Chapter 25
Mom always warnedme to never go to bed angry or else I’d wake up in a bad mood and ruin a perfectly good day, but today, I can’t help it.
I went to bed fuming last night and woke up in an equally bad mood.
“Where is Xavier?” I mumble to myself.
It’s been four days since he left, and no one will tell me anything. No one is answering their phones, text messages, or emails.
Did he get hurt? Or worse?
I pick at the French toast on my plate. My appetite has been non-existent over the past twenty-four hours.
I’m worried, anxious, and angry.
Jordan shoves another bite of his French toast into his mouth. “Xavier is more than capable of pulling off this mission.”
“But he said one to two days and if you haven’t noticed, we are now on day four. Four days and not one phone call or text message.”
“Sometimes a mission can take longer, especially since they had to lure the guys from St. Augustine back to Scarlett Island.”
“He did that days ago. Why is he still in Scarlett Island? Why isn’t anything happening? Why isn’t anyone answering their phones?”
“If you eat your breakfast, we will check on his location again.”
We’ve been checking on Xavier’s location almost every hour, even though it hasn’t moved in almost two days.
His location is stuck on my house.
My house. For two days.
Did Dad find out about us and they fought?
Are they trying to figure out a plan?
Did Xavier leave the tracking device there so I wouldn’t see where he’s going?
Is the tracking device glitching and accidentally went offline two days ago?
Or is Xavier still at my house trying to lure the guys there?
The guys wouldn’t be that stupid and break into my family’s house, would they? I know they think they are above the law and can do whatever they want, like break into restaurants, steal packages that were hidden, and murder their partner.
For the sake of this being over, I hope they are that stupid. I hope they fuck up and make a colossal mistake so Xavier can come back.
I need to tell him how I feel.
I need to make sure he’s alright.
Jordan stands and brings his dirty dishes to the sink. Gesturing to my hardly eaten food, he says, “Eat.”
I shovel a huge bite into my mouth as I stare at Jordan. I know he’s only looking out for me. After all, that’s what Xavier told him to do, but he’s genuinely a nice guy.
He has tried everything to keep me calm and keep my mind off Xavier. We’ve watched shows and movies, walked on the beach, and ordered a ton of food, but it hasn’t been enough.
At night, when I’m laying in bed alone, all I can do is think about Xavier. I miss our nights together, where we would talk about everything and anything.
I miss the way we cuddled, and the way he always made me feel protected and safe.
When I am finished eating, Jordan takes my dishes and places them in the sink with his before leading me down the hallway to his office.
Several monitors are full of yesterday’s research.
He spent hours yesterday showing me more of his hacking skills by searching for my name and my background.
So many things popped up. Medical records all the way back to my birth, college applications, transcripts, job applications, and even performance evaluations from my time in DC.
Jordan sits down in his chair and immediately starts typing in commands as I sit down in the other chair.
The tracking map pops up on his monitor and before he can zoom in, I know the tracker is still showing my house.
“Why is the location showing him still there? What is he doing? Hanging out at my house, waiting for something to happen? He said he was going to end this. He said it was going to be one to two days.”
The more I repeat myself, the angrier I get. I need a way to expel some of this before I take it out on Jordan, and he doesn’t deserve that.
“I’m borrowing your phone.”
“Have at it.” He says as I jump up and storm out of his office.
The phone is in the same place where I left it this morning. Grabbing the phone, I hit redial and wait for someone to pick up.
It’s in the middle of the day, and I’m calling the house, so someone should answer. Mom is usually always home unless there’s a town event.
But no one answers. The cheery, overtly sweet voicemail picks up, prompting me to leave my name number and a short message.
Instead of hanging up like I have been, I leave a message. If Xavier is hanging out at my house, then he will be able to hear the anger in my voice, and if not, then Dad and Mom will.
