Xavier (Men of Forbidden Temptation Book 5)

Chapter 22

I’ve never beenone to care about trivial things like having modern furnishings and living in a huge elaborate house, but Brianna seems to love all of this.

It fits her- the elegant but comfortable furniture and the tech savvy house right on the beach.

I stare at Brianna as she heads out to the balcony. She looks so peaceful, like she feels at home when she’s at the beach.

She had the same look while relaxing in the hot tub at the hotel.

I want her to be happy and free and not have to look over her shoulder all the time.

“Man, you’ve got it bad.” Jordan’s voice pulls me out of my head.

Running my hand through my hair, I chuckle and say, “Yeah, I do.”

It wasn’t supposed to happen, but it did. Something about Brianna draws me in, like a moth to a flame.

No matter how hard I tried to keep my distance, I always ended up with her wrapped in my arms.

Not that I’m complaining. I’ve loved every minute of it, but it wasn’t supposed to happen.

“So, who is she?” He gestures outside, where Brianna is leaning on the balcony railing.

“Brianna is the mayor’s daughter. This situation is so fucked up, and I’m in too deep. I’m letting my feelings get in the way of the job.”

Feelings were never an option. I learned my lesson the last time I let feelings get involved.

At least I thought I did.

Clearly not because I’m making the same mistakes all over again.

“Hudson actually brought me in on the situation. Brianna was receiving death threats, but John kept it from her. She was involved in a car chase, a witness to a break in and murder at her uncle’s restaurant.”

Jordan’s mouth falls open, but I continue.

“Somehow her uncle and dad are involved because the guy that was murdered stole something from her uncle’s office. Now the two guys have whatever it is.”

“John has a safe house near St. Augustine that we’ve been living in for almost two months, but his name isn’t really John. It’s Isaac Thornton. He was spec ops for the Army.”

“Is he on our side or theirs?”

“I honestly don’t know. I feel like he’s still keeping secrets, and not actually trying to end this, but why would he put his daughter’s life in jeopardy? Why would he tell her about his past and his real name, if he’s working with them? Nothing is adding up.”

Jordan rubs his shaved chin as he contemplates the issues at hand. “I can do some digging and get to the bottom of all of this.”

“That would be great. She’s strong, but if he’s working with them, she will be crushed.” Watch her for several moments.

She gazes up at something in the sky before looking down at the beach.

“So, what’s your plan for stopping them? I’m surprised you and Hudson haven’t already apprehended them.”

There’s something in his voice that causes me to look back at him. Concern?

“I don’t know. I have to abide by the laws now, and it hasn’t been easy. Plus, I’ve kind of enjoyed the solitude with Brianna. Sure, it would have been better if this was a vacation and we could travel freely, but it hasn’t been all bad.”

“Why not take a vacation with her? You two deserve it.”

A plan starts to form in my head. I can put an end to this.

I would need help from Hudson, John, and possibly the police officers that know what’s going on.

Yeah, it might just work out.

Jordan’s voice interrupts my mental plan. “I know this might be hard to hear, but I’m going to say it, anyway.”

He glances at Brianna, who is now stretched out on one of his loungers.

I stare at him, waiting for him to tell me something I’m not going to like. It wouldn’t be the first time, and I doubt it’s going to be the last.

He doesn’t speak.

The longer his eyes stay on Brianna, the more the anger builds inside of me. “Well, spit it out already.”

Jordan meets my gaze and says, “Fuck the job.”

That is not what I was expecting to hear. “What?”

“You heard me. Fuck the job. Don’t worry about catching these guys. Let John, or Issac, do his job. You’re a civilian now, and you need to act like it.”

I interrupt him. “Meaning what?”

How is a civilian supposed to act?

“Fall in love, settle down, buy a house, and have a family. You don’t need to run ops trying to catch the bad guys. Let the cops handle it.”

I roll my eyes, earning a chuckle from Jordan. “They’re incompetent. How many lives need to be put in danger before the cops do their damn job?”

“Normally, I’d say do it. Make a plan and finish the job, but it’s clear as day that the woman out there loves you and you love her. Don’t fuck it up because you have something to prove.”

