Xavier (Men of Forbidden Temptation Book 5)

Chapter 9

Police sirens cutoff my conversation with Uncle Zach. They couldn’t have come at a worse time.

I know he’s lying to me, but why?

We’ve always had a close relationship. I’ve told him things that I was too afraid to tell Mom and Dad.

I’ve never lied to him, and he’s never lied to me before, so why now?

I feel hurt, confused, and even a little pissed that he would lie straight to my face.

Whatever is going on must be huge.

Everything over the past twenty-four hours seemed so out of the blue, like random occurrences. Except now, it seems like they were all deliberate attacks.

The attempted kidnapping, being followed, the break in, and even the murder all seem connected.

But why?

Nothing like this ever happens on Scarlett Island.

What does Uncle Zach have to do with the killers? And how do I fit into all of this?

Voices drift inside to us a few moments before the Lieutenant walks through the broken front door.

The shattered glass crunches under his boots as he walks toward Xavier, Uncle Zach, and me.

Several other officers immediately get to work photographing the crime scene.

“Did you do this?” the Lieutenant asks with a hint of a smile as he points to Everett.

I roll my eyes. Leave it to him to make a joke to make me feel better.

“No! But on a serious note, I’ve never seen the men before today. They aren’t locals, so whatever business they have here in town is temporary.”

Sergeant Smith walks through the front door and glances around at everything that’s happening. His gaze stays on Xavier longer than anyone else.

With his focus solely on Xavier, he stalks over to the four of us.

Ignoring the rest of us, he addresses Xavier. “I know you’re new in town, but being visited by the police twice in one day is never a good thing. I thought I told you to go home and prepare for the storm.”

“I was heading home to fish from my dock, but I needed bait, seeing as I’m new to town and don’t have a stockpile of fishing accessories.”

We know Sergeant Smith as the town”s hard ass, but he does have a point. Even if Xavier was in the wrong place at the wrong time, twice in one day is alarming.

He was in the right place at the right time this time, though. He helped keep me calm and kept me from freaking out. Even if it was by arguing with me.

Sergeant Smith ignores his sarcastic remark and moves on to the situation at hand. “Were you here the entire time the break in and homicide were happening?”

Xavier clenches his jaw. “No, I was enjoying the view of the beach when I heard the gunshot. Before I knew what was happening, I was racing toward the sound.”

Sergeant Smith writes Xavier’s statement down. “And did you see the suspect flee from the scene?”

“No, but I did see a white Jeep pull out of the parking lot and drive away.”

Was that the killer’s vehicle? It wasn’t the same car that was tailing me, but that one is probably in impound.

“Did you happen to see a license plate?”

Xavier glances toward the front door before returning his gaze to the officer. “No, sorry.”

He’s lying. Why would he lie about seeing the killer’s license plate?

A thought crosses my mind, and I let out a loud gasp.

Does he know the men? Is he in on whatever they have going on? Is that why he came to town?

All four men look my way with raised eyebrows.

I need to come up with an excuse for my gasp before they start asking questions.

Changing my expression to sadness and fear, I say, “I’m sorry. I think reality is crashing down on me, and the severity of what’s happening now seems all too real.”

Lieutenant gestures to a table. “Come sit down. We can get your statement after you get some water.”

Uncle Zach immediately springs into action. He grabs a to go cup and fills it with ice water before bringing it and a straw over to me.

“Thank you.” I whisper.

Sergeant Smith sits down on the opposite side of the table. “Alright, I’m going to get you to run through the events from today. Start at the beginning.”

I glance over at the Lieutenant with what I can only assume is a horrified expression because he pulls out the chair next to mine and sits down.

“Can they leave us alone?” I whisper as I nod toward Uncle Zach and Xavier. I don’t need them knowing everything that happened to me in the last twenty-four hours.

Lieutenant looks at the men before saying, “Reyes, take the two of them outside and get their statements.”

After the three of them leave, I let out a long sigh. “Can you two promise me that no one will tell my dad before I get the chance to?”

Sergeant Smith and Lieutenant share a glance before nodding.

I give them a nod. “Alright, so everyone knows about the breakup and the scene at the bonfire last night. I walked away to clear my head and left the bonfire early, but someone tried to kidnap me.”

Lieutenant nods while Sergeant Smith’s eyes get so big I think they’re going to fall out of his head, but he doesn’t say a word.

“Andy saw what happened and scared the guy away. The suspect didn’t get into a car; he just ran down the street. Andy made sure I got home safely last night.”

He also sent me a text this morning to make sure I was okay.

I wait until Sergeant Smith finishes writing to continue my story. “Earlier this afternoon, I noticed someone following me. I called the Lieutenant, and he helped me lose the guy.”

Glancing at the Lieutenant, I silently ask if they were able to get him. He nods and says, “We were able to apprehend the suspect and impound the SUV, but he’s not speaking. He’s waiting for his lawyer to arrive.”

Figures. Is he associated with Everett and the other two men?

Sergeant Smith stops writing and asks, “How did you end up here?”

“I wanted some pie and asked Uncle Zach if I could come get some, since I knew he always has pie here. I used my key to enter and even locked the door behind me. Everett, here, broke in and destroyed the place.”

“How do you know his name?” He continues to scribble on his notepad without looking up at me.

“The other two men called him by his name during their conversation. They snuck in while Everett was in the office.”

“And they didn’t see you at all?”

His question makes it seem like I’m lying. Why would I lie about this?

“No. I hid in the kitchen, but I was afraid that I’d be seen with the light on, so while Everett was in the office, I snuck up here and hid under that booth.”

I point to the corner booth where I was.

