Page 83 of Breaking the Rules
Waverly grinned at him and hurried ahead to bump shoulders with Dante. Xavier didn’t like the camaraderie. There was no reason to trust the guy. He’d been lounging around in Petra’s bed since the shoot-out and hadn’t once bothered to reach out to Waverly.He was going to get some answers, and if he didn’t like them, Wrede would pay.
Xavier saw the questioning looks from staff. No one would dare ask any questions. But the sight of Xavier strolling through the office in sweatpants and a t-shirt with Waverly Sinner and the man she allegedly loved in tow was bound to raise a few eyebrows.
He veered off and swung by his admin’s desk. Roz was the guardian of his time and office, and even though he’d worked mainly from the New York and D.C. offices in recent years, they still spoke every day.
She eyed him from under her silvery sweep of hair. “Is this a new casual Thursday look?” she asked in her smoky voice.
“Hilarious, Roz. I need you to sit on a Russian heiress and her burly bodyguard in Micah’s office. Maybe order up brunch for everyone because this is going to be a long day. Reschedule any meetings Micah and I had until next week. And see if you can find me some work appropriate attire somewhere around here.”
“Is that all?”
“One more thing. I’m going to need a place big enough to hold this disaster of a team. Somewhere secluded and secure with no ties to any of us. We need it stocked.” That was Invictus code for necessities include food, clothing, and weapons.
“Consider it done,” Roz said without batting an eye.
“You’re a treasure, Roz.”
“You just be sure to remember that when it’s time for my lovely holiday bonus,” she suggested.
They put Petra and Anatoli in Micah’s office with Roz as the guard. She’d watch them like a hawk as she ordered up a brunch fit for a Russian heiress. Once the guests were settled, Xavier led the rest of them to the conference room and activated the privacy glass. He pulled a chair out for Waverly and claimed the spot next to her.
“Wrede, we’re starting with you,” he announced. “What the hell happened in Tahoe, and why haven’t you been in touch?”
If Dante was pissed off by Xavier’s attitude, the affable bastard didn’t show it. “Right. So, Waves and I both thought the assignment was a bit wonky,” he said, launching into his explanation as if he’d been dying to tell it. “She was going to get Petra out of the house so I could do a little snooping around. At this point, our orders were to stay close to Petra. So when Waves and Pet headed outside, I reported in to Brad and let him know that we were in.”
He must have caught the narrowing of Xavier’s eyes because he quickly explained. “Some of Brad’s assignments had strange caveats. I took the request to report in as one such caveat.”
Waverly leaned forward and poured a round of waters into the glasses that waited at the center of the table.
“I let myself in to Grigory’s study,” Dante continued.
“It was open?” Micah interrupted with the question.
Dante flashed him a grin. “I’m a bit of a locked door enthusiast.”
“So you broke into the study,” Xavier pressed, his annoyance palpable, but Dante was unfazed.
“Yes, well I wasn’t even in there for five minutes when a particularly canny security guy found me. He called two friends—by the way, Waves, that Wild West butler was not a butler—and they had me pinned down. I was right in the middle of convincing them I’d taken a wrong turn when the front door was breached.”
Xavier’s gaze slid to Waverly’s face. She was listening raptly, taking in the answers she’d been so desperate for.
“How many?” she asked.
“Five with semi-autos all wearing ski masks, which at the time, I thought was ironic given that we were in Tahoe. They were on a mission. Two of them pinned me and Stepanov’s security down in the loft from the foyer.” Two more started a sweep, and the other disappeared through the back of the house.
“That’s probably the one who shot you,” Xavier said mildly to Waverly.
Dante came out of his chair. “You were shot?”
“Your girlfriend there took a gut shot while hustling the bodyguards and Petra to safety. And then she climbed up the mountain looking for your ass, but you’d already abandoned her,” Xavier snapped, rising also.
“Abandoned her?”
That’s when the yelling and insult hurling started. It felt good to shout at Wrede, like a release valve had just been opened, at least until Waverly slapped the table with a palm of her hand.
“Enough! Micah, please keep Dante company while I talk to Xavier.” She latched onto his arm and dragged him from the room. She didn’t say a word until she’d pulled him into his office and slammed the door behind them.
She stood with her back to the door, her arms crossed in front of her. The fine line of her jaw was clenched tight. “I need you to chill the hell out in there, X,” she told him.
