Chapter 7 #2
Jaxson eyes me before returning his attention to the road and pulling away from the office. “No, Bristol, don’t ever discuss any of this with anyone—inside or outside of the office.”
Same difference.
“Yes, of course.” I sit taller and nod, eager that he trusts me. “Where are we heading?”
“Blue Sky Resort.”
The ride is mostly in silence, Jaxson turning up the radio, listening to oldies music that he must have enjoyed when he was my age.
A lifetime ago.
He’s about my dad’s age, maybe a little older. The man is ripped, though, like front cover of a sexy magazine, and if I were into older guys, he’d definitely be hot. There is also a ruggedness to him, and his level of confidence is off the charts.
“How’d you and Ariella meet?” The question slips out before I realize what I’ve asked, and my eyes widen.
He slowly turns his head, glaring at me. “That’s not an appropriate question for your boss.”
“Right, sorry. I just … you both seem like opposites. You’re broody and she’s sunny.”
That cracks a grin on his face. I don’t recall ever seeing my boss smile before. He’s usually got that rough scowl etched onto his face. The worry lines might as well be tattoos on him.
Although he has quite a few of those on his arms and the one that I can see peek from the collar on his shirt down his neck.
Turns out, I might have a thing for bad boys.
But is Jaxson a bad boy?
He’s more of a do-gooder around Breckenridge, but I’ve heard the stories. He also gets his hands a little dirtier than he should.
Anything to save a damsel in distress. I swear that should be the man’s motto or maybe the company’s motto.
“Ariella has her own … unique personality,” he says, and I swear there’s a hint of a smile. Jaxson shifts in his seat, and as quickly as the tiny grin appears, it vanishes.
“Well, I like her,” I admit. “She’s a really great boss. Not that you’re not great. I appreciate the opportunity that you’ve given me to intern for you guys this summer.” Oh gosh, I’m rambling. I tend to do that when I’m nervous.
Jaxson laughs under his breath, it’s deep and throaty. “Noted. You go back to school soon.”
“Next week.” Technically, the other college kids move back into the dorms this week and school starts the following week.
I’m already living there, which makes this commute a bit of a drag to work for Eagle Tactical.
Mom and Dad offered to let me stay with them over the summer, it’d be a shorter ride to work, but living with them and having to follow their house rules and curfew all over again, no thanks.
“You are always welcome to come back, winter break, or next summer if you’re looking for work.”
“Thank you.”
We pull up in front of the resort. I’ve been here a few times growing up, during winter break, when Dad took the private jet for Christmas and flew us to the resort to go skiing. It’s like Dad had a love affair with the town.
Or maybe it was because of Emerson.
It’s summer now, and the property is rather empty. It seems isn’t much to do at the resort off season.
I follow Jaxson inside, and he leads me to the elevator. “Have you met my daughter, Izzie, yet?”
I shake my head and step into the elevator with him. “No, I don’t believe so.”
He presses the button for the fifth floor, and the elevator ride up is in awkward silence. Once we reach the fifth floor, he steps out first, and I follow while he retrieves a keycard.
Why the hell is he taking me to a hotel room?
My stomach tumbles, and I slow down, letting him walk ahead.
“Jaxson, what are we doing here?”
He’s given me no indication that he’s ever been interested in me in that way. I unclasp my purse and dig my hand in, reaching for my cell phone.
It’s not like I have mace or a weapon with me.
Besides, Jaxson Monroe is twice my size and a hell of a lot stronger. The only thing I have going for me is I’m well aware that this whole situation feels off.
“It’s for a private client,” he says, without so much as glancing at me over his shoulder.
Yeah, sure it is.
I stop walking and glance at my phone.
Mom never mentioned her boss being a creeper. But maybe he has a thing for younger girls and Mom just isn’t young enough for him? Maybe she doesn’t know. How could she really know her boss if she spent years in a field office in New York and their main office was in Breckenridge?
If I’m wrong … no, how could I be wrong?
Why would my boss be bringing me to a hotel room at a resort, key card in hand?
I flip through my phone, my hands trembling as I accidentally hit call on the last caller on my phone.
Liam Moretti.
His name lights up on my phone, and my eyes widen.
Shit.
This just went from bad to worse.
“Bristol, let’s go.” Jaxson’s voice booms from down the hall, and his hand is poised with the keycard as he reaches to unlock the door.
“Why are you bringing me to a hotel room?” I ask, my voice catching in my throat. “I’m not interested in you like that, Jaxson. You’re married. I’m … your employee.”
“Bristol!” Liam’s voice echoes through the phone. He’s loud, and my eyes widen and the room sways.
