Chapter 25 A Perilous Game

• "Do you think you can handle it?" The client's voice was smooth, almost too composed given what we were about to get ourselves into. His dark eyes flickered with the throw of a challenge, and I felt his gaze upon me, awaiting a reaction.
• I cocked my head to the side, smiling wryly. "I'm not the one you should be worried about," I said, voice tight with a brash kind of confidence I wasn't totally feeling. There was just something about him that put my hackles up, something that didn't feel quite right-but I wasn't about to back down. At least, not tonight.
• I stepped further into the dimly lit room; the air was alive with tension and the heavy smell of leather and smoke. I could feel the chill against my skin, but I ignored it, focusing instead on the man standing before me. His manner was calm, controlled—almost too controlled. He was one of those men who enjoyed power plays, wanted me to flinch or hesitate. Yet, I wasn't about to give him that satisfaction.