“I don’t know why no one is answering my calls or messages, but if something happens to Xavier, or if he gets hurt in any way, I’ll never speak to you guys again. And if Xavier is there, listening to this, then you better have your excuses ready, because I’m pissed.”
I end the call and flop down on the couch.
My heart is pounding in my chest, and my breathing is coming out in short pants, like my lungs don’t need deep breaths right now.
I try to calm the anger coursing through my body right now with rational thinking, but all I feel is rage.
Standing up, I head out onto the balcony. The salty sea breeze always helps to center myself and gather my thoughts.
Xavier wouldn’t ignore me unless it was for a good reason. If he is at the house, he’s probably strategizing with Dad, or he’s getting the truth from Dad.
Either way, he’s trying to make progress with the mission, but if everyone is back on Scarlett Island, then why am I still stuck down here?
I don’t want to put a target on my back by being back home, but I would if it means I get to be with Xavier.
Despite Xavier’s grumpy, rough, and raw exterior, I love him for it, and I love him more than I’ve ever loved someone.
The balcony door opens and Jordan joins me outside. “It’s shaping up to be a very nice day.”
“Mmm-hmm.” I say, not really wanting to have a conversation right now, but also not wanting to be rude.
“I have a proposition for you.” He says as he comes over to the balcony railing and leans on it.
Is he just trying to keep my mind off Xavier and being stuck in the dark about what’s going on?
Intrigued, I turn to face him. “What’s the proposition?”
“I think we should do my morning patrol around the building, and then we can go for a walk on the beach. You can collect more shells and I’ll enjoy the warm water.”
“You go on patrols around the building even though you have cameras?” I whisper so none of his neighbors can hear if they are hanging out on their balconies.
He nods and whispers, “I like to check for exposed wires or any other damage every few days, and on the days that I don’t need to check, I just like going for a walk. It helps me get up and stretch and get out of the house.”
“I could use more shells for my collection, but after we’re done with the walk, you have to try to call Xavier and make sure he’s alright.”
He glances out at the ocean for a few moments before meeting my gaze. “Deal, but I want to enjoy the beach for a little while. So, no asking to come back after five minutes.”
“I promise I will stay outside for at least fifteen minutes, maybe longer, if I find some pretty shells.”
He chuckles. “I’m not going to rush you. You can take your time looking for shells. I need to start a camera update real quick, while we are going to be outside to monitor things.”
“How long does the update take?”
“It should only be a few minutes, if that, but I like doing updates when I can be outside.”
I nod and say, “That makes sense since there’s so many.”
We walk back inside, and he heads down the hallway to his office. I grab his phone and try calling the house phone.
There’s still no answer, so I end the call and dial Dad’s cell number. It goes straight to voicemail. Dialing Mom’s number is pointless as well because her voicemail is full.
“Ugh.” I throw the phone on the couch and slip on my sandals.
At least Jordan is going to call Xavier today, so one way or another, I should have answers.
If Xavier doesn’t answer Jordan’s call, then I’m calling the Lieutenant and filing a missing person report for Xavier, Dad, and Mom.
“You ready?” Jordan asks as he bounds into the room.
“Yep. Where do you start?”
“This floor first, then upstairs. Then downstairs. Then the parking garage and outside last.”
It sounds like a lot, and it is, but it doesn’t take as long as I thought it would. It takes a few minutes inside, and a few minutes in the garage to check the cameras.
The outside cameras take a little while longer because Jordan doesn’t want anyone to see where his cameras are.
Before long, my toes sink into the soft, cold sand of the beach.
“There’s something so relaxing about walking on sand.”
Jordan chuckles and nods. “I agree. That’s why I live this close to the beach. The sounds, smell, and view are great relaxers and great reminders to slow down and live life to the fullest.”
“Yeah.” I mumble before heading toward the water’s edge to search for shells.
I find several purple seashells, and a couple of giant ones with broken edges. I throw the broken ones back into the ocean and continue walking down the beach in search of the perfect shell.