Oh, fuck.
I stumble backward down the hallway, losing my footing. My stomach is in my throat as nausea sets a course, and my vision peppers with stars and darkness as I reach for the wall.
“Not again,” I mutter, my legs giving out as I crumble to the ground, blacking out.
Lying on the ground, my eyelids flutter open, staring up at Jaxson, who is hovering over me, concern evident in his eyes. His brow is knitted, and he shoves the keycard into his pocket and retrieves his phone. “Maybe we should call an ambulance for you.”
There’s a muffled voice from beside me, and I reach for my phone, noticing Liam is still on the call.
Shit.
“I’m fine,” I say into the line, and then hang up.
I don’t want to talk to Liam.
I really don’t like the way Jaxson is staring at me, either.
I push myself to sit, and I feel the tremors pass through me uncontrollably.
Jaxson’s arm is on my shoulder. “You shouldn’t get up yet. You just passed out.”
“Not my first rodeo,” I grumble.
“Bend your knees and wiggle them. Try to get the blood flow back up to your heart,” Jaxson rattles off orders. He reaches into his pocket for his phone. “Should I call your mom?”
My eyes widen with embarrassment. Of course, I don’t want my mom showing up when I’m at work, even though she works for Jaxson too. It’s still humiliating!
“For the record,” Jaxson stares at me, “I wasn’t inviting you up to a hotel room to do anything salacious. Our clients are being housed in several rooms for their safety.”
I wipe the beads of sweat from my forehead.
“Yeah, I totally knew that,” I say and force a smile, but I’m still not entirely convinced it wasn’t an overreaction.
It could be an excuse.
I haven’t seen or met the clients he’s referring to yet.
My phone rings, and I ignore it, rejecting the caller. I let the call go straight to voicemail.
Another minute later, it’s ringing again.
I do the same thing.
By the third time it starts ringing, I swear Jaxson is glaring at me.
“Do you want to answer that? It might be important.”
“It’s not,” I mutter and sit myself up, leaning against the wall.
“How about I grab you something to drink?” Jaxson offers.
“Yeah, water would be good.”
“Stay there, okay?” Jaxson watches me intently, and I finally nod. He hurries down the hallway in the direction of the room he was heading toward earlier, retrieves the room key, and then heads inside.
“Clients, my ass,” I mutter.
He was totally planning on trying to get me to hook up with him in that room.
Pervert.
A minute later, Jaxson and a younger girl with dark hair and the same inset eyes as Jaxson come hurrying my way.
Is that his daughter he mentioned? The resemblance is uncanny.
What kind of sick game was he planning on in the hotel room … unless I’m wrong and it wasn’t anything nefarious he had planned.
The room spins and my cheeks feel hot, realizing I may have made a big deal out of nothing.
The brunette is maybe a few years older than I am, and she bends down to my level, offering me a bottle of water. “Do you need me to open it?”
“I can do it.” Trembling, I reach for the bottle, and she plops down, sitting beside me, her back against the wall.
“I’m Izzie,” she says, introducing herself as she hands me the water bottle.
“Bristol.”
“How often do you faint?” Izzie asks, and when I struggle to open the bottle because of the tremors, she undoes the lid for me.
I dig into my purse to pull out an electrolyte flavor packet.
“Here, let me,” Izzie says and takes the packet, tearing the foil open and dumping the contents into the water before reattaching the lid and shaking the contents.
“I could have shaken it up,” I say with a laugh.
“I’m sure. It’s not a big deal. I’ve helped Ella with hers.”
“Who’s Ella?” I ask.
“Ariella, my mom.”
“Now that we’re all acquainted,” Jaxson says and glances from me to his daughter, “how are things with the girls?”
The girls?
“They’re doing as well as can be expected. We’ve managed to find a few of those who have families searching for them,” Izzie says, “but some of the girls don’t want to go back home.”
“If it’s not safe for them, then we need to fully vet their placement into a foster home,” Jaxson says.
Izzie nods. “I know the drill. It’s just heartbreaking to hear what they’ve gone through and now some of them only have each other. Separating them seems cruel.”
Jaxson bends down to our level. He rests a hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “What was cruel is what was done to them. We’re just trying to help them the best way that we can now.”
My brow pinches. What are they talking about? What girls?
“Maybe bringing Bristol along wasn’t the right call,” Jaxson says, glancing me over. “I’m going to drive her back to the office, unless you want me to drop you off at home?”
“Great Falls is a trek from here. Besides, you’ve got work to do. Don’t let me keep you. I’ll grab the bus.”