Javier (Alpha Heroes #12)

Chapter Eight

Missy

“Don’t scream.” A familiar voice whispered in my ear. “It’s only a donkey. Okay?”

I nodded. As soon as he let go, I whirled around.

Javier stood before me with an amused grin stamped on his face. “I checked it out. False alarm. The donkey must’ve escaped some campesino nearby. You can stand down.”

“Oh.” It was about all I could manage.

My heart refused to slow down. It was past beating from fear. It now raced because of him. My gaze focused on the sight of his mouth, and when his eyes slid down to my lips, I had to suppress an urge to kiss him. He stood so close to me that my skin prickled as if begging for his touch, my nipples peaked, craving his attentions, and, despite my brave effort, the ache between my legs bloomed again.

I pressed my thighs together and tried to hide how flustered I was. “You scared me.”

“Sorry.” He gestured over the bushes and flashed a self-deprecating smirk. “Here comes the jackass, and for once, it’s not me.”

I barked a quiet giggle. He really was funny. The animal ambled into view, munching on the grasses and trailing a length of rope hanging from his crude holster. I allowed the tension to ease from my shoulders. To think I’d almost peed my pants. I was such a scaredy cat.

A glance at Javier showed me he’d stripped down to his camo pants and T-shirt. Standing close to me, he smelled fresh, like my baby powder wipes. I swore that the hue of his eyes lightened and the shade of his beard grew darker by the moment.

He carried his weapon, but he must’ve left the rest of his gear behind at the camp. He still looked big and formidable, but he seemed… I don’t know… a little less intimidating? A tad more human? Like a guy you might meet at a bar if one frequented those places, a really hot one who would attract the attention of all the beautiful and popular women everywhere he went.

Another thought set my face to burn. “How long have you been watching me?”

“Not long.” He kept his stare on our visitor. “I was tracking the donkey when I found you.”

Phew . He hadn’t seen me doing my thing. I’d dodged that bullet.

“Angel?” He turned his face and his shrewd eyes studied my face. “Is everything okay? You look a little… shaken?”

“I’m fine, just fine.” I sounded insincere even to myself.

I couldn’t shake the feeling he’d seen more than he’d admitted to, but I wasn’t going to press him on that. I was too chicken to want to know, and I didn’t want him to have even the slightest hint of what his presence did to me.

“You should get some rest,” he rumbled quietly.

“Yes.” I nodded. “I was just about to go check on the sisters.”

“They’re snoring,” he reported. “Go join them.”

I picked up my little backpack and started toward the trail, but he didn’t follow me. Instead, he walked over to where the boat was hidden between the grass and sat down with his back against the gunwales, his carbine on his lap, and his long legs stretched before him.

“You’re not coming?” I asked.

His gaze roamed over the lake. “I’m gonna stay out here and keep watch.”

“I’ll keep you company.” I retraced my steps and stood before him. “Perhaps we can have the talk you promised me?”

He gave me a cursory look. “Can’t it wait until we’re out of here?”

“It’s just that I have so many questions.”

“You won’t go to sleep unless we talk,” he guessed. “Am I right?”

I lifted my shoulders. “Sorry?”

“Okay then.” He patted the spot on the ground next to him. “Let’s do it.”

***

Javier

Talk. She wanted to talk. Right after I’d seen what I’d seen, when I needed to put some distance between us and work at cooling down the engines of my treasonous dick.

Moving efficiently, she settled her pack on the ground and eased down next to me with her legs crisscrossed. Her proximity brought back flashes of the wonders I’d witnessed tonight. I wanted to kiss her again. Touch her. Get familiar with her body. Lick her nipples and glide my dick in and out of her wet pussy for the rest of the night.

Shake it off, Marine. I’m sure she doesn’t wanna do the dirty with you.

I unzipped my pocket, slid out a small package of cookies, opened it, and tilted it her way. “Want some?”

“You eat it,” she said. “You need the calories more than I do.”

