Ten.

Mikhail

The spacious bedroom has a king-sized bed, an impressive walk-in closet, and a lavish ensuite bathroom. The locked windows offer a breathtaking view of the city. A beautiful cage for beautiful women. I won’t deny Maria’s beauty, but I also know the dangers hidden behind her beauty: it’s a distraction that will kill a lesser man.

She stumbles and unexpectedly, I reach out to catch her. A current rushes through us when my fingers close around her wrist. Her breath catches in her throat, but she doesn’t pull away. She blinks, and the ferocity that had been erased earlier returns to the surface.

“Let me go,” she hisses.

I oblige, but only because I know she has nowhere to run. Maria rubs her wrist where my fingers were and throws a baleful look my way.

“I don’t know what you think I’ve done,” she says, trying to keep her voice even. “Or what you want from me, but I swear I didn’t do anything.”

“Your phone.” I ignore her and extend my hand.

“I don’t have one,” she insists. “I told