Page 15 of Guarding The Phoenix: Vol. 2

Chapter six

Floating Fortress

Gideon

Worrydodgedmysteps.What problem had arisen in the past hour, for fuck’s sake? I hadn’t a clue. But it had been enough it was necessary I leave Kylie’s bed.

She looked sweetly seductive cuddled beneath the covers, with bliss etched into her features. I rubbed my chest. She had crawled her way beneath my skin. And I feared she had taken up permanent residence.

I took the stairs two at a time with the boat swaying as it cut through waves. Entering the command deck, my team had fully assembled and waited for me. “What’s going on?”

Chase eyed me from his spot at the helm. “Is Kylie all right? Did you two hash it out?”

“I hope like fuck you didn’t interrupt us to ask me this.” I clenched my fists. We’d been on our way to round two. Had he really called me up here for this? Asshat better be prepared to go a few rounds.

Mirth danced in his eyes, and he leaned back in his seat with a know-it-all smirk. “Nope. But I think we’d all like to know if you completely bungled this for us or not.”

Mateo and Axel stopped what they were doing and twisted my way. Three sets of eyes studied me and anxiously awaited my answer. Kylie and I had crossed a major hurdle in our relationship. And the real kicker that knocked me sideways, when I looked into my future, and imagined my future wife and mother of my kids, her image flashed in my mind. I had no clue what it meant or how it could happen when I shared her with three other guys. Nor did I begrudge the time she spent with my friends. But I had also never felt this possessive of the women we shared before Kylie’s advent into our world.

“Kylie and I are fine. It was a simple miscommunication. Nothing more. Tell me what’s going on? And then I will fill you in more on my discussion with Kylie and an interesting fantasy she let slip.” I dangled the carrot because I wanted to move this conversation along, and I wasn’t in the mood to give them a blow-by-blow retelling of our sexual escapade.

“Do tell?” Mateo asked, eagerly leaning forward. Since he and Kylie finally slept together, he had been more at ease.

I snorted. “Not until you fuckers enlighten me on what’s going on and why you pulled me from her bed.”

“You won’t like it, boss,” Mateo replied grimly with a heavy sigh.

Dread slithered into my gut. With Santos and his entire operation, nothing had gone as planned. The guy was slick and always three steps ahead. It infuriated me. Because just when I thought we had him, he would slink away or change his approach and slip through our fingers. He was a fucking chameleon. “What I don’t like is repeating myself. Axel, do you know what the fuck is going on?”

I shot my second in command an arched glare. I trusted Axel to give it to me straight.

“Yeah,” he nodded with a glum expression. “We heard from command. Kylie’s house is gone. Those fuckers burned it to the ground.”

We had seen the flames and smoke. I figured there would be something left given the sheer size of the place.

But the magnitude of destruction they had visited upon our girl rocked me back on my heels. “Shit.” It shouldn’t surprise me. But their viciousness knew no end. And I worried about Kylie’s reaction to the news. Would it destroy her?

I vowed to do whatever she needed. She was a pawn in a madman’s sadistic power games. It was our job to shield her.

“Yep. They’re trying to keep a lid on what happened. They leaked to the press that the owner was away. But that the house burned to the ground before firefighters could reach the home and extinguish the flames.”

“Damn. We wait until tomorrow to tell her.” She didn’t need to know right away. I wanted to give her a night of peace. While it was barely midday, she must be exhausted and would sleep through most of the afternoon.

“You sure that’s a good idea?” Chase eyed me with concern marring his brow.

Lately, I wasn’t sure of anything except my feelings for Kylie. “No, but she’s been through enough in the past twenty-four hours. I don’t want to push her further. And this will only hurt her. Are we agreed?”

They glanced at one another before they nodded in agreement.

“Good. Anything else?”

“Yup. And you’re really not going to like this.” Chase shook his head, his normal arrogance exchanged for concern.

“Just tell me,” I grunted. Tired of playing the guessing game when it came to Kylie’s life.

Mateo chimed in. “We’ve got a boat trailing us. It’s still fifty nautical miles out.”

“So it could be nothing.” But it wasn’t what my gut told me. I’d been doing this long enough now that I trusted my instincts. And everything inside me blared:danger, red alert.

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