“You need to eat as well.” I picked out a shortbread wafer, and, holding it up in the air, wiggled my eyebrows. “I noticed you gave most of your food to the nuns. The cookies are good. I promise. I’m a cookie expert.”

She took the wafer from me. “But only because you insist.”

“I insist.” I stuffed the whole wafer in my mouth, chewed, and swallowed. “I’ve got a special compartment in my ruck for my cookies. Never leave home without them.”

A smile twitched on her lips. “So you’re like Sesame Street’s Cookie Monster?”

“I might even be the original Cookie Monster.” I chuckled. “I used to love that show as a kid. You’d be Abby Cadabby, the fairy-in-training.”

“Hmm.” She considered me as she chewed and swallowed. “Should I be offended about being likened to a four-year-old fairy-in-training?”

“Nah.” I waved my cookie packet in the air. “But you do look young.”

“I’m twenty-six.” Her eyes glinted. “Almost twenty-seven.”

“Still young in my book.” I wolfed down another cookie. “In my opinion, you don’t get to be an adult until you get to your thirties.”

“How old are you?”

“Thirty-four.”

“You are ancient,” she teased. “The question is, are you an adult?”

“I try to avoid being an adult whenever possible,” I teased back.

“You’re a regular Peter Pan, then.”

I don’t know why I wanted to deny something that was true.

Nibbling on my wafer, I changed the topic. “We’re not far from the border now. In a day or two, you’re gonna be gorging on your sister’s homemade cookies. Now, that’s a treat.”

She blinked several times. “Thena baked cookies for you?”

“She bakes cookies for me and the guys on a regular basis if she has time.”

“Thena used to bake me cookies when I was little.” She glanced at me before lowering her eyes to her lap. “She only bakes for the special people in her life.”

“Hell, yeah, I’m special.” I preened. “I’m pretty sure I’m her favorite.”

She glanced up and flashed a small smile. “You’re also very modest.”

“Who needs modesty when you’re—well—me?”

She covered her mouth and muted a musical giggle, making me feel as if I’d won a hard-earned reward.

“I don’t suppose anyone has ever talked to you about virtues like modesty and humility.”

“Lots have tried.” I winked at her. “None have succeeded.”

Her cheeks blushed, from a simple wink, no less. I swear, except for her, I’d never met a woman who truly blushed like she did. Was she flustered?

My eyes slid down to her chest. Holy shit . Her nipples poked through her white T-shirt as hard as bullet jackets. The sight reactivated that certain overactive part of me that had no business being operational. I needed to disengage from this line of thought.

She ventured another glance at me. “How did you find me?”

“Our cyberwizard-in-chief uploaded pictures of you and ran her proprietary facial recognition program for weeks on end,” I explained. “This is a very powerful program. She did a global search. After billions upon billions of attempts, she got a hit.”

“That’s weird.” She knitted her brows. “I haven’t allowed any pictures of me taken since I left home.”

“True, but your face showed up in a blurry profile in the distant, grainy background of a picture posted in social media by an organization that funds orphanages all over the world. It took some work to figure out where the picture had been taken. I traveled here to verify the intel. Instead, I found you.”

“Wow.” She shook her head. “Sounds like a lot of work.”

“Trust me, your sister, Dagger, and Tracker Team have been on it twenty-four seven.”

“What is Tracker Team?” she asked.

“It’s Dagger’s team.” I gave her a quick brief on BB and Tracker Team. “We’re a private outfit. Tracker Team is mostly composed of Marine Raiders.”

“Like Dash and Nix,” she pointed out quietly.

“Yes, except Dagger and the rest of us have now made the transition to the civilian sector.” I skipped telling her that I’d served with Nix. Instead, I briefly explained how we’d come together under Dagger’s command, and that our first mission pertained to her sister Thena.

“Is she okay?” she asked. “Why did she send for me? And what about Cece and Affie? Are they with Thena?”

