Chapter 2

Running a gloved hand over the bannister, Reena tried to find comfort and inner peace as she took a deep breath and squinted in the extra dim lighting, in a way the absence of light felt like an extension of the game Reena was sure the billionaire was intent on playing with her. 

“You can go in.” Her escort informed her in his carefully detached voice and turned around in the next breath, leaving Reena to her fate. Pushing the door open, she lingered by the door, absolutely stunned to silence by the allure of the room within.

While the entire room was startling dark from the lack of artificial light within, it was bathed in a rich silvery glow filtering in from the open window, a battle of light and darkness as the pure silver pushed the shadows back to the hedge where they hissed and promised sinful pleasures should they be set free.

“You are stalling.” A smooth voice purred next to her ear and Reena flinched, wondering how he managed to sneak up on her like that, whoever he was. Turning sharply to face the intruder she gasped as a wave of woody cologne hit her like a freight train, reminding her of scandalous rendezvous in the pages of passionate books that spoke of secrets and calculated yet enticing whispers of love eternal.

“I am not.” Reena refuted quickly and he chuckled, the rich sound causing a heady rush through Reena’s head as an unexplainable heat began to make it’s way through her body. Huh hell no! Down girl, you cannot be attracted to him, he is a mad man! Reena screamed to herself.

“I see.” He replied with a mocking chuckle and suddenly his oppressive presence was gone, causing Reena to blink at the suddenness of everything.

“Hey! Where did you go?!” Reena yelled into the stillness of the room as she stumbled forward in the faint light. I have not even started seducing you, get back here! Reena internally screamed.

“Want to play a game?” That same smooth voice sounded from the far corner of the room, where the shadows were thickest and its sinful whispers loudest.

“A game? What game?” Reena tried to ask calmly, but the alarm bells were going off. Everything was wrong with this situation, this was not how this encounter was supposed to go.

“Tsk, how boring.” The voice purred again, only this time it was laced with disappointment.

“No matter, the game is already afoot, it would be impossible to stop it now.”

What in all that is holy is going on here?! Reena internally screamed again.

“Look here,” Reena started. “As intriguing as this is, I am not going to play your game.”

“Why?” The voice murmured again, the sinful velvety tone rich with the promises of thrilling adventures.

“Would you like me to play your’s instead?” He asked and Reena swallowed, how much exactly did he know? but before she could respond however, light flooded the room, almost  blinding her.

Right in front of her was a brown mahogany table and it would have been empty but for the four champagne glasses filled to the brim with different colors of liquids. The first was filled to the brim with deep amber liquid, the second of sparkling gold, the third a bright orange, and the fourth, clear sparkling liquid with ice.

“W-what are these?” Reena stammered at the strange sight in front of her and a rich husky laugh broke her from her trance and she averted her eyes to a more stunning sight.

Inky black hair deliciously ruffled fell over his forehead framing slanted silver eyes that strangely looked empty despite its beauty, proud nose and a perfectly sculpted jawline that housed the most delicious looking pair of lips she had ever seen, lips that were now currently spread apart in sadistic joy and a little glint on it drew Reena’s attention to the piercing at the lower corner of his lips as it caught the rays from the lights above.

He was clad in a pair of black pants and a dress shirt of the same shade haphazardly tucked in, the top of the shirt was open to reveal glimpses of a snake tattoo that curled underneath his shirt, while the sleeves were folded at the wrists, showing more of those tattoos that would be better appreciated in daylight, and beautiful rings adorned his fingers.

He was definitely a sight to be appreciated, Reena decided, like damn, those pictures did not do him justice, she was not prepared for this! Reena thought.

“Pick a drink or die.”

Staring at the mouth of the gun pointed at her, Reena did her best to remember her training and slow down her breathing. Rationality above all else.

“ What are their effects?” She asked and he smiled, obviously pleased by the question.

“Finally, a show of intelligence,” He mused. “Fine then, since you asked so nicely.”

“The first drink makes you still then steals your breath.” He began.

“Paralysis and death.” Reena mused subconsciously, and his eyes shot to her’s, faint surprise coloring them gold for a brief second.

“The second is quite fast. Makes you sick and helps you dream, then of course seals you in.” He ended in a sing song voice then a pause, as if giving her a chance to guess so she humored him.

“Delirium, nausea and of course death.” She ended, and he grinned, excited now.

“The third makes you go topsy turvy and turns you inside out.” He continued, circling her slowly, like a shark would its prey.

“Internal bleeding.” Reena murmured, aware of him behind her now as he brought his nose to her neck and lightly skimmed it through, the tip icy against her skin.

