The Present Deal (Riley's Holiday Collections)

Readers say: "Well played, Ms. Murphy. You are a master storyteller!"

She was stunning. Wrapped up tightly like the best kind of gift.
But there was a reason she came to me this way.
Spoke to me this way.
Taunted me this way.
Her watchful gaze was steady, so I had to ask, €œTell me, Ms. Crawford. Is there a point to this visit, or did you insist on meeting with me today in order to save my soul?€
€œTough to do that when you don€t have one.€
The silence that followed that statement got adrenaline coursing through me. I recognized very clearly why my heart rate was picking up speed. She€d verbally slapped me in the face and I wanted to verbally slap her right back. I narrowed my eyes and spoke slowly. Softly. Carefully. €œIf you believed that, then you shouldn€t have said it. A man with no soul is capable of doing the unthinkable. €œIs that what you want, Ms. Crawford? Me to do the unthinkable to you?€
€œMaybe€¦for a price.€
And there it was. The present she wanted to give me. Now the only question that remained, was why?
€œI€m listening€¦€