Page 42 of Ruthless Commander
“Xael, for fuck's sake!”my bodyguard roared as the building doors closed behind me. I lunged toward the elevator, slamming my fist on the button as Rhys pounded on the glass door.“Xael! What the fuck is happening?”
I shook my head, desperation still roaring in my ears like the wind. I didn’t have time to answer as the doors opened behind me, leaving me to stumble in.
My legs were on fire, my breaths nothing more than harsh gasps. I gripped the railing as the elevator doors closed, listening to the foyer's doors open. But Rhys wasn’t calling me anymore, or if he was…I couldn’t hear him.
I rose, holding on for my life, until I came to a shuddering stop. The moment the door opened I could hear them. I staggered out, hearing the deep male moans. As I got closer and my vision cleared, I caught the faint splatter of blood across the tiled floor in the entrance, then saw Damon Zakharov lying on the floor, barely conscious.
The air was charged with danger…making the hairs on my arms rise as I stepped forward. Mateo wrenched his gaze to mine and in an instant, his eyes widened. “Xael?” He murmured and scowled, licking his lips and taking a step toward me. “What are you doing here?”
For a second, it sounded like he thought I was there for him. But I wasn’t…I scanned the mess in the apartment, broken glass glinted on the floor, the sofa was shoved aside…the sofa where two women huddled.
“I called her,” Fin explained, drawing my gaze.
I stepped around Mateo even as he spoke. “She shouldn’t be here.”
“I’mexactlywhere I need to be,” I snapped. “You’re lucky I'm here. I was trying to get off this damn island.”
“You were what?” Mateo growled.
But I didn’t answer. I didn’t owe him a goddamn thing, least of all explanations of my future…instead, I nodded to Fin and hurried to where Anna and Kat sat hugging each other.
“Fucking bitch!” Zakharov roared.
“Get him the hell out of here!” the Commander snarled, sounding even more pissed off than he was a second ago.
“Hey there,” I murmured, sitting beside Kat.
She just stared straight ahead, her gaze unmoving in that detached stare I’d seen so many times.Too many times.I licked my lips. “Kat.” I glanced at Anna, who stared back at me looking like she’d just gone a couple of rounds with a boxer.
I didn’t need a blow-by-blow explanation to know that whatever had gone down had been between Zakharov and Kat…with Anna coming to her friend’s defense.
Anna’s hair was a mess and there was a red handprint on her face, one left behind from a slap. I jerked my gaze to Zakharov as Mateo’s men hauled him out of the apartment, dragging more than carrying him. “Just perfect!” I directed my anger at Mateo, fixing him with a savage stare. “So this is what happens here?”
“It wasn’t the Commander,” Kat answered, her tone cold and unfeeling as she lifted that shell-shocked stare to me. “It wasn’t him.”
“Do you want to tell me what happened?” I asked gently.
“The doctor is on the way,” Mateo said calmly behind me. I closed my eyes at the careful tone, hating how I almost knew he wanted to say more.
I pulled away from that agony and instead directed myself to Kat. “How about I get you a drink of water?”
She gave a slight nod, causing me to rise and place my hand on Anna’s shoulder as I passed. Whatever happened here had been bad, but it could’ve been much worse…especially if Anna hadn’t been here.
I made my way into the kitchen and pulled the refrigerator door open, grabbing three bottles from inside before turning back. I hated how my gaze instantly went to him.
Mateo watched me like he was fucking wired…like he hadn’t just ripped my heart out all over again tonight. I forced my gaze away and stepped around Fin and Lazarus as they paced the floor, looking like they wanted to finish what they'd started. I glanced at Fin’s clean hands, then at Lazarus’s bloody ones.
So, the Stidda Prince had become the knight in bloody armor…
I felt a tremble of happiness about that as I made my way back to Kat and sat back down, cracking the lid on the bottle and handing it to her, then one to Anna.
“I’ll leave you to it, then.” Sullen words came from Mateo.
Ones I didn’t acknowledge before he turned and left.
“I’ll leave you, too,” Lazarus said as he dragged his bloody hand through his hair.
Kat lifted a panicked gaze his way…and I just knew…this was it for them. This was their moment…it’d either work out…or it’d die a slow, painful, horrible death.
