The Bodyguard's Fake Marriage

by Bree Livingston

  “First, is my papa still alive? And when can I see him?”

  “Your father is in perfect health, and you’ll see him as soon as we get to the estate. Now, would you like to hear my proposition?”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “What?”

  “If you come with me willingly, I’ll let the captain live. If you don’t, I’ll kill him and take you anyway.”

  Jake took her hand. “Don’t.”

  Lexi pulled her gaze from Faustus and caught Jake’s gaze. “He’ll kill you.”

  “He’ll kill me either way.”

  Faustus waved his hand in the air. “Oh, Captain, that’s not true. I’ll let you live. No explosions necessary.”

  The man leveled his gaze at Jake, and a silent understanding passed between them. Faustus would let Jake live about five seconds after he got Lexi out of the house. Then he’d blow the place. Which meant he’d planted a bomb, and if Lexi didn’t leave, she’d die along with him.

  “You’ll let him live?”

  Faustus nodded. “Absolutely.”

  “How do I know I can trust you?”

  “You don’t.”

  Lexi chewed her thumb. “I’ll go with you, but all your men have to leave before we do.”

  Faustus grinned. “I will on one condition.”

  “What?”

  He pulled a syringe from his coat pocket. “You give this to Mr. Maverick to make sure he doesn’t try to break my neck before we leave.”

  “Drug him?” Lexi sounded horrified.

  “It’s a sedative. Nothing harmful, I assure you. I’ll even give you the satisfaction of checking his pulse before we leave,” Faustus said as he caught Jake’s gaze.

  So, Faustus was going to knock him out, making sure he didn’t have a chance to get out before he set off the bomb. Jake had to give him points for cleverness.

  She looked up at Jake and then to Faustus. As she took a step, Jake grabbed her arm. “Don’t.”

  “I don’t want him to hurt you.”

  “Do you trust me?”

  She nodded. “I trust you to do whatever it takes to make sure I’m safe, and that’s not a risk I’m willing to take.” She pulled free, and as she got to Faustus, he stood, grabbed her, and kissed her.

  Jake growled and charged forward. One of Faustus’s goons slammed the butt of his rifle into his stomach, and Jake dropped to the floor with a grunt. He held his stomach as pain ricocheted through his body.

  Through hazy vision, he saw Lexi pinch her lips together and slap Faustus across the face. “He’s unarmed and hurt. Coward.”

  Faustus grabbed her by the chin, and his lips curled. “Get that sedative in him and let’s go. You’re lucky I’m not putting a bullet between his eyes.” He pushed her back and slapped the syringe in her hand. “Do it. Or would you rather him die in front of you?”

  “Your men leave first.”

  Faustus motioned with his head toward the door, and his men filed out.

  Lexi walked to Jake and kneeled down. She bent over him and brushed her hand along his cheek. She pulled the cap off the syringe and paused just as it touched his skin. “I’m sorry,” she said as the needle pierced his skin.

  “Not your fault. My fault.”

  The instant it hit his bloodstream, he could feel the effects.

  She put her mouth against his ear. “Don’t fight it. Just drift, okay?”

  That was against everything he’d ever been taught, and he fought to remain conscious. “Remember what I taught you.”

  “I remember.” She smiled.

  For a second, he felt her lips on his, and then the pull of whatever he’d been given was too much for him to fight.

  Chapter 23

  “Let’s go,” Faustus barked.

  It wasn’t until that moment, as Lexi’s looked down at Jake, that she knew without a doubt she loved him. She didn’t care about type, hair length, or anything else. His sweet, caring nature was all she could see. He was who she wanted now and forever.

  Lexi glared at Faustus. “You said I could make sure he still had a pulse. I don’t know this medication, and I don’t know how long it takes to get through his system. I want to make sure he’s okay.”

  “We have plans, Lexi, and I intend to keep them.”

  She slid her fingers through Jake’s hair. “And I intend to make sure my husband isn’t dead.”

