Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 67266 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 336(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67266 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 336(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
Whatever the story, it was clear this was a job I had to take. “I need more details if I’m going to protect this man.”
“I just emailed you all the information you need. Check your phone and verify you’ve got it.”
I opened the message and saw the photo of Darren Fontaine. I’d had the fortune or maybe misfortune of meeting him once before. He was cold, demanding, brilliant, and one hot zaddy. Also, he hated me. Maybe I could change that while I was babysitting him or at least get him to admit that a nice, rough hate fuck would be all kinds of fun. Of course, I wasn’t supposed to fuck anyone I was working with, but I was also supposed to get a vacation. I was owed a few minor breaks in the rules.
I wasn’t one hundred percent certain Darren was into men, but the way he’d looked at me with his scathing once-overs made me think he was totally into me. Seeing how hot I could make him while we worked together would be a good way to amuse myself since bodyguard jobs were usually boring as shit.
“This matters as much to me as protecting Blade did to you,” X said, pulling me out of my fantasy.
“I’ll take good care of him. Wherever he’s going, he’ll get there safe and sound.”
“That’s why I chose you for the job.”
X’s praise nearly made my heart flutter. Words like that from him were rare but always sincere. “So where am I headed?”
“A car will pick you up in about half an hour to take you to the airport.” Damn bastard really was sure of himself. I could have turned the job down. “Everything else is in the information I sent you.” X ended the call before I could say anything else.
I sighed as I turned back toward the house. I was going to have to excuse myself from the celebration and figure out exactly what the hell X had gotten me into.
2
DARREN
When my phone started buzzing, I’d just fallen asleep next to the beautiful woman who’d kept me company for most of the night. I wanted to ignore the device, but it wasn’t my regular phone; it was a one linked to a number only a few people knew, and none of them would use it for anything less than an emergency.
I looked at the number. Xavier Carrington. It had been a while since I’d heard from him, and he rarely called with anything I wanted to hear, but I wasn’t going to ignore him no matter how much I longed to turn the phone off and curl around the soft, warm body nestled against mine.
I slipped from the smooth sheets and walked into the living-room area of my hotel suite. “Hello?”
“Hello, Darren. I’m calling in a favor.”
I owed him more than one favor. He’d saved my life, not once but twice. Still, that didn’t mean I welcomed the interruption to the week I had planned. “What do you need?”
“I need your help protecting one of my men, and I need your acting skills because he thinks he’s protecting you.”
“You have me intrigued.” It sounded like no more than a bodyguard job, so I wasn’t sure why he’d waste a valuable favor on it, but I would hear him out.
Xavier explained that an agent who did black ops for him had gotten himself into some trouble when he was in the marines. He’d gone off book to take care of some problems with the locals, and the brother of a man he’d killed had vowed to get revenge. That man and his associate were in the States now, and they were looking for him.
“What about this involves my particular skill set?”
“He tends to move in before thinking, but he’s also a damn good agent, and he’s smart as hell, but he doesn’t always want to show it. I have to have someone believable for him to protect. You’re exactly the sort of man he would expect me to call him in for. Be warned. He’ll look into you as deeply as he can get.
“And just how deep is that?
“He’s not as good as me, but he has resources, and he’s excellent at what he does.”
“Then he’ll see right through your story.
“No. I told him about some of your sideline businesses.”
“Xavier.”
“He’s completely trustworthy. You would hire him yourself. I’ve never worked with anyone more loyal.”
“How much does he know?”
“He knows you don’t mind breaking the law. He thinks someone is after you, and you need to make a delivery before they catch up to you.”
“So he doesn’t know the details of my endeavors?”
“No one ever knows the whole story.”
“Not even you?”
Xavier snorted. “I’d like to think I do, but I know better.”
I had to give it to Xavier, he was something else. He always had been, even as a kid. “Surely there’s someone else who could handle this. I’m supposed to—”