Chapter 12
Chapter twelve
As he turned off the truck, she took in the six men hanging out nearby.
They were impossible to miss. Big and rugged, they were all quite capable looking despite sporting silver at their temples.
Her nerves escalated as she followed Xander, who was immediately surrounded and welcomed with hugs and thumps on the back.
They seemed relieved to see their friend, and she clasped her hands, trying not to fidget, and sent them a tentative smile.
“Holy hell, Hawke, you look like a gremlin after midnight.” The big man with huge muscles and deep green eyes chortled, slapping a hand on Xander’s shoulder.
Xander scraped a hand over his beard. “Thanks, Madden. I missed you, too.”
“We want all the details on why you went AWOL.” Essie’s attention moved to a man with dark hair and arctic-blue eyes. So stunning, she almost forgot to breathe.
“But first, who is this lovely creature?” Tall, somewhat lanky, and with a charming smile that probably made panties drop everywhere, the man reached his hand out to her. “Lex Battle, at your service, Miss—?”
“Just Essie,” she murmured, feeling all eyes on her. Lex shook her hand for a moment too long, and she could’ve sworn she felt Xander tense beside her.
“Essie, this is Brandon Ward, Wes Murphy, Chaz Madden, Corey Emerson, Jayson Knight and, of course, Lex. Guys, meet Estrella Barrera, José Barrera’s sister,” he added coolly.
“Oh, hell.” One of the men—Brandon, maybe?—groaned. “Please tell me she’s not coming with us.” Essie figured he must be the leader of the group. He had that air of command about him. And Xander had introduced him first.
“She’s coming with us,” Xander stated in a voice that brooked no argument. “She’s my ace.”
Right. Because he planned on using her to lure out José.
The men all exchanged looks.
“Your ace?” Wes echoed. She remembered him from Xander’s quick introductions because of the way he shifted on his prosthetic leg. Which he was doing again now, seemingly steadying himself for an uncomfortable confrontation with his friend.
“That’s right.” Xander crossed his arms and lifted his chin, as though daring them to challenge him.
Brandon gave his head a shake then nodded toward the plane. “Let’s get the hell outta here. We can discuss this insanity on the flight back.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, not looking pleased. “For the record, Hawke, I think this is a really bad fucking idea. The worst you’ve ever had.”
“Noted,” Xander said, but he didn’t back down.
Essie didn’t like being called Xander’s ace, but she also didn’t want to question him further until they were alone.
Sticking close to him, she followed him onto the plane and looked around.
There wasn’t much to it when it came to aesthetics and comfort.
It looked like the interior had been gutted at some point, and now a row of seats had been installed on either wall, facing each other.
Sliding down into an end seat, she buckled up.
Xander sat beside her and the huge man who’d first greeted Xander—Chaz?
— sat beside him. Lex—the obvious flirt of the group—must have been their pilot, because he disappeared into the cockpit as the other men took the seats across the aisle, facing her.
She could feel their curiosity, and not one of them looked overly thrilled about her accompanying them back to the States.
They kept exchanging looks and avoided making eye contact with her.
Keeping her attention down, she focused on her folded hands in her lap.
Doing her best not to fidget, she suddenly felt completely overwhelmed.
She was leaving her country, the only home she’d ever known, with a man who wanted to kill her brother.
A man who was practically a stranger. A man she’d kissed and tasted and fantasized about.
What was wrong with her?
Xander started talking to his friends about an op in Sinaloa, and her brow furrowed.
He’d been at her family’s mansion? That was news to her.
God, there was so much he kept hidden. So many things he didn’t share.
It seemed like he didn’t share much with them, either, because Corey—a man easily identified and remembered by his stunning arctic eyes—looked somewhat confused by Xander’s brief explanation of why he left and went off on his own.
“I figured we could cover more ground that way.” Xander shrugged. “Then I got captured by Barrera’s men.”
The air noticeably cooled and she felt the heavy weight of their gazes, now more accusatory than curious. But what was she supposed to say? Yes, her brother was a murdering, power-hungry bastard. She’d already apologized to Xander. Heart heavy, she grabbed the cross on her necklace.
She supposed she should say something about her brother kidnapping Sera, Corey’s wife, which seemed to be why they’d been in Sinaloa.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured, looking up. Her attention shifted to Corey. “I’m so sorry my brother took your wife, and I’m very glad you were able to get her back.”
Corey nodded, his features softening. Out of them all, he seemed the most forgiving. “Thank you.”
“I don’t know who my brother is anymore.” She swallowed hard, the edges of the gold cross digging into her fingers as she faced the hard truth head on. “I don’t recognize or condone the monster he’s become.”
The group grew quiet and settled in for the duration of the flight.
Xander didn’t say one word to her. He seemed lost in his thoughts.
And whatever those thoughts might be, he wasn’t sharing them with her.
But that was hardly surprising. Ever since finding out who she was, he’d practically shut down.
Become detached. Distant. So far from the man who’d teased her during their escape trek, called her Peaches and held her close as they slept in a derelict storage shed.
When they finally landed, she was more than ready to get off the bumpy, cold plane. Not sure what lay ahead, she followed Xander, hoping he could see past her name. Praying he didn’t hate her.
Because his current demeanor, even colder than the frigid wind surrounding them, suggested he might very well leave her stranded at the small airport with nothing but the clothes on her back.
And then what would she do?
Xander had been contemplating his next step for most of the journey home.
