Page 58 of Ruthless Commander
Boom…
My pulse was deafening, drowning out Rhys’ words as he spoke to me. “What?” I shifted my focus to him.
“I said…he’s dangerous,”he repeated, scowling, then he stilled. “But I guess you already knew that.”
Five minutes, Xael…you don’t want to know what will happen to you if you’re not there when I get there…
A shiver tore through me. That was the problem, wasn’t it? That was that sickness inside me, because I did want to know what’d happen if I wasn’t there.
I wanted to know very much.
But I wanted to know what’d happen if I was there even more.
I swallowed hard and pushed off the wall, taking a step.
“X, no…” Rhys shook his head. “I’ve watched you fucking tear yourself apart this last year, watched how you made stupid fucking decisions. You go after him, and it’s going to be just another stupid decision, it’s going to be the end of everything good you have going for yourself.”
“You don’t know that,” I muttered as a flare of panic rippled through me.
But I did…Iknewthat.
“A man like Mateo won’t stop until he consumes and destroys.”
I flinched at the darkness of his tone, but it didn’t matter what my mind was saying…not anymore. My soul was in the driver’s seat now, and it knew what it wanted…him.
“I understand,” I answered, but I was already walking.
Already leaving him behind as I made my way back across the grounds once more, I didn’t feel the wind as I headed toward the main building. I didn't feel anything at all other than the thrumming in my veins and that desperate need be with him once more.
I hurried, tearing through the automatic doors. I could hear him, his deep growl coming from the open door in the conference room. And I wanted more than anything to push that door open and find him. But Kat was missing, and I wanted him to find her more than I wanted him to be with me.
I stepped past the open door, dragging my gaze to the end of the hallway. The distance his office door was cracked open, had he left it open for me? I knew the answer deep inside.
I'd never seen him that way, not so unraveled, not so desperate. I had a feeling it wasn't just the abduction that had him rattled like this. I made my way along the hallway and headed toward his office, but the moment I reached the doorway, another door opened further along. A woman stepped out, so focused on closing the door quietly she didn't notice my presence until she turned, and froze.
"Hi," she said carefully.
I glanced at the door that she'd come out of, then the door further along, which I knew was Mateo’s personal quarters. Panic ripped through me, what was she doing so close to his rooms?
"No, thisiswhat it looks like," she murmured, taking a step toward me, then lifted her hand to press it against her side.
The way she walked, the way she held herself, slightly hunched over, her face pale… A face that felt somewhat familiar. "Do I know you?"
She licked her lips and glanced along the hallway to where Mateo's voice drifted out. "He trusts you, right?" She turned her head, meeting my gaze. "He left the office door open for you, told me you'd be coming. He told me you were safe."
"Safe?"
She took a step toward me and carefully reached out her hand, keeping her voice low. "My name is Evan Valachi. I guess I was meant to be your roommate. It’s nice to finally meet you, Xael.”
Evan Valachi? I shook my head as that knowing returned. "Wait, no…Evan is…"
"An imposter, worse than that…" She lifted the corner of her shirt, exposing a bandage taped to her side. "She's a fucking murderer, and of a dead woman at that."
The woman in front of me was fueled with rage, it sparkled in her eyes. She closed the distance between us, and for some reason, deep down inside me I knew she was right. The woman I had been sharing an apartment with wasn't one of us. I'd known the moment I met her, and that feeling had only grown in the days we'd shared our space. But this woman, this woman felt like power. She felt like determination. She felt like she belonged. I glanced at the wound on her side, then met her gaze. "She did that to you?"
She just gave a nod. "The bitch thinks I'm dead. I'm about to show her otherwise."
A tremor tore through me at the words. Yeah, she was definitely an heir. The sound of a door came from somewhere in the distance. She glanced my way. "Let's just keep this between us, okay?" She took a step away before turning.
