Jaxon_The Assignment

by Miranda P. Charles

Shit. Jaxon raised his arms and stepped inside.

  He found Alfie aiming a gun at Bryce, whose lip was bleeding. “Bryce!”

  “What in the hell are you doing here, Jax?” Bryce asked.

  Dom chuckled. “Well, well. Isn’t this a great reunion? What have you told your brother, Bryce?”

  Jaxon glared at Dom. So these bastards had known all along that he was Bryce’s brother? How?

  “I haven’t told him a single thing,” Bryce said with a snarl. “Let him go. He knows nothing.”

  Dom smirked. “Too late now.”

  “You fucking let him go!”

  “How touching…all this brotherly love.”

  “How the hell did you get involved with these assholes, Bryce?” Jaxon asked.

  “Oh, you haven’t told him?” Dom said with a laugh. “Go on. Tell him.”

  Bryce threw Dom a deadly glare.

  “Don’t,” Alfie said, frowning at Dom. “He’s not supposed to.”

  “Who cares? I have full authority to get rid of people who are a threat to us, and Bryce has failed us so many times now.”

  “Still, that’s not reason enough to off him. You’ll just get yourself in trouble.”

  Dom patted his cohort on the shoulder “Alfie, Alfie. Don’t you know you’re also in the bad books?”

  Fear flashed on Alfie’s face. “What have I done?”

  “You’re supposed to be Bryce’s partner, and since he failed to get his job done, then you’ve failed too.”

  “It wasn’t a joint assignment!” Alfie protested.

  “You were his partner. But if we get rid of him, you can tell it’s because he was betraying us to this brother of his—who can join him in the afterlife. Then you’ll be a hero.”

  “Well…that could work,” Alfie said reluctantly.

  “Go ahead,” Bryce piped in. “You’ll regret it very, very much.”

  “What do you mean?” Dom asked in a low voice.

  “I’ve never been able to stand you, Dom, so I’ve been putting together this nice collection of evidence against you. Remember when you had that fancy dinner in Mexico with the biggest drug lord in the world? I have a photo of the two of you together. And that politician you killed last year? I have this clear video showing you dragging him out of his car. And…well, let’s just say there’s a lot more in my little evidence box.”

  “You son of a bitch.” Dom aimed his weapon at Bryce’s head.

  “Kill me, and I’ll enjoy watching you go down screaming like a hyena from my perch in heaven or hell—or maybe purgatory.”

  Jaxon raised a brow. Bryce was handling this very well. He was impressed with his brother.

  Dom stared at Bryce for a long moment. “Okay, I’ll bite. Where is the evidence?”

  Bryce snorted. “I’m not stupid, you know.”

  Dom inspected the gun in his hand. “See, Bryce, I’m the one who’s holding the aces here, not you.” Then Dom aimed the weapon at Jaxon’s head. “Tell me where the evidence is or I’ll shoot your dearly beloved brother. You know I’ll do it.”

  Jaxon inhaled deeply. He had to stay alive to help Bryce get them out of this mess—and save Holly. “Tell him where it is, Bryce. I don’t wanna die yet. I wanna watch this bastard go down squealing like a pig while I’m having a beer with you and Mum.”

  “I like that picture,” Bryce quipped.

  Dom glared at them both. “You two are just annoying the hell out of me. My trigger finger is getting twitchy. I think I’ll relieve it.”

  “Hey,” Alfie interjected. “Why don’t we take them to the headquarters? Maybe Boss Lady can make him talk. And she’d want to know about this evidence too.”

  Dom smirked. “Yeah. I think she’ll have fun with them. Wait here while I check.” Then Dom walked out of the room.

  Jaxon’s breath hitched, assessing the situation. Could he take on Alfie without Dom coming back in and shooting at them?

  No. Too risky. Besides, he’d like to be taken to their headquarters, wherever that was.

  “Do you have evidence against me?” Alfie asked Bryce.

  “No. I’ve nothing against you.”

  Alfie looked relieved. “So is it all about Dom?”

  Bryce didn’t answer, smiling mysteriously.

  “What about Rod? You hate the fucker too, don’t you?”

