Free Rose of Jericho (Lilith Adams Series Book 2) by Jenny Allen

world.
    “As I was saying…” His cold eyes returned their focus on Lilith and Chance as he needlessly straightened his tie. “You are here to be judged according to your crimes and, thanks to my completely incompetent grandson, you know too much about us.”
    “Is that the only reason?” Lilith kept her voice calm and neutral. It seemed that Farren’s outburst toward Chance was more about his rebellious attitude than his desire for information. She had to play her cards delicately, but at least she still had one or two in her hand. Or at least she hoped she did.
    Farren’s heavy eyes rested on her for a long moment, recalculating his estimation of her most likely. The fact that she spoke up at all after he threatened Chance meant that she had guts or was very stupid. The slight lift to his left eyebrow and the downward quip of his thin lips seemed to suggest the question had merit so, hopefully, he was leaning toward guts.
    “Is there another reason why you should be here?” His head tilted to the side in mild curiosity. It was a motion that fit his ancient fluidity but was at odds with his physical look of mid-forties. He seemed more like an archaic creature stuffed into a human skin.
    Lilith settled back into her seat, folding her arms over her chest in relaxed confidence. All for show, of course. Thankfully, Cohen wasn’t the only actor on their side of the table.
    “Perhaps because of my Uncle’s book.” Farren was trying very hard to bully Lilith and Chance into working for him. He was definitely succeeding, and Lilith wanted to cut through the intimidation and get to the job. She saw the tightness around his eyes, the firmness of his lips and the definitive arch in his eyebrows. Her words caught his full attention and desire lurked beneath the surface. He may be centuries old but micro-expressions are nearly impossible to overcome completely.
    “Well, that is what you sent Cohen to Tennessee for in the first place, isn’t it?” Farren wasn’t flying into a rage but he wasn’t reacting much either, so Lilith decided to press her luck and hope that it would pay off.
    “It doesn’t seem that your justice system includes any due process, so I’m sure that we’ve already been tried and convicted in your eyes. If you simply wanted us dead, your pet could have easily accomplished that in New York City. In fact, I only see one reason for bringing us here, luggage in tow, and risking even more exposure. You want something. So why don’t we skip the scare tactics? You win. We are properly and honestly terrified. Just tell us precisely what you want?”
    The laughter that rang through the room, making Lilith’s head spin wasn’t Farren’s. Peisinoe apparently found Lilith’s remarks quite hilarious. While the men seemed unbothered, her laughter like razorblades burrowing into Lilith’s skull. Farren held up one hand and the chanteur d'âme, as Cohen referred to her, promptly shut her mouth with a smirk still on her full lips.
    Once Lilith’s ears stopped ringing, she looked up to see Farren carefully studying her with his dark, ominous eyes. He was actually rubbing his long fingers against his chin as if weighing his own options. It felt like the most intense chess game ever, waiting to see if your bold move won the game or cost you everything.
    Without a single word, Farren rose from his chair, lording over his ornate desk with eyes fixed fiercely on Lilith. That’s when her heart started beating a little faster and her skin crawled under the heavy weight of his stare. Pushing Farren was a real gamble and judging by the malicious glint in his eyes, Lilith was just hoping she could live to regret it.
    With a regal confidence, Farren moved away from his table, stepped down off the dais and casually strolled across the room like he had all the time in the world. All Lilith could feel through her new little side effects was fear and lots of it, all coming from their side of the table. The bulk of which