Free The Heist by Sienna Mynx

“Oh.”
    “How bad is it, beautiful?” he asked, touching her wound lightly. Michelle swallowed. She couldn’t focus on the pain. Her adrenaline and anger concealed most of it. The bullet had grazed her, searing her skin. Lee stopped in front of her, forcing her to gaze upon his concerned face.
    “I’m…I’m fine,” she stammered. “Can I go?”
    “Mmm…yes, you are, Michelle, and oh so talented. Remember Milan? That night in my hotel room? What were you? Sixteen? You emptied my pockets—a little girl after my own heart.”
    She smiled. “You let me smoke my first cigar.”
    “You were a spunky kid. I was impressed. Very loyal to your father, your baby sister. I respect loyalty. Always have.”
    “So?” She sighed.
    “Remember my place in Prague? You were nineteen, I think. The Klausen Synagogue. You and Pops worked as a team, so smooth, so precise. Remember what you said when you handed over the Judaic spear?”
    Michelle’s gaze dropped from his. He would mention the night of her humiliation. The night he rejected her. He would throw that in her face.
    Lee chuckled. “You said, ‘Who cared about some funky knife, anyway?’. That heirloom was returned to Israel because of you. Millions cared.”
    “So you’re some kind of hero now?” She scoffed. “How much did the Israelis pay you for the snatch and grab? My guess is it was twenty times what you paid us.”
    “Don’t knock the hustle, baby,” Lee said softly.
    He ran his hand over her ass, and she bit back the desire brewing like a storm in her heart. That old desire, fueled by a crush she was to never act on. Yes, he would scrape at those old wounds.
    Lee withdrew his hand. “No, I’m no hero. But you are legendary, Chocolat , to those Israelis, to the council of men that have watched you grow and bloom, and to me.”
    “Can I go now?” She clenched her teeth.
    “Pops was good, Michelle, but only because of you. You were always his center. Now I know why.”
    “You hated Pops. He betrayed you, remember?”
    “He was once a loyal friend.”
    “Right.”
    “Tonight, you proved you’re even better than him.”
    “So you were watching me?” She eased out of his space. He was too close. His nearness was affecting her judgment. Already, she felt some of her anger slipping.
    “I had to be sure of my investment.”
    Michelle shrugged. “It’s a one-time deal.”
    Lee touched her chin and turned her face back to his. “Pops was the one that nicknamed you Chocolat . Tell me what it means. Your skin isn’t as dark as your sister’s. Why the name, beautiful?”
    “It’s personal, and so is this conversation. Stop it, Lee. We aren’t friends, partners, long lost mates. I did the job and it’s done.”
    The corner of his mouth revealed his sly thoughts. His gaze lowered to her lips. The heat burning through his stare forced her to draw her bottom lip in. Nonetheless, when she was sixteen and smoking her first cigar across from him, she fell in love. He was so different than her father. He treated her like a kid, but he respected her. They played poker until the sun came up, and she was able to talk about anything. That was the side of Lee few ever saw. But she’d seen it more than once. Whatever happened between him and Pops in the end made the ruthless thug emerge. She would be wise to remember that, instead.
    “I hear now you aspire to be a doctor or dentist?” Lee chuckled again. “Medical school, right?”
    “We’re done.” She tried to pass, but Lee took her hand. Michelle paused. He began to rub his thumb in the center of her palm. “We’re done when I say we are.”
    Dropping her hand, he circled her. She felt him come up behind her. He didn’t touch her, but she could feel him standing close. Michelle fought the urge to turn around. She didn’t like keeping her back to him. She didn’t want to let her guard down for a second. She should release the knife in her boot heel and grind it into his groin for hurting her