It felt damn good to be back in Montana, on good ol’ U.S.
soil, where he didn’t have to worry about traipsing through the jungle and running into rival cartels.
But he did have a new problem on his plate he had to deal with.
A very infuriating, lovely problem who made his blood run hot.
Estrella Barrera. What was he going to do with her?
He supposed he could lock her up, but he didn’t think she planned on running away. The way she looked up at him and kept so close to his side reminded him she had nowhere to go. No money, either. She certainly didn’t seem too keen on returning to her brother’s care.
With few other options, Xander figured he’d take her home with him and figure it out.
Brand gave them a ride, not so subtly hinting that he wanted to know what Xander planned on doing. He wished he could tell him, but to be honest, he didn’t even know yet. “But when I figure it out,” Xander promised, “you’ll be the first to know. Because I’m probably going to need your help.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Brand sighed, pulling his car into Xander’s driveway. His gaze flicked up to the rearview mirror, looking at Essie in the backseat. “This could turn into a really messy situation.”
“I’m aware,” Xander muttered.
“Why do I feel like you’re not being completely honest with me? Or yourself?” he added in a low voice.
Time to go. “Thanks for coming down to get us, Brand. I’ll be in touch.”
Before Brand could comment, Xander hopped out.
The Motley Crew’s leader sometimes had a tendency to act like the big boss Delta Force operator he used to be.
And Xander didn’t need a lecture, or anyone telling him what to do.
He’d make his own piss-poor decisions on his own, thank you very much.
At least then he could only blame himself when everything went to shit.
Essie followed him up to the front door, uncharacteristically quiet, watching as he tapped in a code on the lock pad.
It felt like forever since he’d been home, and he was really looking forward to a long, hot shower and a proper dinner.
The door swung open to reveal a dark, gloomy, dusty and very chilly house.
But anything was better than the dank cell he’d spent way too long inside.
He turned to Essie who looked around with wide eyes.
“I don’t spend a lot of time here, so it is what it is.
” That was a bit of an understatement. In the last six months, he’d spent maybe four weeks total there.
Cielo Springs had turned out to be a great small town to lay low, and after hooking up with Brand and the others, he’d decided to purchase a place under an alias.
“It’s fine,” she instantly responded. “Just a little cold.”
Xander walked over and flipped on the heat. “It’ll warm up soon. End of February in Cielo Springs isn’t exactly sandal weather like down in Mexico.” He studied her for a long moment. “Are you planning on running?”
She shook her head. “I have nowhere to go at present.”
“Good. Because I need a long, hot shower and I’d rather not have to lock you up like a prisoner.
” He locked eyes with her. “Fair warning, Cielo Springs is Small Town, USA. You can’t disappear into a crowd here.
The people who live here are loyal and very observant.
If you do run, I’ll find you. And there will be consequences. ”
She seemed about to respond but then thought better of it.
“There’s a guestroom down the hall on the right with its own bathroom.” He nodded toward a hallway. “Make yourself at home. I’m going to clean up and then we can order some dinner.”
“Okay.”
Turning on his heel, he walked down to his bedroom.
He felt dirty and itchy, and he couldn’t wait to strip off the filthy clothes he’d been wearing for way too long.
Sure, he’d washed them, but a dirty sink and a practically new washing machine were entirely different.
And that half-ass bath in the river? Seeing Essie practically naked had definitely made him feel way dirtier.
The moment he stepped into his room, he yanked his T-shirt over his head.
After kicking his boots off, he shucked his cargo pants and boxer briefs and walked naked into the attached bathroom.
Before stepping into the shower, he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror and froze, barely recognizing himself.
Wow. He looked like a pile of dogshit left out to bake in the summer sun.
Lifting a hand, he ran it through his too-long, shaggy hair and then over his beard.
He looked like a freaking mountain man. Hell, he looked like Corey before the guy met Sera and became half-civilized.
Half because, well, the man might have a bride, but he still lived in the woods with a wolf.
And Essie—Estrella—had kissed him looking like this? Clearly, the woman had very low standards.
Time to do some grooming. He couldn’t wait to shave and brush his teeth until his gums bled.
Xander flipped the water on, spun the dial all the way over and stepped beneath the spray. Fuck yeah. Nothing had felt so good in so long. Well, except for Essie’s body arching beneath him, her mouth open and her tongue sliding against his.
He gave his head a hard shake, sending water droplets flying. Forget her, Hawke. She wasn’t his Essie. She was Estrella Barrera. A pawn in his game with her brother. Albeit a lovely one, but still just a tool that would help him achieve his long-sought vengeance.
Soaping up, he scrubbed every corner until he was squeaky clean.
Then he went over every inch of his body one more time.
His thoughts inevitably returned to his gorgeous houseguest and his dick grew hard.
So much for forgetting her. He grabbed his traitorous cock and pumped it.
Rough and fast, until he was coming hard, and his release splattered against the tiles.
He slapped a hand against the cool wall, dropping his chin to his chest, breaths sawing in and out.
“Fuck,” he growled. Why did he feel so conflicted?
Yes, he was going to use Essie to kill her brother.
But, at the same time, he wanted to strip her naked and fuck her until she was screaming his name.
A part of him also felt extremely protective when it came to her.
When Lex had flirted with her, shaking her hand far too long while eye-fucking her a little too hard, it had pissed Xander off.
Mine. The thought had flashed through his mind, and it had taken far too long for him to suppress it. She wasn’t his and she never would be.
Estrella Barrera was a means to an end.
He just needed to keep reminding himself of that fact.