Xavier (Men of Forbidden Temptation Book 5)

Chapter 12

As soon asthe sound of the gunshot hits my ears, my feet move.

They carry me toward the podium as I fight my way through the chaos of the scrambling crowd.

I need to make sure she’s alright.

Getting to the podium, I see the three of them hunched down together. The mayor has his arms wrapped around both women, trying to keep them safe and protected.

He might be shady and keep secrets from everyone, but he is protective over the ones he loves.

Without another thought, I rush to Brianna’s side to see if she is okay. My gaze meets the mayor’s worried gaze.

If he didn’t know how serious the situation was before, he does now.

The killers want Brianna dead, and they will do whatever they can to make that happen.

I need to get her out of here as soon as possible.

As soon as I place my hand on her arm to pull her away, she fights back. She tries to pull her arm away, but I tighten my grip around her arm.

My tight grip might leave a bruise, but at least she will be safe and alive.

She continues to fight back, throwing her arms around and even trying to roll away.

I glance around at the near empty area. Most of the crowd has scrambled away safely, but some are still squatting down on the open lawn.

“Brianna, stop fighting. I’m only trying to keep you safe.”

At the sound of my voice, her body relaxes. At least now it will be easy to carry her somewhere safe.

I carry her behind the row of bushes that line the town hall building, giving us privacy and protection from the shooter. I don’t think he stuck around, but I’ve seen crazier shit happen, so I’m not taking any chances.

Brianna is shaking with fear and whimpering.

The sight breaks my heart. I wish I could make everything better. I wish I could make her forget everything bad that had happened over the past several days.

“Shh, it’s okay.” I whisper in her ear.

Her voice is shaky as she speaks. “I need to help the puppy. It’s probably lost and hungry from the storm.”

What the hell is she talking about? What puppy?

She whimpers again and my brain finally puts the misshapen pieces of her puzzle together.

She thinks the whimpering is a dog. She doesn’t know it’s coming from herself.

I try to keep my voice soft and gentle as I break the news to her. “Brianna, there isn’t a puppy around here.”

Her eyes widen for a moment before she glances down at her shaking body. Her eyes narrow with confusion.

My hand runs through her long blonde strands, trying to comfort her. It feels strange. It’s been years since I’ve been this close to a woman.

Not since…I shake those memories away. One crisis at a time.

Leaning closer to Brianna, I whisper, “It’s okay. I got you. You’re safe here.”

Her eyes fill with tears a second before she clamps them shut. I understand the feeling of not wanting to face reality all too well.

But unlike my past, she has me to help her along the way.

“I need to check to see if you are alright. I need to make sure they did not hit you.” I’m pretty sure the shooter missed, but even a nick can cause serious problems if not treated.

I carefully lift each of her arms, check her stomach, and check her back for bleeding before letting out a long sigh. “You’re okay. You weren’t hit, but we need to check on everyone else.”

She shakes her head rapidly as another whimper comes from her.

Hoping that Hudson catches the shooter and the mayor checks on the crowd, I lean back against the brick wall and hold Brianna close.

She nestles her head against my chest.

I don’t rush her to put herself back together. I let her take her time processing everything.

After several minutes, her shaking stops and she looks up at me. “Thank you. For everything.”

Having her in my arms, in a non-sexual way, is causing feelings to stir inside of me. I don’t know what to say. Words elude me.

How did we go from petty arguments and sarcastic remarks to this? A smirk forms on my face as I watch her expression change to annoyance. She must be thinking the same thing I am.

We’re like fire and oil together, but right now, it feels right.

“I might be grateful for your comfort right now, but don’t mistake that for weakness.”

“I’d never make that mistake.”

When she sits up, I stand and help her to her feet. Looking around, the place is deserted. The parking lot is almost empty except for a few cars.

“Where’s Mom and Dad?” Brianna asks as her gaze goes to the spot behind the podium.

“Call your dad and find out. I’ll call Hudson and see if he was able to get the shooter.”

I really hope he was able to, otherwise, we will have to think about Brianna’s protection going forward.

She will need around the clock protection in an undisclosed location until the police catch the killers.

She reaches into her pocket and pulls out her phone. “Wait, who’s Hudson?”

“A friend in town.” I pull out my phone, disappointed when I don’t see any messages from Hudson.

“How do you know him?”

Annoyed, I turn to face her. “Do I have to answer eighteen more questions before you call your dad?”

“Fine. Keep being all mysterious with your secrets.” She rolls her eyes dramatically, but under her facade, she looks hurt that I wouldn’t answer her question.

I sigh. It will probably be quicker and easier to answer her questions rather than deal with her attitude for the rest of the day. Besides, if she needs protection, I’m assuming I will be on the short list.

“Hudson and I became close friends after we met several years ago. Now that I inherited my father’s house, Hudson is reintroducing me to civilian life.”

“I hear you’re making the most of it.”

She chuckles as I raise my eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?”

“Starting a bar fight in the middle of the day is quite ballsy. You were lucky that Sergeant Smith let you go with a warning. It probably helps that he always goes easy on the newcomers, but I wouldn’t make it a habit of getting the police called on you.”

How does she know about the bar fight? Was it big news in town?

“Yeah, well, the guy was an asshole, and he deserved it.”

She lets out a loud laugh. “Yeah, that’s what they all say.”

I shrug. There’s no point in rehashing the details. No one will understand why I did what I did.

My phone rings.

Saved by the interruption.

