Page 37 of Lord of Debauchery

“In black. It’s their uniform.”

Narrowing my eyes, I studied her as she blanked out for a few seconds. “Yeah. That’s what I gathered. But it seems as if you aren’t guessing.”

“I was overseas, Beckham, for two tours. What I witnessed weren’t low level enemy soldiers living in the squalors of the desert or a jungle, but sophisticated and highly trained men capable of destroying our way of life. Some were similar in that they were kamikaze-style men and women who were ready to die for a cause, but others weren’t. They all wore black.”

Camden inched closer. “Did your commanding officer provide you with any code names of who they were?”

She lifted her gaze slowly, her bitter laugh haunting. “Even with our clearance, we weren’t told much. It was all classified. There were officers who disappeared because they bragged about knowing. Certainly nothing of use. But our message was clear. Kill or be killed. That’s what we did. We rolled in and killed them before they hit our units.”

“Did you see anything of their equipment, their computers?” Camden at least knew what he was talking about.

“No. Of course not. They were smart enough to destroy everything before we got there, some waiting for their deaths.” For a few seconds, she glanced out the plane’s window while I studied my soldier’s expression.

I’d talk to her more later, but it was obvious the shock was fading and she was unnerved as fuck. She had every right to be.

“Don’t think about the past. This has nothing to do with what you went through.” Or did it?

“What are you going to do with me?”

“I already told you. Keep you safe.”

Every look she gave me was wrapped in contempt. “You mean I’m going to be nothing but your prisoner. Is that how you handle women who thwart your advances?”

The yin and yang of her personality was appealing but annoying. When I wrapped the hand of my uninjured arm around her throat, her only reaction was the flash of her lovely eyes. I leaned in close so only she would hear what I had to say. “Do I need to remind you that you were almost killed twice in the span of a few hours? Do I need to explain one more time that if I’d left you there, you’d already be dead? You might not like the fact you’ve been removed from your life and while I can understand your unhappiness about that, the choice is no longer up to you. You’ve become a product of my environment and for now, you belong to me.”

It was impossible not to hunger for the woman or long to taste every inch of her luscious body. Even now, with my arm hurting like a son of a bitch, I kept my grip and forced her closer until our lips were almost touching.

“If you’re going to snap my neck, just get it over with.”

I sucked in my breath, curtailing my frustration. “If I’d wanted to, you wouldn’t be here.”

“Don’t make me hate you,” she breathed, slamming her palm against my chest.

“Hate me all you want, sunshine.” As I captured her mouth, instantly sweeping my tongue inside, she stiffened, unlike that last time I’d kissed her. Yet there was more than a single shock of current slamming into both of us. The moment of intimacy was fantastic but short lived, the twinge in my shoulder becoming worse.

As soon as I pulled away, she pursed her lips. “Yeah, too late. I do hate you.”

Chuckling, I let her go, easing back in my seat. “Who knows, little fighter. Maybe one day you’ll thank me.”

She grabbed a towel and the bottle of antiseptic. “Yeah, well, don’t count on it. Now, I suggest you take a gulp of your drink. I’ll need to check for any shrapnel in case a cop killer bullet was used.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

As my men glanced in my direction, I sensed they believed I’d met my match.

Or as Camden would say, the girl capable of netting or even melting a villain’s heart.

I had news for all four of them. The little fighter had met her match.

Even as she began to clean the wound, the discomfort turning to biting anguish, I had a feeling our explosive natures would provide powerful nights of passion.

Whether she agreed or not didn’t matter. It would seem I needed her as much as she needed me, and I planned on thoroughly enjoying my captive for as long as the desire continued to burn within me.

CHAPTER 11

Kenya

The man was an arrogant asshole.

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