Page 25 of Ruthless Commander

“Your phone,” Damien directed as he pulled back. “I’ll give you my number, you can text me when you’re free, and we can sneak around.”

I drew my cell from my pocket and unlocked it. “You forget, we’re on a damn island and watched by cameras.” I lifted my gaze to the camera at the edge of the building's roof, one pointing away from us.

“Forget?” He took my phone and punched in his number before handing it back. “Who do you think watches you all damn day?”

A surge of excitement tore through me. “You?”

He just smiled and gave me a wink. “I’ll be seeing you, Ms. Davies.” He took a step backwards. “As much as I damn well can without getting busted.”

Busted…by Mateo.

The thought of that hurt. Hurt for what could’ve been…and what will never be. He'd made sure of that. I gave a nod. “Looking forward to it.”

He walked off with a smirk, throwing over his shoulder, “Not as much as I am.”

I watched him disappear, hating how even sex with a stranger felt hollow and empty. I bet if I reached between my legs, I would be dry as the goddamn desert. “Fuck you, Mateo,” I whispered and turned away, rounding the corner of the building and headed to the foyer.

“Relaxed now?” Rhys murmured, leaning against the wall outside the doors, waiting for me.

“Not even remotely,” I replied, watching as he pressed his card to the scanner and waited for the doors to open.

10

Mateo

This was a goddamn mess.“Yes, I understand, Mr. Baldeon,” I answered.

“You find the bastards who did this. I want themfucking dead, Mateo. Do I make myself clear?”

“Perfectly.” I lifted my gaze to the door of my study as though I hadn’t already tracked one of them down…and disposed of him. “I have my best men on it as we speak. As soon as we find them, you’ll be the first to know.”

“He’ll have a goddamn scar,” Baldeon snapped.

“We all have scars,” I answered. “It’ll make others think before they speak, especially when it comes to threatening him.”

“I have Lucius for that.Heis the one who makes people think before they threaten.”

I exhaled nice and slow. I knew Lucius well…was he a force to be reckoned with? Absolutely. But did he instill fear?No. No, he didn’t.“I understand.”

“One more thing goes wrong, Mateo, and I want Marcus on the first boat out of there.”

“Without question.”

“Keep me informed.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but the line went dead. It was the third goddamn call I’d taken since the attack on the boat. I doubted it’d be the last. I rose from behind my desk and walked around to the floor to ceiling window, staring out of the mirror tint to the world outside. It didn’t matter how many calls I received or how pissed off I’d been after the attack…I couldn’t help but be relieved.

Relieved Xael was already on the island and not on the cruiser that had come under attack.

We'd caught one of them, but even after an hour of just him and me in that cold, dark basement, he given me no information to go on. He’d just been a shooter, just a trigger-happy asshole that ended up on the receiving end of my goddamn silencer. He didn’t know who pulled the strings.

That left my team of former special forces men. Men that’d hunt the shooter or shooters down. But had it been a random attack? I wasn’t so sure, not after all the other seemingly random attacks the Commission had been under…and then there was the murder of Cian Salvatore.

I raked my fingers through my hair…fuck.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d think—my phone vibrated. “What the fuck now?”Caller ID Unknown.I licked my lips and answered. “Brother.”

“You didn’t call.”