“The fourth gives you visions, visions of the future and tempts you to let go of your present.” He whispered directly into her ear as his hand caressed her flat stomach, while the sharp mouth of the gun chilled her temples.

“Hallucination. Eventual death.”

“Good.” He purred, the sound chilling her skin.

Turning her around to face him, he leaned in, his breaths heating her skin.

“Now choose carefully Angel, don’t disappoint me.”

Stepping back, he let her take the reign, and Reena watched everything with the same shrewd eyes that had gotten her far in the agency. Suddenly it was so clear that she almost smirked.

“Where’s the fifth cup?” She asked him, watching with satisfaction as he almost frowned.

  “What fifth cup?” he asked her in confusion and intrigue and she smiled, she knew his type. So obsessed with games for his own twisted amusement he was sharp, lethal, and broke the rules as he pleased, after all he made them, a man like that was too used to having beautiful things around him and manipulating even the brightest colors to his favorite shade of black, in order to seduce him she would have to be smart, witty and incredibly clever. Reena smiled, he would not know what hit him.

“A poison for each sin, yet a fifth remains.” She smiled as she started the old recitation, sashaying closer, making sure to emphasize the sway of her hips beneath the tight dress she was wearing as she lowered her voice to  a soft and seductive purr.

“What sin have you not accounted for, what curse lingers?” She grinned, watching as he lowered himself to a chair, his eyes becoming hooded as she danced around it slowly, head tilted and eyes closed as the music below filtered in through the open door. Gliding her hands over his chest to his shoulders, she settled on his lap in a smooth move.

“Give me this drink or the game is not done.” She continued, slowly rotating her hips on him, she smiled as she heard his low groan beneath her before his large hands settled on her waist. I knew those dance lessons would be useful someday.

“For a fifth poison, this riddle might be won.” She ended triumphantly and he stiffened as she reached forward to trail a manicured finger on the tattoo curved around his neck before leaning forward to bite into it, putting a little force behind the action as payment for the heavy fright he had given her earlier before soothing the inflamed mark with her tongue, smiling to herself as the muscle cords in his back bunched up beneath her fingers.

“The fifth poison represents the sin of greed, you think I am a thief!” She exclaimed theatrically, knowing that she was in fact there to steal from him. 

Throwing his head back, he let out the most genuine laughter she had seen from him so far, his eyes trapping even more silver from the moonlight and shining with an iridescent glow, he was ethereal.

“You are quite a clever little thief.” He praised, eyes shining with a strange kind of mirth, and Reena backed away from him slowly.

“How many people have died from your games?” She asked warily, not quite sure if she wanted to know the answer.

“A lot,” He chuckled. “But not enough.”

Just how much was the agency letting this mad man get away with? Reena wondered.

“I didn’t fail.” She made sure to remind him, trembling slightly, this man could kill her right here and no one would ever know, and she doubted the agency would risk so much for her.

“No you didn’t,” He sounded impressed again as appreciation for her lit up his eyes.

“In fact you spiced up this tedious evening, I should reward you for that, after all I am a man of principle.” He shrugged, going to pour himself a glass of whisky.

“Drink?” He offered, that strange smile still lingering on his lips, that almost secretive smile that made her feel as if they shared a secret only he knew, and Reena flinched back.

“No,” She replied sharply, “I need the reward you promised me, after all you are a man of principle.”

He tilted his head at the refusal, before shaking his head with a low laugh as he watched her with the interest one would give to a talking corpse.

“One wish little thief, choose wisely.”

“I need the codes to the safe on the west wing.” Reena ended, placing all her stakes in this game and hoping not to crash and burn.

Throwing his head back, the Thorne let out a maniacal laugh that echoed around the room as a sudden wind blew in, further chilling the air.

“You are indeed a thief!” He howled severely entertained, as he picked up the gun he had dropped and loaded it before her eyes. Reena’s hand quickly crept to the holster beneath her dress, and the click of her gun made him look up, eyes narrowing at the challenge.

“Honor your words.” Reena urged desperately, and he shook his head with a sigh.

“Oh little thief, you should have asked for your life.” He tsked. “76359.”

With a jerky nod, Reena backed away slowly watching as he turned away from her to face the window.

“We will meet again, little thief.” He murmured, still staring away from her, the moon bathing him in monochromatic light, and his ominous words sounded like both a threat and a promise.

“Never again,” Reena promised through clenched teeth. As soon as she completed the mission, she was going to a safe house and staying there for the rest of her life to avoid his crazy ass.

But as she backed out the door and turned to sprint like the devil was on her tail, she could feel the weight of his promise on her like a shackle. Shaking off the feeling, she unmuted her earpiece.

“Agent 13, this is Command. Status report, over.”

“Command, this is Agent 13, I have the codes and I am going in.”