Biting my tongue, I clench my jaw and take a deep breath as I stare at him. My muscles flex as the anger threatens to explode.

He’s a great friend, but that won’t stop me from speaking my mind.

He stares at me, his expression unwavering as he crosses his arms.

We’re stuck like this, in a stare off. Neither one of us is willing to back down.

It’s intense, and if the situation were different, I might have backed down already, but not this time. Not when it comes to Brianna.

I can’t- no, won’t- rely on others to keep Brianna safe. Not after everything I’ve had to deal with in the past. And Jordan, of all people, should know not to even suggest I consider that option.

Reaching into my pocket, I grab my phone and call John.

As soon as he answers, I bark out, “Do you have any information?”

“I’m waiting for a background check to come back, but a generic hit came back with ties to the same cartel that you were eliminating six years ago.”

It feels like all the blood has drained from my face. My heart races and my breathing becomes ragged. Adrenaline surges inside my chest.

Julia.

Just thinking about her makes my heart constrict with pain. If this is all tied to Julia, then why would they threaten Brianna and her family?

Are they trying to get back at me?

Or is John somehow involved in all of this?

“Send the background checks over to Jordan as soon as they come in. I have a plan. It’s a bit in the gray area, but I’m going to need your help in covering this up.”

John sighs, but says, “I’ll do anything to keep my baby girl safe, you know that. But I may need help in return.”

“As long as there’s no jail time for either of us, then I’ll help in any way I can.”

“You’re a good man, Xavier.”

I don’t acknowledge his compliment. I hand my phone to Jordan, so he can give John his email address.

I’ve done some horrible things in my past, risky and dangerous things, in the name of love and love for my country, but I don’t feel like a good man.

Brianna makes me want to be a better man, though. She makes me want to settle down and make all her dreams a reality.

Jordan hands my phone back, and I don’t wait for John to speak. There’s a lot to happen before I even think about my future with Brianna.

“I’ll call you later to go over the plan. I need to fill Brianna in on what’s going on. I don’t want her finding out about my past through someone else.”

I look at Jordan, who shakes his head. I don’t think he or Hudson would spill my secrets, but if all of this is tied to Julia, then Brianna deserves to know the truth.

All of it.

The good. The bad. And the ugly.

John’s voice is full of confusion when he asks, “Why would it matter if someone told her about your past?”

I push the button to end the call. I’m not ready to have that conversation with John.

Jordan waits until I shove my phone back in my pocket before howling with laughter.

“Oh man, he has no clue, does he?”

“What do you think? Do you honestly think I’d still be alive if he knew half of what I’ve done to and with his daughter?”

“Man, you have to let me be a fly on the wall when you tell him. Please. I even have the fly sized drone charged and ready to go.”

“No way in hell. I don’t need you to turn that recording into a top trending video on the internet.”

“I just want to see his expression when he figures out that his daughter fucked someone almost his age.”

He roars with laughter, tears stream down his face.

“Don’t remind me. Believe me, our age difference is a constant reminder. I tried to fight it. I really did. But-”

The balcony door opens and Brianna walks back in.

She glances from me to Jordan, who is still laughing hysterically. She smiles as she looks back at me and asks, “Is he alright?”

There’s no way in hell I’m telling her about our conversation, so I shrug. “The jury is still out on that one.”

Jordan wipes his eyes and clears his throat. “I’m sorry. Where were we?”

Nope, not going there.

“You were going to print off the documents that John is emailing over, and I am going to bring Brianna to your guest bedroom and talk.”

Brianna”s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “Talk? About what?”

Jordan gives me a nod. “Make yourself at home.”

“A lot of stuff, actually.”

I lead Brianna down the hallway to the guest bedroom. It’s the first door on the right.

The curtains are open, overlooking the pool area. The beach and ocean are around the corner, but you can see some of it.

The guest bedroom is pretty bare except for the queen sized bed, nightstands, and a dresser. It’s the same as the last time I was here, except he added a mirror on the dresser.

Maybe it’s always been here.

The last time I was here was right after Julia died.