He hmms for a few moments before asking, “When and how did their conversation turn deadly?”

How much should I divulge to them? Will the truth implicate Uncle Zach, or will it help us get the answers we need to figure all of this out?

I decide to skip over the nitty-gritty details of their conversation. “I’m not really sure. From their conversation, I thought they were all friends catching up, but the other two men seemed to turn on Everett.”

“Was it sudden or did tension grow between the three of them?”

“It seemed to happen suddenly. One man was practically standing an arm’s length away from Everett and the other, shorter, man pulled out his gun and shot Everett.”

“That’s odd. Did Everett say anything to upset the man?”

“I don’t really remember.” I hate lying, but I need to find out the truth from Uncle Zach first.

“When did Zach and Xavier get here?”

“After the killer and the other man left, I called Uncle Zach and informed him of what had just happened. I was still under the booth when Xavier got here. Uncle Zach arrived a few minutes later.”

“When did you call the police?”

“After I knew Xavier wasn’t the killer coming back to torch the place, I crawled out from under the booth, downed a couple of shots, and called Lieutenant.”

Lieutenant sighs. “You’ve been drinking?”

“I had a couple of shots to calm my nerves. You can’t blame me after everything I’ve been through.”

Lieutenant shakes his head. “I’m going to forget that you just said that. Smith, leave out the fact that she’s been drinking. They could try to throw it out in court for her not having a clear mind.”

“Can I go home now? I need to catch my dad up on all the exciting events of the day.”

“Yes, but please have your phone on in case we have any questions. I’ll check on you after the storm. Please be safe.”

“I’m always safe.”

I can picture him rolling his eyes as I head toward the front door.

It’s not my fault that danger and destruction seem to be attracted to me as of late.

Walking outside, my gaze immediately lands on my dad, and he’s talking to Xavier and Zach.

I stomp my way over to the three men, like I’m a petulant child. “You called my dad?”

Xavier’s gaze moves to me, lingering on my lips before meeting my gaze. “Someone needs to talk some sense into you, and I figured the only one that you would listen to is your father.”

“I’m a grown woman. I don’t need a babysitter, and I don’t need a man making decisions for me.”

Xavier smirks.

I hate that cocky smirk.

My mind screams in protest.

Okay, fine. I find that cocky smirk irresistible and sexy as hell.

Dad shakes his head. “Bri, you aren’t safe alone. You just witnessed a murder, and the suspects are still at large. You need to go somewhere safe, like a safe house, until this blows over.”

Do we even have a safe house?

“Not with the storm coming. The only place I’m going is home, so I can go to sleep and forget about this horrible day.”

Dad glances toward Xavier, who gives him a nod. He turns back to me and says, “Fine, but Xavier is staying in the guest room as an extra security.”

I don’t argue. Having Xavier nearby is the safer option, especially with the hurricane coming.

When the police send us on our way, Dad rides in my car and Xavier follows me home.

Dad shows Xavier to the spare bedroom, and I quickly change into lounge clothes and head downstairs to the game room.

I plop down on the couch and turn on the news for background noise. Even if I lay in bed, I know sleep won’t come.

Reaching into the secret arm compartment, I pull out my favorite snack, fudge stripe cookies.

A knock sounds on the door before Xavier pokes his head in. “You care for some company?”

It’s strange to hear him ask instead of demand.

“Sure, but there’s nothing exciting happening in here.”

He joins me on the couch, choosing the other end and leaving the middle seat free.

“Cookie?” I offer him my secret stash.

He looks surprised before a smile forms on his face. “You have a sweet tooth, don’t you?”

“What makes you say that?”

“First pie, now cookies.” He takes an offered cookie, but doesn’t eat it.

I raise my eyebrow at him. “Are you anti sweets?”

“No.” He stares at the cookie before taking a bite of it to prove me wrong.

“No matter how old I get, I love the memory of my first cookie. Grandpa snuck me one of these when Mom and Dad weren’t looking, and I’ve been hooked on them ever since.”

Shaking that thought away, I change the subject and say, “Dad might have clothes you can change into, so you’re more comfortable.”

“I have clothes. I always keep a bag of necessities and spare clothes in my trunk.”

Who is this guy? A spy? He shows up right after a shooting, has spare clothes in his trunk, and willingly stays the night with strangers?

He hasn’t taken his gaze off me since he sat down, but he glances at the television for a few moments.

When he turns back toward me, his expression is different. It’s harder, more focused, and deadly.

“What are you keeping from your uncle?”

I turn my entire body to face him. “How do you know I’m keeping something from him?”

“I could see it in your eyes. You were looking for something in his answers.”

He’s right. I was hoping Uncle Zach would tell me what was missing from his office, but he never did. Can I trust Xavier, though?

I need to be able to trust someone with this information. I need someone to help me get to the bottom of this. Xavier is on my side, right?

“The killer stole a small box from Everett’s pocket before he ran. I don’t know if Everett got it from Uncle Zach’s office or if he already had it on him. Based on the way Uncle Zach was acting, I’m assuming whatever was in the tiny box came from the office.”

This seems to pique Xavier’s interest. “What was it?”

I shrug and grab another cookie. “I don’t know, but my gut is saying it was important.”

“I agree. It probably has something to do with why they are here.”

“But what does my family have to do with all of this? What was Uncle Zach keeping, and why do they want it?”

Xavier runs his hand through his short hair. “I don’t know, but I promise I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe and find out the truth. It may seem like no one really knows what’s going on, but someone does, and I’ll find out who it is.”

My heart flutters at the thought of Xavier protecting me.

I know he’s telling the truth. I can feel it deep in my gut. He’d risk his life to protect mine.