pompous ass. Rules be damned.

I continued: “I’m giving you a chance to walk away. Get out of here and don’t come back. Tell whoever Wallace’s right hand man is to back off, or…”

“Or what?” O’Rourke sneered, eyeing me defiantly. “You’ve got no backup, girl. You’re all alone here with me and my boys. Sure, you might be able to take out a few of us, but not all. I’m willing to bet that you miss at least once, and that’s all it’ll take.”

“And then you’ll go away for killing a cop. You know what they do to cop killers on the inside?”

He smirked and glanced down at the gas can near his feet. “Nothing, Detective. Not a damn thing if they never find the body.”

I clenched my jaw. This was not going well. “You’re threatening me? I’m giving you fair warning. Leave now, before things get ugly.”

“And I’ll say it again,” he replied, taking one step up toward me. “Or what?”

“Or,” Nathan said, coming out behind me with his drink still in his hand, “she’ll shoot that gas can at your feet and ruin your whole day.”

That seemed to give O’Rourke pause. I could practically hear the gears turning in his head as he glanced down at the can.

“You’re bluffing,” he said.

Nathan shrugged. “All it takes is a spark, and you’ve already soaked half the first floor. I’m willing to bet that from this angle, the shot will knock the can backward down the staircase, torching every single one of you before you can even think to run.”

“Of course, there’s always the possibility she doesn’t hit it on her first shot,” he continued, and for a moment, my guts twisted. What the hell was he doing? But he shot me a sideways glance and smiled, and I kept my mouth shut. “And hey, maybe the can won’t explode, but that gun she’s holding is a standard issue Sig P220 full of .45 ACP. Ten in the magazine, one in the chamber, and she’s got the high ground. Do you have any idea how big of a hole that will leave at this range?”

He swaggered to my side, taking a long draught from the tumbler and licking his lips before again regarding the thug, almost like he’d forgotten about him.

“How much ground do you think you can cover before she unloads her clip? Your friends down there might get away, if they run, but I’ll take great pleasure in knowing that you most certainly won’t.”

O’Rourke didn’t answer. Behind him, his groupies shifted uneasily. No one took their eyes off me, but I could tell that some silent exchange was going on between them. I hoped that none of them could tell I had no idea whether or not Nathan’s little plan was going to work.

I could hit the gas can, sure. But could I make it blow? That seemed like something straight out of an action movie. I preferred to keep the business end of my gun pointed right where it belonged: center mass on the Irish asshole with the big mouth.

Standing next to me, Nathan seemed so calm. I could feel his stoicism, his self-assuredness radiating from his body. I gripped my weapon tighter and nodded in agreement.

“So, what’ll it be?” I asked him with far more certainty than I actually felt. “You boys wanna do this the easy way, or the hard way?”

I didn’t have to wait long for an answer. O’Rourke’s face pulled taut in cold, hard rage, and then he turned and descended the stairs, his men following soon after. My eyes found themselves firmly planted on the oversized handgun tucked into the back of his waistband.

“Leave the gas cans,” I instructed, finally tearing my eyes away from them to look up into Nathan’s face.

He waited until they’d shut the door to look down at me. Then he produced the faintest of smiles.

I holstered my gun, leaving the thumb-strap open in case we were in for any more visitors. “Thanks,” I said, though it pained me to do so. Maybe Nathan was a bit braver than I’d given him credit for. “You really think a bullet would set the gas off?”

“No,” he answered, downing the rest of his whiskey in one harsh gulp. “I don’t. And I’m pretty sure the boys downstairs would have riddled us with holes before you took down more than two of them.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I replied, a shiver passing through me. He was right, of course. I only had a clean shot on two of them, at best. Even if we ducked back into Nathan’s office, they could have lit the house and left us to smolder…

“So if I couldn’t stop them, why did they back down?” I asked.

“Because they know where I live, and they were just here to scare me. I think it might be time to talk about that safe house, detective,” Nathan replied, his smile growing. “I suddenly have a burning desire to put this place on the market.”