“Xavier, are you alright?” Brianna’s voice comes out soft and gentle.

“Uh, yeah, but there are some things I need to tell you about. Things that happened in the past.”

She kicks off her sandals and climbs on the bed, sticking her ass in my direction.

God, I wish I didn’t have to do this right now. I wish I could be buried inside her and forget about all of this.

I sit on the edge of the bed and turn to face her.

“When I was stationed overseas, I met a woman named Julia. She was a bartender at a local bar that was popular with military members.”

I have to pause as emotion lodges itself in my throat.

“At first, the flirting was just us having fun, but the more I got to know her, the more I fell in love. As a bartender, she made decent money, but it wasn’t enough to pay all her bills and take care of her parents.”

Brianna places her hand on my leg. It might be a tiny gesture to some, but I can feel the love and support she’s giving me.

“I helped when I could, but it still wasn’t enough. They had too much debt. In trying to find a quick solution, Julia got mixed up in the wrong crowd. The anti-American military people. They saw how friendly she was towards the troops and used it to their advantage.”

A soft gasp comes from Brianna. “Oh, God. That’s horrible.”

She hasn’t even heard the worst part yet.

“One night their leader came in, roughed her up pretty good in front of us, but there was nothing we could do except sit and watch. We were gathering intelligence on their organization and needed to pretend not to care. It killed me to not do anything.”

“Is that why you stood up for the woman at the bar?”

I nod my head.

“My commander decided to use Julia to our advantage. He made her a spy. They thought she turned her back on us when, in reality, she was helping us.”

We used her when we should have helped her.

“She dived headfirst into their organization and got hooked on drugs. I had to watch the woman I loved deteriorate before my eyes, and there was nothing I could do.”

Brianna’s hand rubs my thigh in a calming manner. Even though I’m sharing details from the worst part of my past, her touch is electrifying.

“Somehow, they figured out she was working for us, giving us information about their hideouts and camps. By the time I figured it out, it was already too late.”

I ball my hands up into fists.

“They poisoned her, tortured her, and then dropped her off at the bar for us to see their handiwork. Within hours, she was dead. Her murder was covered up, and within days, she was replaced as if she didn’t mean anything to anyone.”

I look up at Brianna when I hear her sniffling. Her cheeks are soaked from her tears. Tears for another woman that I used to love.

Reaching up, I swipe the tears away.

“When we were given the all clear to take down the organization, I jumped at the chance to be on the team. I think everyone knew I would be there whether I had permission or not. I enjoyed taking them down one by one. I enjoyed the fear I saw in their eyes right before I took their lives.”

Brianna tenses beside me, and I stop talking. I shake those memories away.

“Anyway, I told you all of that to tell you this. The men that are after you are from the same cartel that Julie infiltrated. I don’t know why they are targeting you, but I will make sure they learn their lesson this time.”

“What are you going to do?”

“What I should have done weeks ago.”

She scoots closer to me and grabs my hand. “No, Xavier, please think this through.”

“I have, Princess. For weeks, I’ve thought of ways to end this, but I didn’t want to leave you. I have loved every minute I’ve spent with you. Selfishly, I didn’t want it to end, but I need to do the right thing.”

She shakes her head and whispers, “You can get yourself killed.”

“This used to be my life, Princess. I could complete missions harder than this blindfolded. I’ll be alright.”

She purses her lips for a moment before saying, “I don’t know Jordan. Are you really going to leave me alone with a stranger?”

“Jordan will protect you and keep your mind off me. I trust him with my own life. Besides, he has some really cool tech gear I think you’d enjoy learning about.”

Her lips tighten into thin lines. She’s not happy, but at least she will be able to go back to living a normal life in a few days.

I stand. “I need to go check on the documents that your dad was emailing over. I’ll say bye before I leave.”

She doesn’t fight me.

She doesn’t beg for me to stay.

She just sits on the bed, frozen in her spot, with a look of terror on her face.

Closing the bedroom door behind me, I head in the direction of Jordan’s office.

I just need to grab the documents and leave. It will be too hard to go if I drag out the goodbye.