Jordan jogs up to me with a worried look on his face. “Hey, I need to head back up there. I got a notification on my phone that one of the front cameras just went offline.”
My eyes widen. “What? Has that ever happened before?”
“No. Never.”
Fear runs down my spine, chilling me to my core.
Did they find me here?
Did they hurt my family and Xavier?
“Oh my God.” I cry out.
Jordan looks at me. “Shit, I didn’t mean to worry you. Everything is safe. I just need to check on things.”
“Okay, I’ll come up with you. After you check on things, we can call Xavier.”
I follow him up the stairs to the outdoor parking lot and stomp the wet sand off my feet. The sand doesn’t budge.
“Of course it’s stuck.”
Looking around, I find the feet washing station and rinse the sand off before slipping my sandals back on.
Jordan is nowhere to be found. Maybe he went to the front to check on the camera. Heading in that direction, I try to remember where all the cameras were.
Maybe he’s looking at the one that’s partially blocked by the new palm tree near the front doors.
“Jordan?” I call out before I round the corner.
My gaze doesn’t land on Jordan. Instead, my gaze locks onto a pair of very dark eyes. Dark eyes that turn my insides into mush and melt my panties. Eyes that bore into mine with the promise of danger and mystery.
A gasp escapes past my lips as I take in Xavier standing next to a blacked out limousine.
I hone in on all the pent up anger, aggression, hurt, and sadness and stalk over to him like I’m a woman on a mission.
“You haven’t answered any calls and had me worried sick!” I yell out as I stop a few feet away from him.
His eyes narrow and his jaw tenses as I continue, but I soften my tone so he can feel the love that I feel.
“You’re grumpy, demanding, and sometimes hard to read, but spending the past few months with you and getting to know you have been some of the best moments of my life. You even gave me the best birthday ever and kept me safe.”
I swallow the ball of emotion that tries to lodge itself in my throat.
Xavier takes a few steps toward me. “I admit that you’ve broken down my walls and softened my heart. You make me feel things I haven’t felt in many years. Things I don’t deserve to feel after the things I’ve done.”
I close the gap between us and say, “You deserve to feel love as much as I do. I’m sorry I let you leave like that. I promise I’ll never do that again, but I was scared. I’m scared because I’m falling for you so fast.”
Xavier grins and pulls me into his chest. His arms wrap around my waist, trapping me in his embrace. “But falling so fast is thrilling.”
“It’s definitely been an adventure.”
He leans so close that our lips are barely touching. “It’s only going to get better from here.”
Lifting up on my tiptoes, I press my lips into his.
Our lips move against one another, like a synchronized dance that we’ve performed for years.
Neither one of us is in a rush to break apart, or to deepen the kiss.
His tongue swipes against my lower lip, causing me to let out a throaty moan.
He pulls back slightly to look me in my eye. “Damn, I missed you.”
I wrap my hands around his neck and lay my head on his chest. “Me, too. It’s been too long.”
We stay like this for several moments, enjoying each other’s presence.
“How’d you get here in a limo?” I mumble into his chest.
“Your dad arranged a helicopter ride so he could check on the safe house, and I needed a way to get here, so I booked a limo because I am taking you on a vacation.”
“Dad really did that? Does he know about us?”
Xavier laughs, shaking me with him. “Yeah, I told him yesterday.”
“Wow, that was awfully brave of you. What did he say?”
“I believe his exact words were go get my baby girl.”
I lean back and grin. “Well, you got me.”
He growls out, “And I’m never letting go. Now, how about you let me worship every inch of your body in the back of this limo and show you just how much I missed you?”
Those words are music to my ears.
“How could I say no to an offer like that?”
He picks me up and throws me over his shoulder, slapping my ass as he walks to the limo door.
“You don’t, unless you want to be punished.”
“Oh, God…” I moan as moisture gathers in my panties.
I might come before he actually touches me.