“Whoa, Angel.” I lifted my hands and motioned for her to slow down. “That’s a lot of questions for one dumb jarhead. I’d rather you ask Goddess directly.”

A little line deepened between her eyebrows. “ Goddess ?”

“It’s Thena’s call sign.”

She tilted her head like a kitten, in the cutest possible way. “Thena has a call sign?”

“Of course she does.” I finished the last of my cookie and shook off the crumbs from my hands. “I should say she’s an honorary member of Tracker Team, but in truth, she’s a full member. Your sister is an incredible woman.”

“That she is.” Missy’s eyes took on a faraway sheen. “She pretty much raised me. I don’t know what would’ve happened to me without her. I’ve missed her so much.”

“I bet.” I crushed the cookie wrapper in my hand and stuffed it back in my pocket. “She misses you a lot, too. She says so all the time.”

“I thought that maybe…”

When she went quiet, I pushed her a little. “Maybe what?”

“That maybe she was angry at me for leaving.”

“I don’t get that impression, but that’s something you ought to ask her.”

“I’ll ask her, but since she’s not here, can you please answer my questions?”

“All right. I’ll give it a shot.” I took a big inhale. “On question one. Yes, Thena is well, and getting better. On question two, she sent me to find you because she’s really worried about you, about your safety. On question three, that’s a no.”

“Wait.” She shook her head and frowned at the same time. “What do you mean when you say she’s getting better?”

Might as well tell her the hard stuff. She was gonna find out, anyway. “Your sister was poisoned in a plot hatched by the same son of a bitch who sent those fuckers to kill you.”

“Oh, my God.” Eyes widened in shock, she lifted her hands and covered her lower face. “Thena was poisoned?”

“Affirmative, but she’s okay now,” I rushed to reassure her. “She’s fine.”

“I have to go to her.” She wrung her hands on her lap. “Who will take care of her if not me?”

“Two words.” I twirled a pair of fingers in the air. “Dashiell Dagger.”

“But…” She hesitated. “She called off their engagement.”

“Life’s like a garbage can.” I flashed her a grin. “When the trash starts stinking, it’s time for a change. She wears a big rock these days. The engagement is back on.”

“That’s awesome news.” A small smile lit up her eyes. “Those two were always crazy about each other.”

“Believe me.” I wiggled my eyebrows suggestively. “They still are. Rooms, closets, pool, the gym. One has to tread with care when they disappear. Know what I mean?”

She wrinkled her cute button nose. “Eww.”

I barked a laugh and cocked my eyebrows. “TMI?”

“She’s my big sister and Dash is like my brother, so now I’m gonna have to erase the images you just put in my head. I’m never going to feel comfortable opening a closet door without knocking.”

I flashed an apologetic grin. “Sorry?”

“Just kidding.” This time, a full smile curved her lips, and I could’ve sworn she batted her lashes at me. “I’m not a little girl, you know.”

Wait. Was she flirting with me? ’Cause if she was—

Nope . I gulped down and stuck to my resolutions. She’s your no-go zone . I was not gonna flirt back.

“A love like theirs is hard to find.” She let out a soulful exhale then ambushed me with her next question. “How about you? Do you have a girlfriend? A wife?”

“ Me? Love ?” I broke into a cynical chortle. “No, nah, never. I don’t believe in that shit. I mean, maybe it works for Dagger and Goddess, but not for me. I don’t limit my range.”

“Oh?” She studied my face. “What does that mean?”

“I like a woman who’s after the same thing I am. I like them sexy, lusty, and horny.”

“You like floozies?”

“You say that as if it’s a bad thing. I love floozies. I have great respect for them. They know what they want. They’re my type. Sexual liberation is my jam. I’m totally fine with hot and sweaty old-fashioned fuck fests with clear time stamps.”

“I see.” The color heightened in her cheeks.

“Sorry.” I cringed. “My mouth runs away from me sometimes. Too crass?”