  Bryce continued to smile.

  “I hope you have something against Rod,” Alfie said bitterly. “The idiot slept with my girlfriend. Ex-girlfriend.”

  “Yeah. Heard about that.”

  Dom came back in. “We’re going to the headquarters with these two.”

  Jaxon’s heart thumped hard. Perfect.

  Except that his phone started vibrating in his pocket, making a soft but distinctive sound that was obvious enough in the small space.

  “What’s that?” Alfie said.

  “It’s someone’s phone,” Dom said, straining his ear. Then he reached for Jaxon’s pocket.

  Jaxon was tempted to unarm Dom, but with Alfie pointing his weapon at him, he decided it wasn’t a good idea.

  “It’s your friend, Xavier Stirling,” Dom said with a smirk before chucking Jaxon’s phone in the bin. “And you know what, Bryce? I can’t trust you anymore. Drop your phone in here too.”

  Glaring, Bryce did as he was told.

  Jaxon gritted his teeth. Now how on earth would the IR track him?

  Chapter 19

  Holly sighed, checking her watch. Hopefully, Xavier and Eve would arrive soon. She didn’t want their flight to be delayed for too long. Luckily, Alexander Jets didn’t mind the wait. They were very accommodating to their clients.

  She couldn’t believe it. Just when she’d thought she’d come up with the perfect plan to give Xavier a break from playing bodyguard, he’d found out she was going to Byron Bay without him. And he’d asked for the plane to wait for him and Eve.

  At least Eve was joining them. Her brother and future sister-in-law could treat this trip as a mini-break. That lessened her guilt at the couple rearranging their schedules for her.

  She stood from the comfortable sofa in the Alexander Jets waiting room and headed for the door. Gregor, the last minute bodyguard sent by Smith Security, followed her. Unfortunately, Bryce had called in sick. She would have preferred him.

  Christine, who was busy talking on her phone, called out to her. “Where are you going?”

  “Just out in the corridors to stretch my legs.”

  Christine nodded and went back to her phone conversation.

  Holly walked around leisurely, glad that no one was making a fuss. The staff here were used to high-profile people availing of their services.

  “Excuse me, Miss Stirling?”

  Holly glanced at Nadia, the lady who’d be their flight attendant. “Yes?”

  “A woman is at reception wanting to say hi to you. She said she and her friend followed you here from your parents’ place. Apparently, they’re the ones who got attacked while waiting outside your house.”

  “Oh. Yes, I’ll come out and say hello.” She’d been wondering about those two women. She still felt guilty that they’d gotten hurt while trying to “protect” her.

  They weren’t at reception, though.

  “Miss Stirling,” the receptionist said. “Your fan went back to the car. She said her friend finds it hard to walk, but she’ll try to assist her to come in here.”

  “I hope they’re not parked too far away,” Holly mused. God, those flowers and gift baskets she’d sent them couldn’t have been enough if one of them was still suffering.

  She waited, but a few minutes later, they still hadn’t appeared.

  “Maybe they’re having a hard time,” she said to Gregor. “Can you go and check on them?”

  “Sure. What do they look like?”

  “Well, one’s a brunette, and the other’s a strawberry blonde, and… You know what? Why don’t I go with you?”

  Gregor frowned. “Okay. But don’t get too close until
I say so.”

  She nodded.

  They went to the outdoor car park and saw a lady waving to them from a car farther away.

  Holly shielded her eyes from the glare of the sun low in front of her. She couldn’t see the lady very well from where they were standing, but she didn’t seem to look like one of the OZs who’d been attacked.

  “Wait,” she said to Gregor. “I don’t recognise her.”

  Gregor grabbed her arm and looked around.

  “I’m happy to go back in,” she said a little nervously.

  A black four-wheel-drive stopped in front of them, and Holly found herself being literally thrown in the backseat. Gregor got in next to her.

  The vehicle sped off, and she looked at Gregor with contempt. “Who are you, people?”

  “Do you need to ask that?” Gregor said. “We’re your kidnappers.”

  The driver laughed.

  Fear rose in Holly’s throat, and she tried gulped it down. “Where’s my real bodyguard?”