Looking down, I read Hudson’s name on the caller ID. I answer his call and skip the pleasantries. “Did you get him?”

“Unfortunately, no, but they ditched the white jeep for a blacked out SUV.”

“Blacked out SUV.” I repeat before saying, “I’ll pass that information along to the mayor and he can pass it along to the police.”

“Roger. I’m going to check on the warehouse.”

“Be safe. I’ll be in touch later.”

He disconnects the call and I slip my phone back into my pocket.

I glance toward Brianna, but she’s already looking back at me. Her phone is against her ear, but she isn’t speaking.

Her face is pale, as if the blood has drained from it.

“What’s wrong?” I step closer to her to hear whatever is being said on the other end of her phone call.

She shakes her head. “You said blacked out SUV and I’m wondering if it’s the same one that followed me and tried to make me crash.”

“With everything that’s already happened, I’d say there isn’t any such thing as a coincidence. We will let the police know so they can keep an eye out for it.”

Changing the subject, I add, “Where did your dad run off to?”

“I don’t know. He’s not answering his phone.”

I try to keep a passive expression to not scare her, but him not answering her phone call doesn’t sound positive.

“How about we go inside and see if we can find him?”

She nods her head and lets me lead her inside. As soon as she sees her dad and mom talking with a police officer, she sprints toward them.

When I get to the small group, I relay Hudson’s information. “The suspects have ditched their white jeep for a blacked out SUV, but they are still at large.”

Brianna chimes in. “Lieutenant, I have a feeling it’s the same one from the other day.”

The lieutenant nods his head and says, “I’ll have every cruiser out searching for them.”

He turns around to leave, but I stop him. “Lieutenant, can I have a word, please?”

“Sure, no problem.”

I follow him toward the main doors. “I don’t want to step on any toes, but lives are in danger, so I feel the need to speak up.”

His eyes slightly widen. “About what?”

“The suspects have been seen around the old abandoned warehouses. They were yelling for Everett the day he was murdered.”

“What are they doing in the warehouses and how do you know this?”

“I don’t know what they are doing there, but I might have followed them after the bar fight, but that’s beside the point. Hudson is on his way there now to check things out, so I’d call him if you have any other questions.”

He clenches his jaw like he wants to say something, but doesn’t. He turns around and walks through the doors.

When I get back to Brianna and her family, they are deep in conversation, and from the sounds of it, things aren’t going well.

“I’ll fly to Florida and spend a couple of weeks at the resort. A day at the spa sounds great right about now.”

The mayor interrupts her pleading. “No. Absolutely not. A resort this time of year is too crowded.”

“Dad, please. I’m an adult, so I get to decide what happens in my life. I’m not going to be locked up in a tower like a princess. I have a life to live.”

I mentally roll my eyes. When the rich encounter a problem, they leave and find a resort because there’s no problem serious enough that a massage and a cocktail can’t fix.

“Don’t be so dramatic, Bri. You’re not going to be locked up in a tower. It’s a nice house away from here.”

The mayor sounds fed up with this conversation, like he wants her to obey his every demand, but Brianna is stubborn and strong-willed.

“Where is this so-called nice house?” Brianna’s tone is demanding, as if she won’t consider going unless she knows where this house is.

“I can’t tell you that, but please trust me. I only want what’s best for you.”

It sounds like John has a safe house somewhere, but why would the mayor of a small town need a safe house?

Brianna rolls her eyes and puts her hand on her hip. “How do you have another house, a nice house I might add, that Mom and I don’t know about?”

Elizabeth, who has been silently observing this conversation from the side, now speaks up. “We have another house, John?”

All eyes are on him as the three of us wait for an explanation.

His gaze flits from Elizabeth’s, to Brianna’s, to mine. “There’s no time to explain right now.”

Neither woman budges. Simultaneously, they cross their arms.

John glances between the two women that he loves and sighs. “Fine. I’ll tell you everything if Brianna agrees to go to the other house.”

Everyone turns their attention to Brianna.

“Fine. I’ll go home and start packing.”

Brianna turns toward the main doors and walks away, but Elizabeth stops her. “Wait, I’ll ride with you and help you pack.”

Brianna looks like she’s about to breathe fire.

Was she planning on running away instead of going home to pack?

The two of them walk outside, leaving me alone with John. I feel awkward standing here. I should have left ages ago.

I could be drinking an ice cold beer and cleaning up my own yard.

“Xavier, I need to ask you a huge favor.”

Shit. I knew I should have left a long time ago. He’s going to ask me to babysit her. I just know it.

“Yeah?” I ask, hoping it’s something different from what I’m imagining.

“How do you feel about an all expenses paid vacation to Florida?”

I narrow my eyes at him. “I thought you didn’t want her in Florida?”

“I didn’t want her at a resort. The house is in a remote town about a half hour from St. Augustine.”

“A couple hours’ drive isn’t too bad, and it’s close enough that we can be back in no time.”

I mull over the proposition, but I still have things to do here.

“If I didn’t have to clean up from the storm, I would help you out because I’m on your side. Brianna needs protection until these men are found.”

“I’ll handle the cleanup. You just keep my baby safe.”

I know he isn’t going to take no for an answer. I can either agree to do it, or I could listen to him until I agree to do it.

“Then I’ll do it.” I take my spare house key off my keychain and hand it to him. “Feel free to make yourself at home. I have snacks and drinks in the fridge and tools in the garage.”

How did I go from single and carefree to being figuratively chained to a woman that’s hell bent on making my life a living hell?

A tempting, sultry living hell.