Page 49 of Ruthless Commander
He punched out his fist, driving it against the door. It slammed open with abang!Then he was gone.
Jesus.A shudder tore through me…but behind it came that weightless feeling of relief. I waited for a moment before I turned and made my way back to the foyer where Rhys waited. By the time I got there, I was shaking.
20
Mateo
“So let me get this straight.” Adrian Bernardi leaned forward on his desk and stared straight into the camera. “You can’t track down the bastards who murdered one of our own, nor can you put the damn island on lockdown?”
I licked my lips and tried to remember to breathe. “At this time, no. Until our personnel levels are replenished, we just don’t have enough guards.”
“Thenget them,”Bernardi growled.
Four goddamn hours I'd wasted in these bullshit meetings. Four hours of explaining myself, the lack of enough security, and mother nature, and now I had a fucking crazed psycho impersonating one of the heirs. How the hell could I control anything?
“Adrian.” Michele Valachi murmured, drawing my gaze. “I understand you’re furious, but let’s hear what Mateo is proposing.”
Rage sparkled in the old man’s eyes as he turned back to me. I was still reeling after his damn phone call, the one where he told me what had happened to his daughter,his real daughter.The one who’d been stabbed and left for dead in an underground bunker so the bitch who did it could take her place. Christ, this wassucha goddamn mess.
I glanced at the camera. “We condense the security and have three buildings with each floor occupied. The remaining guards will be divided evenly, utilizing the private security for the heirs of the Commission, of course.”
There was a twitch of Adrian Bernardi’s lips. “So, your idea is a backpacker-hostel type scenario?”
I shifted in my seat. “Until we get reinforcements, yes.”
“And when will that be?” Michele cut in.
“Three days, four at the most,” I answered. “I’ve sent a request for a team of mercenaries."
“Three days, and until then, we have no protection.”
“You have me and the island's security force.” My voice deepened as I glared into the camera.
“There’s no sense in bitching about whatshould be done,”Lazarus Rossi muttered, leaning against the desk in the same conference room.
“Hear, hear,” I muttered.
“What I mean to say is, we’re not fucking useless here. Bruno and I,” Lazarus continued, shoving away from the desk and striding forward until he stood directly in front of the camera, “Evan, Alexi, and Ms. Ivanov are trained to protect ourselves. So we’re better utilized combining forces. It’s why we’re here after all, isn’t it? Make alliances…be an ally. What better time to do that than right now?”
There was silence.
Uncomfortable silence.
“We’re under attack here.” He leaned forward, glaring into the camera. “And weneedto attack back. The best way to do that is to protect ourselves, gather our forces, and plan our attack. The Commander here is the best man for the job.”
A twitch came at the corner of my mouth…well, what do you know. The Stidda Prince had some balls.
“You’re right,” Adrian muttered with a nod. Was there a hint of pride in his eyes? Fuck. He leaned backwards. “Get it done, Commander. I expect a full briefing as soon as your men arrive in Mauritius.”
“Will do,” I answered, and reached for the camera. “Gentleman.” I ended the call before turning to Lazarus. “Thanks for having my back there.”
“I didn’t,” he said as he turned to me. “It was the only logical step. But be warned, Commander, one more fuckup…one more attack, and I’ll come for your fucking job.”
The smile died on my lips.Fucking punk…
He left, closing the door with abangbehind him. I leaned forward, gripping the edge of the desk. He had no fucking idea. I clenched my jaw and closed my eyes as desperation rose inside me. Not three fucking rooms away was a woman with a goddamn stab wound to the stomach, desperate for revenge on the bitch who'd stabbed her.
But the question was, why…why try to kill Evan Valachi the day before she was due to arrive on the island…and why the hell did the imposter want to be here? I wanted to question her, wanted to tear the truth from her fucking throat, but my goddamn hands were tied…even more than they had been before.