“My ears are not going to break if you talk about sex, you know.”

Her voice tickled my skin and sent an erotic shiver straight south.

Wrong direction, Goofman .

“With Sister Elsa demanding I clean my vocabulary and you being with the order all this time, I’m trying to watch my language…” I watched her shift on her seat. “Wait.” It was my turn to narrow my eyes on her. “You told me you weren’t a novice. Right?”

“I’ve thought about it.” She lifted her delicate shoulders then let them fall. “Some days I feel like I could be a good one. The sisters seem to think so. Other days…”

“Other days?” I rolled a hand in the air, urging her to finish, not knowing why her answer mattered so much to me.

“I don’t know,” she finally said.

“Let’s clarify.” Her reply was completely unsatisfactory. “You embedded with the nuns to hide from your father.”

“ Embedded ?” A titter escaped her usually guarded expression, flowing over me like a fresh breeze. “What a concept. I suppose it fits. I came to the order, told them my story, and they agreed to hide me. They also gave me a chance to see if I had a vocation. I’m not sure I’m built to be a nun, though.”

My brain immediately translated her admission into an overtly sexual message that reached every fiber in my body. Roman candles went off in my head. The celebration was something akin to okay, she’s fair game . It felt as though my brain had been ruminating on this. It was official. I was dumber than my brain. She was not fair game.

I stopped breathing when I noticed the way she eyed me beneath her lashes. Was there a little smoldering going on in her eyes? Why did the air feel charged around us, as if lighting was about to strike?

Goof, are you trying to kid yourself?

The stupid part of me was in play and in violent conflict with the slightly less stupid part of me . My gut yanked in alarm. A single drop of sweat slid down between my shoulder blades.

Nope. Not gonna happen. I’m not attracted to her. No chemistry. Absolutely none .

Liar, liar, pants on fire.

I was not interested in Missy Astor. I couldn’t do that to myself. Or to her. She was out of my league. She was an Astor, for fuck’s sake. Then there was the rest. Thena and Dagger would have my nuts on a platter if I allowed anything to happen. Missy was young, good, and wholesome. I was old, bad, and jaded.

Yeah, she was untouchable to me, even though, right now, she was studying me with glossy eyes, contemplating me as if I were a cookie and she wanted to eat me. Her taut nipples continued to spear through her T-shirt. It was as if they were calling for my mouth to lick them.

She’s just curious, nothing else . I clenched my jaw and fought the wood hardening again. Down, boy. Bad, bad boy. She’s not your type anyway .

My dick sorely disagreed.

You know better, dumbass. Don’t mix the job with the dick. Plus, she’s way above your paygrade. As in way, way.

What are you afraid of, Goofman?

I’m not afraid of shit.

You are afraid.

Maybe it was true. I was afraid that I would hurt her. That’s what happened to people who got close to me. Mom? Gone. Nix? Dead. I didn’t want to miss my chance to pay my debt. For an instant, our eyes met before we both looked away. My chest tightened along with that other part of me that refused to let me think straight.

Since stroking my dick was out of the question, I popped my neck one way then the other. Okay, fine. Let’s be real. She tempted me. After all, she was beautiful, and I was human. Her orgasm tonight would be my wet dream for life. Then there was the other problem. It was unsolvable. Once she found out that her brother had died because of my incompetence, she’d loathe me forever.

Good. Let her loathe me . Nothing like hatred to keep one’s dick in one’s pants.

“Javi?” Her voice startled me and so did the intensity of her chocolate eyes. “What’s going on in your mind?”

Fat chance I was gonna answer her truthfully.

I shrugged and scratched my beard. “A shot of whiskey might be nice.”

What I really wanted to do was ask her my own questions. Were you eyeing me as if you wanted a piece of me just a moment ago? Are you interested or what? Can I kiss you?

Had she been any other woman, flirting with me at a bar somewhere, I wouldn’t have had any problem asking . But asking her?

Nope .