  “He won’t be your husband much longer. One of the plans I intend to keep is making sure your marriage is taken care of.”

  “Do you even need me to take the Maheras orchard?” Lexi turned to looked at him.

  Faustus grinned and shook his head. “No, not really, but marrying Basil Maheras’s daughter will give me more than just land. With his backing, the rumors of my father’s…suspicious death will be put to rest. Of course, if you do grow cumbersome, I can always be a widower.”

  “I will finish my medical degree.”

  “No, I don’t think so. You’ve spent long enough in this country. We’ll be flying back to Greece after our engagement party tomorrow night, and you’ll be staying there so I can keep an eye on you. It’ll make it easier to keep your father in line as well.”

  Lexi pressed her fingertips to Jake’s neck, and relief washed over her as the steady beat of his heart thumped against her fingers.

  “Well? Is he alive?” asked Faustus.

  “Yes, he’s alive.”

  “Then it’s time to go.”

  She kissed Jake on the forehead and held her lips to his skin before standing. She hated leaving him on the cold, hard floor. “Can’t you move him to the couch? The floor is hard, and he’s hurt.”

  “If you don’t come with me now, I’ll make sure he’ll hurt even worse.”

  Turning to Faustus, she said, “He’ll come for me,” with a challenge in her tone.

  “Then I guess we should get going so I have a head start.” Faustus waved her ahead of him.

  They walked out of the house to a waiting car. Faustus held the door for her and then climbed in after her. A mile down the road, he took out a small device and tossed it in the air before catching it.

  Lexi leaned back. “What are you doing?”

  “Celebrating a well-executed plan.” He caught the device one last time and hit a button.

  An explosion rocked the car, and Lexi screamed as a fireball plumed in the air from the direction of the house.

  “No!” She threw herself across the seat and beat her fists against Faustus.

  He caught her wrists and drew her close, his stale breath hitting her in the face. “I let him live five minutes longer than I should have. And you’re lucky. He was unconscious for it. At least he was resting in peace before he went to pieces.” He threw her back against the door.

  Lexi twisted in the seat and stared out the back window. She’d never told Jake she loved him. Now, she’d never get to tell him what he meant to her. That she loved his sparkling dark eyes and his mischievous half-smile, and she didn’t care if his hair hit his knees. She’d never get to say all the things she should have said the moment she realized how she felt. Why had she held back? Why hadn’t she had the courage to tell him?

  Finally, when the house was long out of sight, she turned around in the seat and curled her legs under her. Her world had been ripped from under feet, and her heart was in shreds. Tears pooled in her eyes and flooded down her cheeks as body-wracking sobs took her over.

  Jake was…gone. Just like that, gone, and she’d never see him again. How was she supposed to live, knowing that she hadn’t told him how she felt? She’d been so afraid of changing her plans that she’d missed the best thing to ever happen to her.

  The flight to Faustus’s estate was a haze. A fog so thick had settled over her that she could barely hear anyone speaking. She was unprepared for the loss, and there was no escape from the deep ache she felt.

  “Lexi,” her papa said as some thug pushed her into the house. “Oh, Lexi, you’re okay.” He wrapped his arms around
her and kissed the top of her head. “Oh, I’m so happy to see you.” Her papa leaned back, and his smile faded. “Lexi, what’s wrong?”

  She lifted her gaze to her papa’s, and a numbness filled her. “Faustus killed my husband. Just killed him, and he didn’t know that I loved him.”

  “Mr. Maverick’s…dead?”

  Nodding, she said, “I love him. I’m not sure I’ll ever stop.” Tears streaked down her cheeks again.

  Her papa put his arms out and then dropped them. “I’m so sorry, my love.”

  “He was a good man. Sweet and kind and warm. I think he loved me too, but now I’ll never know.”

  “You didn’t need to kill him, Faustus. Just stop him for a short while,” her papa said.

  Faustus laughed. “We both know he would have never stopped coming. This way I don’t have to worry. I suspect the local fire department is picking through the debris now, and soon they’ll even be able to identify the body.”

