The air between them crackled with the tension of their mutual animosity. "Well, only one of us can get what we want," Nomar said, his voice a mix of challenge and inevitability.
Without warning, he gripped her neck, his fingers firm, forcing her to meet his gaze. He pressed his lips to hers in a rough kiss, his tongue invading her mouth with a voracious hunger. He moaned into the kiss, seeking a connection Jemma refused to give.
She recoiled, her stomach turning at the violation, but she couldn’t cause a scene. Not when it could compromise everything. She remained still, not responding, giving him nothing but the illusion of control.
At last, Nomar pulled back, a self-satisfied smirk on his face. "May the best of us win," he said, his voice smooth as silk and just as deceptive.
As he walked away, she silently vowed she would be the one left standing, whatever it took.
Chapter 39
“This friend of yours, the head enforcer guy, would he answer a call from you right before the meeting? Or wait and call you back later?” Bobby asked.
Rocco stood in front of Bobby’s desk with Lachlan and Kane flanking him on either side. They’d arrived at Bobby’s offices on the island of St. Basil shortly before the meeting between El Sombro and the PC-5 was scheduled to start. A routine call to El Sombro’s overly chatty pilot to check in on the allergy medicines he’d prescribed to the man a week ago had yielded critical information on the meeting, which he’d shared with Bobby.
Despite not knowing the location of the meeting or details of the attendees from the PC-5 side, Bobby hadn’t been fussed, declaring that he could easily eavesdrop on the meeting using a few different options.
“He’d answer for sure,” Rocco said.
Bobby looked pleased. “Call the fucker and keep him talking for ninety seconds while I work my magic. I’ll stay on only as long as it takes to get the info. I don’t like fucking around with the PC-5, so we need to make this as quick as possible.”
Rocco glanced at the other guys, who looked as perplexed as he was. But he’d heard enough stories about how skilled Bobby was at hacking and cyber intelligence. Who was he to question the man’s methods?
Pulling out his phone, Rocco cycled through a few reasons for him to call Dante, then settled on a nugget of information from one of the bodyguards Rocco had stitched up last night.
Dante answered on the second ring. “What’s up?”
“You in St. Killian?” Rocco asked, putting the call on speaker so the others could hear.
“Yeah,” Dante responded.
“Can you talk, or is he too close?”
“You know I don’t give a fuck about that. My job is to make sure his ass doesn’t get shot in the head. I’m good enough to do that and talk to you,” Dante responded. “We’re being led to the meeting location now. The PC-5 is another story. They may not be as accommodating as our boss, so we should make this quick.”
Rocco hesitated to waste more time, then said, “Eddie’s been mouthing off about retaliating against you for the beat down you gave him.”
“You’re fucking kidding me? That little shit thinks he can come back at me,” Dante’s laughter rang out in the office.
Kane clamped a hand over his mouth to stifle a laugh while Sebastian and Lachlan looked amused. Bobby was the only one oblivious, typing at lightning speed on his keyboard.
“Look, I know he can’t hurt you,” Rocco said. “But we look out for each other, right?”
“That’s right,” said Dante.
Rocco said, “I couldn’t find out something like this and not let you know. I’m not sure if he will try something while you’re away, so watch your back, okay?”
“Who told you?” Dante asked. “Was it one of my guys?”
Rocco told Dante the bodyguard's name, then asked, “Don’t tell him I told you.”
“He’s one of the good ones. I’m sure when I get back to DR, he’ll tell me himself. But I appreciate the heads up. Let’s get drinks when I get back,” Dante said.
Rocco glanced over at Bobby, who gave him a thumbs up as his hands rose from the keyboard.
“Done,” Rocco said, then ended the call.
Lachlan spoke up first. “Want to explain what the hell you were doing?”
