“Okay then,” Panella said. “Get at it and call me when it’s done.”
“We haven’t come to terms yet.”
“Five hundred thousand.”
“Two million. Have a nice day.”
After Shaw clicked off, he continued looking at Jordie for a beat or two, then turned away from her and concentrated on removing the battery from Mickey’s phone. He put the phone in one front pocket of his jeans, the battery in the other.
Jordie moved around to stand facing him. “Two million dollars?”
“You think it’s too much or not enough?”
“He still wants you to kill me?”
He sidestepped her and walked around the car to the trunk and took out a bottle of water. He twisted off the top, poured half the bottle over his face, then drank the rest.
She knocked the empty plastic bottle out of his hand. “Answer me.”
He looked down at the bottle that had landed and rolled, coming to a stop against the toe of his right boot. Then he raised his gaze back to hers. He wanted to strangle her, and at that moment he would have happily done it for nothing.
He went to the backseat door of the car, which was still standing open. “Get in. Lie down.”
“Why?”
“Get in and lie down.”
“Or what?”
He stormed back to her, grabbed her hand, and dragged her toward the open door.
She tried to wrest her hand free. “You said you didn’t want to hurt me.”
“I won’t. Believe me, when I pop you, you won’t feel it.”
When they reached the door, she kicked it shut, which made him even more furious. They wrestled, although it was never any real contest. He easily backed her against the car door, her hands sandwiched between it and her butt. He held her there by pressing his body flush with hers.
“You had better hope Panella says no to my terms.”
“You’re not going to kill me or you would have already.”
“For two million dollars—”
“Not for any amount,” she retorted. “I don’t think you will.”
“You know I will. You’ve seen me in action. Mickey? Not my first. Not even my first this week.” Her eyes widened fractionally. “Oh, yeah, Jordie. Tuesday night, I left two dead in Mexico before beating it to New Orleans. So don’t delude yourself.”
She swallowed. Blue eyes that had been throwing daggers moments ago now filled with misgiving. He felt her literally going softer against him as her resistance ebbed.
To impress upon her his point, he squeezed her shoulders tighter. “I did Mickey without a blink. The two in Mexico? A snap. Didn’t even stop to think about it.”
“You’ve stopped to think about me.”
“Not really.”
“Then what’s stopping you?”
He stared into her defiant eyes, then lowered his gaze to her shoulder where her bra strap had slipped from the armhole of her top onto her upper arm. He slid two fingers beneath the strap, the backs of his fingers brushing her skin. It was warm and as smooth as the satin strip he rubbed between his fingers and thumb.