  “Oh, you mean Gregor?” the man she thought was Gregor said with an ugly smirk. “He’s somewhere, with a big painful bump on his noggin’. Poor fella didn’t even know what hit him.”

  “Who are you then?”

  “I’m happy for you to call me Gregor. The name’s growing on me.”

  She scowled at the thug. “Where are you taking me?”

  “Not far.”

  And the guy was right. They couldn’t have travelled more than three minutes when they drove into a commercial garage.

  “Come on, Princess,” her captor said, pulling her out.

  She snatched her arm away. “I can get off by myself, thank you.”

  “Well, hurry up.’

  She glared at him.

  “Over here.” He gestured towards the open door of a Winnebago. “You’ll be very comfortable in here.”

  Reluctantly, she got into the motorhome. It was spacious. At least she wouldn’t have to sit so close to the bastards.

  But, damn, with the dark windows, she wouldn’t be able to attract other motorists’ attention.

  They started backing out the garage, and Holly was grateful the two men sat at the front, leaving her sitting alone in the compact dining area. The thugs started discussing what they would do with the five million dollars each they were going to get as their share of the sixty-million-dollar ransom money.

  Wait, what? Sixty million? What happened to fifty million? Not that her family could easily come up with that money.

  Did that mean they’d be keeping her a prisoner until that exact ransom amount was paid? Would they negotiate down? But even if they halved it, selling assets would take ages, not to mention the sheer stress everyone would feel.

  She squeezed her eyes shut, shivering.

  Xavier and Eve would probably be at the airport by now. And she could imagine their distress.

  Her eyes watered. After all her family had done to keep her safe, here she was.

  And Jaxon…

  He’d taken care of her so well…

  She placed a hand over her mouth to stop a sob from coming out. She missed him so much, and the pain in her heart had done nothing but increase over time.

  She constantly daydreamed that they were back together, even though she couldn’t see how it would work. Thing was, no matter how much she reminded herself that he couldn’t live in her world, her heart kept insisting Jaxon was the one for her.

  Would she ever see him again? And her family?

  She glanced at her captors, tears falling down her cheeks. She’d fight these bastards with everything she had. Well, not physically, perhaps, but she had to keep her wits about her until her family could get her freed. She was certain they wouldn’t give up until they got her back.

  So she shouldn’t give up either. Not on her freedom and not on her life.

  And not on love.

  She took a deep breath, making a vow. When she was released, she’d try to get Jaxon back. They deserved another chance—even if she got rejected all over again.

  Chapter 20

  Jaxon squinted as the blindfold was snatched from his face, his eyes adjusting to the brightness. Where were they? According to the calculations he’d made while he’d sat quietly in the car, they were about an hour from the church. And from trying to visualise all the turns they’d made, he guessed they’d headed southward.

  “Get out,” Dom ordered.

  Jaxon got out of the car, looking around the big residential garage. Whoever owned this property was clearly rich. Ten vehicles could fit in here, and there was even a bar in a corner. But at the moment, there were only two cars inside—the sedan they’d travelled in, and a Ferrari parked right in the middle.

  “Watch them while I talk to Boss Lady,” Dom said to Alfie, then went inside the house.

  “What’s Boss Lady’s name?” Jaxon asked.

  “Fleur,” Alfie said. “But she likes to be called Boss Lady.”

  “Hey, wanna see the pool?” Bryce asked, starting to undo the handkerchief that had cuffed Jaxon’s wrists together.

  Jaxon hid a smile. Good thing the thugs hadn’t thought Bryce had to be constrained, and had only promised to shoot Bryce dead if he’d tried to escape. But they hadn’t wanted Jaxon to see where they’d headed.

  “Don’t move!” Alfie said, pointing his gun at Bryce.

  Bryce snickered, not following the order. “Fuck’s sake, Alfie. You’re the only one here with the gun. Why don’t you relax and grab yourself a drink? I just want to show Jax the pool.”

  Alfie paused for a moment, then put his gun down.

  Jaxon followed his brother and looked through the window. The pool indeed was nice. But it wasn’t anything special for a house that Jaxon could tell was magnificent.