  Lexi whirled around and slapped Faustus across the jaw.

  He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her close. “You’ll learn some manners.”

  “Or what? You’ll kill me? There goes your credibility.”

  “No, I’ll kill your father.”

  “You’ll do that anyway. Is that the best incentive you have?”

  Faustus’s face fell, like he was taken aback. “You’ll do as your told or regret it.” He let go of one of her arms and motioned to one of his men. “Take her to her room and lock the door. Do not trust anything she says or does. Our captain taught my new fiancée a few moves, and she can be quite driven when she wants to be.”

  Lexi wanted to say something smart, but the only way she was going to get the chance to wrap her fingers around this snake’s throat was to bite her tongue.

  Two of the guards grabbed each of her arms, and they led her upstairs to her room.

  Alone and locked in, she curled up on her bed, and the sudden silence was deafening. So much had happened. So much to sort through and compartmentalize, but that’s what she needed to do. It’s what Jake would’ve wanted her to do. To pull herself together and come up with a plan to get herself free.

  If it was the last thing she did, she was going to at least remember him the way he would’ve wanted. Ten more steps, and then she could devolve into a messy puddle.

  Chapter 24

  “Jake. You need to wake up.”

  Jake could hear the voice and knew who it belonged to, but it was so hard to respond. Whatever he’d been given was powerful, and he felt as though he was being held down by a lead blanket.

  “Jake, man, wake up,” Noah said and shook him. “I don’t know what they gave him, but he might be having an allergic reaction.”

  Jake balled his fists and forced himself into a sitting position. “No, I’m up.” Or at least that’s what he tried to say. He rubbed his eyes with the balls of his hands and barely kept himself upright. “Where…where am I?”

  “Pamela’s private jet.”

  “What time is it?” Jake asked, still barely able to speak.

  Noah laughed. “Late. You’ve been out a while.”

  “Lexi?”

  Noah handed him a bottle of water. “With Faustus in California, and we’re headed that way now.”

  “When I get my hands on him, I’ll kill him.” He drained the bottle and wiped his mouth. “The house?”

  “Toast,” Ryder said.

  Jake leaned back and rested his head on the seat. “I’m sorry. Do you know how they found the house?”

  “Don’t worry about it. Let’s just say I’ll be looking for a new gardener,” Pamela said. “It wasn’t your fault, and now I’ve got no excuse but to find a new headquarters. I’ll be much more strategic in my next choice.”

  “How did you guys get out?” Jake asked Noah.

  Ryder snorted. “Gunner got Pamela out and doubled back. We got you and got out just before the house blew.”

  “He gave me something that knocked me out. I feel hammered.” His head pounded, and his vision was blurry.

  Gunner moved from the front of the plane and sat across from him. “Faustus is throwing an engagement party tomorrow evening.”

  It felt like a punch to the gut, even if he did know their relationship was fake. He was in love with her, and he’d let her down. Now, she was being forced to marry that weasel.

  “It’s not your fault,” Noah said.

  Jake jerked his attention to him. “What are you talking about?”

  Noah shook his head. “Really? I’ve seen that look before. This is not your fault. He caught us all off guard. We weren’t the ones who came in on a stretcher. If anyone is to blame, it’s us because we let you down.”

  “She’s my responsibility. I promised to keep her safe. I told her I’d get her out of there, and I didn’t.”

  Pamela slid the folder she was holding onto the table in front of her. “Jake, no. Once she stepped foot in my home, she became my responsibility. I let her down. You guys want to call me boss? Well, this is what a boss does. They take the blame when things go wrong. But you have my word that we’ll make this right.”

  “Pamela, I—”

  She held up a finger. “I’ve got an invite to her engagement party. An old friend of mine who happens to be on the guest list needed a plus one. Noah, Ryder, and Gunner will be going in as catering staff.”

  “What about me?” Jake asked.

