“Agreed,” Justice says. “Sorry we didn’t acquire more garnets in the other raid.”
Sometimes rumors are false. If Malice Media is going to continue to operate successfully, we need a new garnet for the servers. One that will hopefully connect to Justice. “It wasn’t false intel. There are garnets out there we don’t have.” It makes sense one of the other families is collecting garnets. It isn’t like I don’t have plenty of stores of their crystals on hand.
He glances at Alana. “We’re being jerks and she’s just watching us curiously and enjoying that coffee way too much. Did you put honey in it?”
“I’m out of honey,” I retort. “She’s surprisingly adaptable.”
He shrugs. “You need a calm and submissive woman. Why don’t you keep her?”
“I said adaptable. Submission is something a man earns.” The idea of her on her knees before me tightens every muscle in my body. “Where does her father think she is?”
“He has no idea,” Justice says smugly. “Your name is being bandied around, along with the names of his other enemies. There’s also a thread suggesting she has run away.”
That’s what I figure. “Any problems?”
“Yes. Her pal Rosalie has gone to the press three times, and that little hacker Ella is busy planting seeds online trying to find her. They’re both a pain in the ass.”
I look to where she’s calmly watching us speak. “The three of them seem surprisingly close.” On the surface, anyway. I’ve watched Alana try to keep her distance, some distance, from those she cares about. She’s smart. Those you love are liabilities, and unless you’re strong enough to take out any enemy, not worth the risk. She’s worth it. I’ll demolish anybody who tries to hurt her.
“Do you want me to take them out?” Justice asks.
“No. We’ll take the two men requiring interrogation to the boathouse. Has the place been cleared?” The crystal couriers of the night before had known more than I thought but didn’t resist my persuasion very long. One seemed truly opposed to pain. In fact, he’d had an appointment to fetch an underage girl from the tent city as soon as he had finished work. Their bodies are now feeding the fish in the ocean.
“Yes. I’ll take care of it.” With a nod to Alana, he strides out of the kitchen.
I turn back to my woman. “Sorry about that.”
“No, you’re not.”
No, I’m not. Her scent envelops me and I want to toss her onto her stomach and explore her stunning backside. Instead, I figure she’s done challenging me for the moment so I set her back on the counter.
Her thighs immediately drop and she pulls down the skirt, trying to shimmy away to the other side.
“Stop moving.” I reach into my back pocket and drag out a secure satellite phone that even Kaz can’t hack. “Call your friends and lie.”
She accepts the device, calculation in her gaze. “Isn’t rule number one no lying?”
I lean in, making sure I have her attention. “No lying to me.”
“Ah.” A small dimple twinkles in her right cheek. “I see.” She cocks her head. “What do you want me to say?”
“Up to you. But if you don’t convince them that you’re fine and to stop looking for you, I’m going to kill them.” I let her see the killer inside me. It’s time I stop hiding from her, anyway.
She pales and her hand trembles as she dials. Then her face brightens as her friend answers, and if I didn’t know better, she’d convince me that she’s decided to take a stand and disappear for a while. When she retells the part about Cal asking about her hymen, I can hear the ring of truth. Finally, after her friends promise to stop being nuisances, she ends the call and throws the phone at me.
I snag it out of the air and deposit it safely in my back pocket. “Are you a virgin?” I ask bluntly.
Her chin lifts and her eyes glitter. “Yes. Rumor has it that breaching my hymen leads to certain death unless said use is sanctioned by my father.” Her tone is pissed.
Good. It should be. Her father is an ass.
She continues speaking. “Apparently that’s a requirement for marrying Cal. Bragging rights and all of that.”
“That’s not going to be a problem for long.”
She opens her mouth to argue, no doubt, and I take it. She tastes like cantaloupe, coffee, and honey, and I dive in, taking every ounce of her in a brutal kiss. For a heartbeat, she struggles, and then opens beneath my assault, meeting my tongue with hers.
I slide my hand beneath her sweater and move up to cup her breast before pinching her nipple.
She stiffens and then moans, leaning into my touch.
I release her, knowing if this goes any further we won’t be leaving the house all day, and I have too much work to do. Mainly to survive.
She stares at me, eyes wide, cheeks rosy, lungs panting.
“Remember your rules today, Alana.” With that, I walk out of the room while I still can.
TEN
Alana
I eat half of the massive breakfast and then clean the kitchen, my mind burning. What is wrong with me? I was aroused in seconds by a cold-blooded killer. He doesn’t hide who he is from me, so that’s no excuse.
That kiss nearly blew off my head, and if he’d tried to take it further, I would’ve let him. I’ve never felt like that admirable of a person, but needing his touch is sick.
It’s pathetic, but I mean, the man looks like a god. That’s no excuse, but still. My girly parts would have to go dead for me not to notice, and frankly, one look at him and they’d probably come right back to life. Sure, I shouldn’t have challenged him. That much I know. But the moment was too perfect, and I have a feeling nobody challenges him. He’s too scary.
I want to be different from everybody else to him. Why, I am choosing not to examine because nobody wants to see the darkness inside themselves. Well, nobody but Thorn. He embraces it.