  Bryce stepped closer to him. “There’s no evidence,” his brother said under his breath.

  “What?”

  “I have no physical evidence against Dom. I made it up so—”

  They were interrupted by the sound of the door opening.

  “What’s going on here?” Dom asked.

  “They’re just having a look at the pool,” Alfie said defensively. “And I agreed for the handkerchief to be untied. They don’t have weapons on them.”

  Dom glared at Alfie before pointing his gun at Jaxon and Bryce. “Come inside.”

  Jaxon followed, his heart hammering. What would Dom and the Boss Lady do to Bryce when he failed to point them to the evidence?

  Dom led them to a big living room, beautifully decorated with modern, expensive-looking furniture. The wide folding door leading to the pool was open, letting in a refreshing breeze.

  “This is your headquarters?” Jaxon asked. “Nice.”

  “Alfie, why don’t you get our guests a drink?” Dom said with sarcasm.

  “Why don’t you get all of us a drink, Alfie?”

  Jaxon’s head whipped towards the newcomer.

  A middle-aged woman in a smart pantsuit smiled at him. “Hello, boys. I wasn’t expecting you here tonight.”

  “I wasn’t expecting to be here at all,” Jaxon muttered. He hadn’t seen this woman before, not even in pictures. She probably wasn’t known to the Indie Rebels.

  “You must have had the shock of your life when you followed Bryce to that temporary office. Do you know he’s one of us? Has been for ten years.”

  He glanced at Bryce. “I’m very disappointed.”

  “Well,” Fleur said with a heavy sigh. “We’ve been very disappointed with Bryce too. He’s the worst out of everyone who’s ever worked for me. And now I learn he’s been collecting evidence against Dom. How can we trust you now, Bryce?”

  Bryce simply stood impassively.

  “Give me your gun,” the woman ordered Dom.

  Dom placed his weapon on his boss’s open palm.

  Then Fleur pointed it at Jaxon’s head.

  Jaxon hid a sigh. Great. Back to this again.

  “How much do you love your brother, Bryce?” Boss
Lady asked sweetly.

  Jaxon let out a huff. “Seriously, ma’am, if I were you, I’d just focus on looking for that evidence before you start killing anyone. I don’t have to tell you that you wouldn’t want to get blood splatters all over your nice rug and furniture, not to mention the walls. I’m sure you know they’re a bitch to clean up.”

  Fleur snickered. “Sounds like you have firsthand experience?”

  “Nah, but I’ve read it somewhere. And, look, I just don’t want to die yet, okay? I don’t exactly trust that Bryce would want to save me. Not that I’m saying he doesn’t care for me, but it’s only been recently that we saw each other again after ten years. The connection is not strong, if you know what I mean. So threatening me might not be as effective as you think. So why don’t we all have a conversation and negotiate? I’m sure we can work something out.”

  The woman laughed loudly. “I like your spunk, Jaxon. We should have recruited you years ago rather than your brother.”

  Jaxon’s brow rose. That was a strange comment. They must have had recruited Bryce at Darwin or the Whitsundays, and he hadn’t been in those places in the last ten years.

  He glanced at Bryce. Hopefully, his brother understood that he was just buying time. After Bryce’s actions earlier, he had no doubts his brother loved him enough.

  “Holly Stirling’s here,” Dom said.

  Jaxon’s heart stuttered, and he couldn’t help his sharp intake of breath.

  “Do you want us to take her to the secret wing?” Dom asked.

  Fleur pursed her lips, scrutinising Jaxon. “No. Bring her here. I think my day just got better.”

  Fuck! He was normally good at being expressionless when required, but this simply took him by surprise.

  “But put Bryce in a room first, will you?” Fleur added.

  Dom pointed the gun at Bryce, motioning for him to go.

  “I’ll be back, bro,” Bryce said as he went with Dom.

  Jaxon nodded. “Don’t let the fuckers hurt you.”

  “Alfie,” Boss Lady said, “stand behind Jaxon and put that gun right up against that handsome head of his.”

  Alfie did as he was told.

  Soon, Jaxon heard hurried footsteps against the tiled floor. Damn it, they were dragging Holly.