Page 13 of Dangerous Command
“Don’t play dumb, Maddie,” I growled. I took two large steps over to the bed. “Look at me.”
She ignored me, going back to cleaning the carpet. I grabbed her wrists in my palm tightly until she dropped the cleaning rag. Then I used my other hand to lift her chin, making her look at me. Her green eyes swum with nerves, with pain. Her breath was heavy, and when I exhaled, a tendril of red hair brushed across her face. Her pink lips puckered. Her breath was bitter, and I wanted to taste that bitterness that mixed with the sweetness of her tongue. That scar on her cheek had healed, but it was new. I knew her face too well.
I should have fucked her that first time she came to clean my penthouse. Then she wouldn’t be an issue. I wouldn’t have lost my focus and figured out the fake name a lot sooner. And while I had tried to make a move at first, Maddie had dismissed me.You don’t want to screw a cleaner,she said with that devilish look in her eye.We’re better at keeping secrets than your family is.
At the time, I had agreed with her. It was bad business to fuck your employees, especially good ones you didn’t want to eliminate.
Now, I knew she wasn’t flirting. She hid behind a mountain of secrets.
And anyway, in the end, I was glad I hadn’t. A good leader didn’t let their dick loose because he saw someone he fancied. A leader valued hard work. And Maddie was reliable. Loyal. Respectful. Even if she hated our business, she understood us. That meant something to me.
But I needed to figure out why she was lying about her name.
“Did your stepdad do that to you?” I asked. She nodded. “I can take care of him.”
She smiled weakly. “Or you can let me go.”
I hadn’t realized I was still holding her in a death squeeze. I let go of her wrists, and she rubbed her skin where my palm had touched. Perhaps I had gone past our usual boundaries, touching Maddie more than she was used to. But I wasn’t going to mess around with her safety.
First, I would take out Miles Muro. Then I would figure out who Maddie’s stepdad was, and take the piece of shit out. And finally, I would figure out why she used a fake name.
Who was she?
I stepped back, taking a spot against the far wall. I crossed my arms. Her voluptuous body swung back and forth as she cleaned the carpet. She switched angles, facing me, her belly hanging over the front of her jeans. Hell, I wanted to rip her out of them. To slam into her until my dick hit her cervix.
I looked away. It was nearly impossible to stay focused around her. “How long are you in town?” I asked.
“Until this job is done,” she said.
“You’re not staying for the funeral?”
“I didn’t know I was invited.”
I turned to her. “You thought you needed an invitation?” She smiled, blushing a little. “It would be an insult if you didn’t come.”
She shrugged, then went back to cleaning. Beyond those other concerns, I needed to ask her a question. Midnight Miles Corporation had been stationed in Brackston, where she had grown up. There was a chance she might have had her own connection to Muro, but I found that hard to believe. But at the very least, she knew people, and those people could put us into contact with someone who knew where Muro was.
“You lived in Brackston,” I said. She flinched. “Help me find Muro.”
She froze. “Are you serious?”
“You could be my guide.”
“No.” Her bottom lip pouted. “No fucking way.”
“I could get help from someone else,” I said, shaking my head, “But I don’t trust them like I trust you.” Like I knew I wanted to trust her. Like I did before I knew she was lying about her name. I wrung my hands together, then put them behind my head, adopting a carefree stance. “Come on. What do you have going on in Pebble Garden anyway?”
“A lot more than here,” she scoffed. I didn’t see how that was possible, seeing as she was cleaning up a murder scene. What could possibly be in Pebble Garden?
“I’ll pay you,” I said. “For your time. Double. Triple. I don’t care.” Money didn’t mean anything to me. With our products, we had enough for our family to retire happily if we wanted, like my father had basically been doing for the last several years.
I came forward, meeting her across the room.
“I’ve got to get rid of Muro.” It would be worse to lose the family legacy on my watch than to lose my life. At least if I died trying, I would be doing the right thing. But I had to make sure that the Adler name survived beyond Gerard. Beyond me. “I need to kill him, Mads. More than anything.”
“And you will,” she paused, putting her hand on her hip, “but you don’t need me to accomplish that.”
“What are you afraid of?” I scratched my head. “You’re acting weird. What happened that you’re against working for us now?”