  “You’re too recognizable. You’ll have to stay outside until you see a chance to get past the security. Maybe you could even quietly take out a few if they approach you.”

  He didn’t like it, but she was right.

  Gunner grinned. “And I found out why the police didn’t show at Maheras’s estate.”

  Jake furrowed his eyebrows. “Why?”

  “They were told it was a false report. What you heard was them en route, and then they got the call that they weren’t needed.”

  That was some good news at least. He’d worried that someone on the inside was used, and knowing that wasn’t the case was a relief. “Good.”

  “And this time when they get the call, they’re coming because my date happens to be the Chief of Police,” Pamela said and smiled.

  Jake leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “How did he manage to get an invite?”

  “He likes to feel like powerful people owe him.” Pamela stood. “Jake, you’re to rest until we go in. It’s going against my better judgment to even bring you along, but I know if I didn’t, you’d just find a way to get there.”

  He smiled. “At least I’m consistent.”

  Pamela turned to walk away and paused. “Make sure he rests.”

  They worked through the night and into the next morning. Well, Noah, Ryder, and Gunner did. Jake wasn’t allowed to do anything.

  When they arrived in California, they met Pamela’s contacts and then went for tux fittings. Apparently, Faustus’s party was black tie and ballgown. One thing was for sure. He knew Lexi would look incredible, and he couldn’t wait to see her.

  A block away from the estate, the limo stopped, and Jake got out and closed the door. The window rolled down, and Pamela stuck her head out. “You need to take it easy. You know that, right? Leave it to us to take care of things.”

  “You know if they try to hurt her, I have no choice but to protect her, whatever it takes.”

  She touched his arm. “Just try to avoid that, okay? It’s only been a few days since you came in on a stretcher.”

  “I made a promise, Pamela. I’m going to keep it.”

  Pamela nodded. “I know, but I had to try. Let’s go crash a party.”

  Jake smiled. “It’ll be my pleasure,” he said, stepping toward the bushes at the side of the road.

  Pamela rolled up the window, and the limo continued up the block, stopping at the wrought iron gate surrounding the property.

  Using a torch they’d left near the bushes earlier in the day, he cut a hole in the fence, stepped through,
and strode through the trees toward the house. When he reached the house, he could hear live music playing softly through French doors that opened from the ballroom onto the patio. He slipped through them, stuck close to the wall, and kept his head down until the clink of a glass quieted the room.

  Faustus stood on the second-floor landing and leaned against the banister with Mr. Maheras flanking him. Lexi’s father held his head high, his hands clasped in front of him, and there was no mistaking the contempt he held for his future son-in-law.

  “Welcome, everyone! Thank you for coming to my engagement party. Alexandria and I appreciate it so much, especially since it was on such short notice,” Faustus said.

  Just then, Lexi stepped next to Faustus, her lips in a thin tight line, and even from where Jake stood, he could see her fuming. Faustus was lucky there were witnesses.

  Jake couldn’t get over how incredible she looked. She looked like a Greek princess. Her gown was some sort of flowy material that swished around her, and it was the color of her eyes. Almost as though it had been on standby for her to wear, which made his blood boil. Faustus had planned his attack well.

  “Alexandria, would you like to say something?” Faustus asked. Jake had to give it to him. Either he had guts, or he didn’t know Lexi at all. Jake would bank on both.

  “No, darling,” she spat. “But wouldn’t it be hysterical if you fell down the stairs?”

  Faustus’s hand slipped behind her back, and she let out a tiny yelp. He leaned down, and Jake could see his fingers wrapped around the back of her neck. That man had put his hands on her. Twice. Jake was done. He took a step and felt a hand on his shoulder.

  “If you step into the middle of this room, he’ll have you escorted out,” Noah whispered.

  Jake balled his fists. “He’s hurting her.”

  “Yes, and if you’d like to put an end to it, you need to be smart about this. Right now, it’s not a smart time.”

  Jake cursed under his breath. He was seeing red. Before the night was over, Faustus was going to be sprawled on the floor. “Fine.”