Page 18 of Brutal Monster
The memory of her body pressed against mine haunts me through the night.
By morning, I've channeled that energy into purpose. My suite transforms into a war room as my security team files in, faces grim with professional focus.
"Gentlemen." I stand at the window, watching Mexico City wake below us. "We have work to do."
Maksim spreads blueprints across the mahogany table. "These are the current schematics for Ms. Bravo's building."
I study them, but my mind flashes to Inez pressed against her door, her small gasp when my lips found her neck. I clear my throat.
"The garage entry is vulnerable. Two cameras with blind spots, and minimal personnel." My finger traces the path we took last night. "Anyone could follow her in if they timed it right."
Like I did. Like Inez's stepbrothers could.
"We'll need to install our own surveillance. Discreet but comprehensive." I tap the blueprint. "And I want men here, here, and here. Rotate them every eight hours."
Timo, my intelligence specialist, speaks up. "What about the De Leon brothers, sir?"
The mention of Emilio and Adan sharpens my focus. I slide a folder across the table.
"This is everything we have on them, and it’s not enough," I remember how Inez's eyes hardened when she mentioned them at dinner. "I want to know what they eat for breakfast, who they fuck, and especially who they talk to. If they so much as sneeze in Inez's direction, I want to know before they reach for a tissue."
My men exchange glances at my intensity. I don't care.
"The Tulum property needs a complete security overhaul before the wedding." I unroll another set of plans—the beachfront estate where I'll make Inez my wife. "I want a perimeter that could withstand a small army. Bulletproof glass, panic rooms, the works. I don’t care what it costs, but it needs to look like a paradise, not a prison."
As I detail the security measures, my mind betrays me again. I imagine Inez in our wedding bed, her dark hair spread across white sheets, those fierce green eyes looking up at me with the same hunger I saw last night. How her skin would feel beneath my hands, without barriers of clothing or propriety.
"Sir?" Maksim's voice pulls me back.
"The staff," I say, recovering. "Everyone working at the property must be vetted three times over. No exceptions."
I turn to Timo again. "Do we have progress on infiltrating Emilio and Adan inner circle?"
"We have someone close to Emilio's lieutenant," he answers. "Early reports suggest they're amassing resources. Weapons, mostly. American-made."
My jaw tightens. "The brothers are planning something."
"It appears so."
The thought of those men threatening Inez makes my blood run cold. I remember the weight of her in my arms, how delicate she felt despite her strength. How I could have so easily stayed, taken what she offered in her tequila-hazed state.
But I want all of her. Clear-eyed and certain.
"Double the surveillance on both brothers," I order. "I want eyes on them around the clock."
The meeting continues for hours. Security protocols, intelligence gathering, contingency plans. Throughout it all, my mind keeps returning to Inez. The soft curve of her lips, the heat of her skin. What would have happened if I'd stayed? Would she have let me strip away that midnight blue dress? Would she have moaned my name as I tasted every inch of her?
"That's all," I finally say, dismissing my men. All except Maksim.
When we're alone, he speaks freely. "You seem distracted, Vanya."
"I'm focused on what matters."
"The woman or the alliance?"
My eyes narrow. "They're one and the same."
"Are they?" He's known me since we were boys. He sees too much. "The way you look when you speak of protecting her... It's not business."
