Page 52 of Ruthless Commander

Xael

It was a mistake.The thought resounded as I stood at the edge of the water and lifted my gaze to the swirling dark gray clouds above me.So why the fuck do I keep doing this?Hate circled me, just like the storm above.

“You okay?” Rhys asked behind me.

I just nodded as my phone wentbeep.I didn’t want to look down…I knew exactly who it was…it was him…Mateo.“I wish I’d never come here,” I muttered as I turned and strode past Rhys. “Biggest mistake of my goddamn life.”

“I agree.” He added, turning to walk behind me, “You need to stay away from him, X.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.” I exhaled hard and slow. “It’s over anyway. I told him today.”

“I’m not talking about the control room guard.”

I stopped walking, and turned. “What?”

Panic raced inside me. There was no way Rhys knew about Mateo. No one diI.

He scowled, then took a step closer. “You know who I’m talking about, X. A man like Mateo Ristani is dangerous.”

“I…” I started as he shook his head…and my phone vibrated once more. He looked down, atMateosplashed across the screen, and all the panicked thoughts rushed to burn my cheeks. “It’s over…a long time ago.”

“Nothing is over when it comes to Mateo, not until he decides it is…and by the looks of that, he hasn't decided it is."

I hit the button on my phone, sending the call to voicemail. Anger replaced embarrassment. I didn’t know why I was so fucking upset. It wasn’t like he could rip my heart out all over again. I stared into Rhys’ eyes, and it hit me.

To be broken in front of Mateo was one thing…

But for everyone else to know about it was Ir.

“How long have you known?”

He gave a shrug. “About the same time your father did, I guess.”

I flinched at the words and stumbled backwards with another savage gust. My hair lashed my face as I shook my head, and my phone vibrated. I was ready to hurl it into the ocean. Ready to hurl myself there, as well, and paddle my ass back to Mauritius if it came to that; cyclone and sharks be damned.

There was something broken inside me, some sick need to torture myself at every opportunity. I knew that as I glanced at the screen, expecting to see Mateo’s name…but it wasn’t…it was Fin’s.

“Jesus Christ, not again. I answered the call. “Don’t tell me Lazarus has actually killed the moth—”

“Kat…”Fin roared. “Have you seen Kat?”

“What? No…what’s going on?” A terrible sinking feeling swept through me as Rhys looked down at his phone.

I’d never seen him pale before, never seen him so visibly shaken as he was now. He pulled out his gun and strode forward. “X, we’re moving…now!”

“We think she’s been taken,” Fin’s voice shook as he answered my question.

“Taken?” I hurried, letting Rhys practically drag me toward our building. “What do you meantaken,Fin?”

“She was seen leaving with two bodyguards, but they weren’t the Commander’s.”

A cold shiver tore through me as I stumbled, racing up the sandy embankment to the grassy area and along behind the buildings to mine.

“We have to find her,” I cried as I strode forward. “We have to find her, Fin!”

“The Commander is making a plan now,” Fin answered as my phonebeepedwith another incoming call. I pulled it away, finding Mateo’s number on the screen once more.

“I gotta go, call me if you find out more,” I directed.