Hostile Territory (Blackbridge Security 1)

“Nothing,” I mutter, hating that the Air Pods in my ear picks up every damn sound I make. “Where is she?”

“She headed out the east side about fifteen minutes ago. I lost visual, but the only thing in that direction is the beach.”

Dani thinks she’s safe here, and as hard as it was to track her, it’s possible that she was until we arrived. I’m in the frame of mind to wring her damn neck, too. I might just do that with every one of my guys, so I might as well add her to the list. The hardest part will be deciding who will go first. Flynn is the current front-runner of course, but each time Finnegan cuts his green eyes in Anna’s direction or brushes his palm against her lower back he jumps up the list.

Jude and Quinten split off from us a few minutes ago to scope things out and make sure we won’t intercept any trouble. I don’t anticipate a problem, but it was too damn easy to gain access to this resort. A single reservation for the night is all it took for the security guard lazily working the front gate to allow seven men and one woman to enter the property. I grind my teeth at remembering the salacious look he gave to Anna as we drove through. The glint in his eyes told me that he thinks we’re going to have a grand time running a fucking train on her or something, and it makes me wonder just how different my ex-wife is now than she was when we were together. What kind of shit is she into that she’s staying on a property that would be okay with a wild orgy? She sure as hell wasn’t into any form of kink while we were together. Hell, just convincing her to do more than lay on her back was an exercise in futility.

Goddammit. Why does that bitter memory make me think of the expert way Anna arched her back when I was taking her from behind? Getting a hard-on right now is the last damn thing I need. I refocus on my bitterness, on the anger that’s been building up since we discovered just how put out Dani has been since she shot a man in her apartment.

I peer over my shoulder making sure that Anna is close but not in harm’s way if some shit goes down. If I weren’t struggling with some fucked-up form of obsession over her, I could easily see my guys protecting her, keeping her close, within arm’s reach to come to her aid, but all I see are other men encroaching on something that belongs to me.

I shake my head to clear it of that thought. I don’t own her, and I never will. She’s a person for fuck’s sake, not something to claim and own.

Flynn is the closest, his strong arm brushing hers as they keep pace. Finnegan keeps a step and a half back, and I narrow my eyes when he looks down. I can’t tell if he’s trying to see where he’s going or if he’s enthralled by the sight of her ass, but I’m murderous with the prospect that it’s the latter.

A throat clears, and when I look back, I realize I’m so lost in my head, I walked right past the cabana my ex-wife is in.

My hands clench at my sides because I’m never distracted enough to lose focus, and it’s just one more reason I need to get this shit over with. I told Anna the truth when I confessed the danger my actions put her in, and now I can’t even do one damn thing right. I can’t fucking protect her if she’s so distracting, I lose my own damn head.

“Dani,” I hiss, standing in front of her lounging body, blocking the sun with my wide frame.

“Hey.” The smile she gives me is enough for me to deduce that she’s probably been drinking most of the day. Either that or she’s high as a fucking kite. Drugs weren’t her thing when we were together, or maybe they were and I just didn’t know about it. Nothing would surprise me at this point, but her grinning up at me like we’re old friends sets my damn blood on fire.

“Having a good time?” I grind out, keeping my eyes on her face and not the male hand rubbing lotion into her lean thighs.

“The best.” She lifts a hurricane glass to her mouth, lips wrapping around the straw as her grin grows.

I clench my jaw so hard; I won’t be surprised if I crack a damn tooth.

“You’re a hard person to find.”

Her fingers tease the back of the man rubbing her down, but she’s petting him like an animal, not someone she respects on any level, and that’s just typical Dani. She’s a user, someone who is only about herself, a queen always looking down on people, anticipating what they can do for her instead of caring about their needs.