For once, I found myself speechless. Me. Tracker Team’s greatest conversationalist, nominated by the crew as Mr. Social Butterfly and the outfit’s official chick magnet. I had nothing to say.

Silence stretched between us like a bungee cord about to snap. The tension in the air tugged at my body. I wanted to lean over and kiss her, even if it was just one last time.

She looked down on her hands, breaking eye contact and proving that her thoughts were going in a totally different direction when she asked another question. “Why was Thena poisoned?”

“See?” I pushed my left forearm over my right elbow and stretched out my back. “This is why I wanted all of this shit explained by someone else.”

“It’s just you and me.” Her quiet voice rang with an intimacy that teased and terrorized me at the same time. “Please?”

Her pleases were a total mindfuck. They were gonna be the end of me.

“Your father made a mean enemy,” I said, unable to deny her much. “It appears he got involved with a nefarious organization called the New World Order. The NWO is a multilayered entity composed of terrorists, rogue nations hostile to the United States and its allies, and a bunch of wealthy assholes generously bankrolling a potential Armageddon. Their goal is defeating democracy and replacing it with a new axis of totalitarian regimes to bring ‘order’ to the world.”

“How did he get involved with them?”

“We don’t know for sure,” I said. “But we do know the NWO believes you and your sisters are in possession of something your father stole from them.”

“Something like what?”

“Information, maybe, or perhaps incriminating evidence of some sort.”

“Have you found it?”

“No,” I said. “The skinny of this is that the leader of this organization vowed to wipe your father’s seed from the face of the earth. He hired the fuckers that attacked you.”

She pressed her hand over her mouth, her eyes huge. “Why kill us, though? Why not kidnap and interrogate us, maybe ransom one of us to get whatever it is they want?”

“Excellent question.” Nothing escaped her mind’s blinding brightness. “Total annihilation is the NWO’s standard MO, the fastest and most thorough approach to eliminating threats. They don’t know that you and your sisters have no idea of what they’re looking for. They’re assuming you all know, and therefore, they have to kill all of you. This doesn’t mean they won’t change tactics in the future. It’s a shift we must anticipate. Meanwhile, the killers rely on doing what they do best: cold-blooded murder.”

“So, murder it is.” Her mouth twisted into a bitter grimace.

“They failed with Thena,” I reminded her. “She’s now safe, living at Astor House under the protection of Tracker Team. This is why we need to get you back there asap.”

“Astor House.” She frowned. “All that space and money. Ridiculous, don’t you think?”

“It’s grown on me.” I shrugged. “Turns out I like luxury as much as the next dipshit. Sandy and Cook are first class.”

She perked up. “Are they doing well?”

“They’re awesome. They take such good care of us. And the food. Yum.” I kissed my fingers. “Never ate so fancy in my entire life. Your sister tells me the place is a little different now that it has become Tracker Team’s headquarters.”

“At least it’s of some use to somebody.” She ventured another question. “What about Cece and Affie? Are they safe?”

“I’ll be honest with you.” Even if honesty rarely won the game. “We’re following up on some clues, but last I checked, we hadn’t gotten eyes on them. They face the same threats that you do. I figure you wouldn’t ask about them if you knew where they are. Am I right?”

“I wish I knew.” Her chest rose and fell. “When we decided to leave, we figured we had a better chance to escape Father if we went in different directions. Looking back, I’m not sure it was the right idea.” She paused before she spoke again. “It’s been so lonely without them.”

Tears bulged in her eyes. The sight of it squeezed my chest. I suppressed a totally selfish need to console her.

“We’re gonna find them.” I’d never wanted to reassure someone as badly as I needed to reassure her. “Just like I found you.”

“What about my father?” she asked. “How does he figure in all of this?”

Ah, hell. The question had been bound to come up. It was my rotten luck that I had to reply, if only because I knew the answer would cause her pain.

“He doesn’t figure in this, not anymore.” I sucked in some air. “Richard Astor is dead.”