Jaxon: Chapter Two

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Heya! Hope you enjoyed Chapter One of Jaxon: The Assignment from yesterday.

Today, I'm excited to share with you Chapter Two. Here it is!

Jaxon: The Assignment, Chapter Two

Holly kept her head low, ensuring no one glancing through the windows of Xavier’s office could take a good look at her.

“Everything okay?” Eve whispered as Xavier asked the wedding planner another question.

She gave her future sister-in-law a bright smile. “Yeah.”

What else could she say? Why should anyone care that she—one of the most fortunate women on the planet with her successful career and legions of fans—was getting her heart broken again right that minute?

She pretended to play with her phone to avoid glancing up, lest Eve and Xavier notice her moistening eyes.

Her popularity had exposed her to countless opportunities and possibilities, and she was humbled that so many people around the world enjoyed her songs and adored her as a performer. She wasn’t taking for granted the benefits she continued to receive.

But when it came to matters of the heart, her superstardom was a curse.

Since winning the popular TV talent show that had made her a global superstar five years ago, she’d had a terrible time with relationships. Some men were intimidated by her fame, and most simply couldn’t handle or refused to be caught in the spotlight that was relentlessly trained on her.

So she’d tried dating only those in the entertainment industry. She’d thought it would be easier, but it was so much worse, with double the attention thrown their way. Luckily, her last two celebrity exes had been concerned enough about bad publicity that they’d secretly admitted to her that they’d cheated before anyone could find out.

She snickered silently. Yeah, she’d been lucky that those betrayals hadn’t made the news, and that she’d dodged a bullet with those guys. However, she’d started to develop a reputation. Sections of the media had been painting her as a playgirl, basing their claim on the fact that they’d never known her to have a serious relationship with anyone.

It was true she’d never been with any guy long-term, but it wasn’t for the reason they stated. She was just terribly unlucky in love.

Eve laughed at something her wedding planner said, and Holly smiled wistfully.

Now there was one lucky gal. Holly knew that her brother was with Eve for the right reason. Eve’s career as co-host of a top-rated public affairs program didn’t define their relationship.

And Holly had wished for so long for what those two had—true, unconditional love. She was more than ready to give her whole heart to the right person. And frankly, she’d been hoping it could be Jaxon.

But he’d pulled away.

She’d laid everything on the line to show him she was definitely and utterly interested, and he’d rejected her.

She’d thought she’d simply been too subtle in the past with her flirtations. So today, she’d turned it right up, hoping he’d finally bite.

But, nope. He plainly and simply didn’t want her.

How embarrassing.

And, damn it, it hurt.

She’d done everything she could, bar throwing herself at him and kissing him square on the lips. Now, she probably shouldn’t go any further. She’d only be ruining their friendship and Jaxon’s close bond with her brother if she continued to push herself onto him when he clearly wasn’t interested. Plus, she did have some pride left.

Her watch tapped her with an incoming text. It was from Christine Pan, her manager of one year.

Hey, I know you said you’ll be at your brother’s gym. Just wanted to let you know that Bryce Green, the guy Smith Security proposes to be your new bodyguard, is here in my office. If you have time right now, you might want to come and interview him so he can start straight away. Let me know ASAP, please.

Holly smirked. Christine was just as bad as her family in wanting her to finalise the hiring of her new bodyguard. She glanced at Xavier and Eve, who were still enjoying the discussion regarding the theme for their upcoming wedding.

Xavier had insisted he wanted to be present when Holly checked out this new guy, but that was just Xavier being his usual overprotective self. The last time they’d interviewed her security detail, she’d asked all the questions herself, with Xavier simply nodding and agreeing with everything.

So Xavier didn’t have to be there for this interview. All that she needed to determine was whether she’d like the man enough to let him follow her around. Only she could make that decision, not anyone else.

She really didn’t want another bodyguard. The drama regarding their parents’ unwitting connection with criminals had been over months and months ago. That had been the only reason she’d agreed to have a security detail in the first place. Now, that horrible event was well and truly behind them, thank goodness.

But she supposed there were times that having security still helped, especially when some of her overzealous fans—OZs as Christine had dubbed them—forgot their boundaries. She’d slipped once and sprained her ankle when two girls had suddenly grabbed her for selfies. And she’d gotten scared when a big guy with bad body odour had rushed to her and tried to plant an unwanted kiss on her lips.

Her former bodyguard had been great at stopping people from getting too close to her unless it was something she’d wanted. Too bad he’d had to resign. She’d gotten along well with him.

She texted her manager to let her know she’d be at her office in five minutes. Then she stood and whispered to the couple. “I’m going to Christine’s. I’ll come back here in thirty minutes.”

The couple nodded distractedly.

Her heart skipped when she found Jaxon sitting on a bench just outside Xavier’s office, looking at her.

“You leaving?” Jaxon asked.

“I’m going to my manager’s at Clarence Street. I’ll be back in about half an hour.”

Jaxon’s brows furrowed. “Want some company?”

She looked at him questioningly. “What do you mean?”

Jaxon shrugged. “I’m kinda bored waiting here for those two to finish. I wouldn’t mind a stroll with you.”

“In that?” She couldn’t help but smile as she looked pointedly at his muscular torso, clad only in a sleeveless shirt. Not to mention he was still wearing his short gym shorts.

Jaxon looked down at his attire. “Why not? It’s not a crime to walk around the city in this gear.”

“But you’ll attract so much attention from the ladies that they’ll then check me out,” she said teasingly, although she wasn’t joking. “I’m afraid my disguise can’t handle close scrutiny.”

“I can have a quick shower first, then get dressed.”

She smiled, her heart pinching. She knew now that this kind of offer was merely a friendly one. Perhaps, it was Jaxon’s way of testing that she wasn’t mad at him for his earlier rejection. “I’d love your company,” she said lightly and without any hint of flirtation, “but I have to go now to interview a guy who could be my new bodyguard. Thanks anyway. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

She hurried out, tempted to glance back just to see if Jaxon was watching her. But she refrained. If she caught him looking her way, then she might get her hopes up again. Why would she subject herself to another emotional roller-coaster ride?

As she walked to Christine’s office, she did allow herself to think about the man with whom she’d felt an incredible connection from the moment they’d met. It was hard to explain, but it wasn’t mere physical chemistry. Around Jaxon, she simply felt free from the pressures of expectation or obligation.

That was rare. Even some of her old friends were prone to making such a big fuss about her superstardom that she felt she’d be disappointing them if she didn’t live up to the rosy image they had of her. But not Jaxon. He treated her like a “regular” person, which she appreciated so much.

But the romantic feelings were all one-sided. A friend was all she was to him. She had to settle for that, even if it left her heart bereft.

She arrived at Christine’s office, and the receptionist sent her a professional smile. “Good afternoon. May I help—Oh, Holly, it’s you!”

She laughed. “Yup. Obviously, my wig is still perfectly in place.”

“It’s just so different from your normal hair, and those glasses do make your face look a bit different. Anyway, Christine’s in the meeting room with Bryce Green. She said feel free to walk in. Do you want your usual lemongrass and ginger tea?”

“Yes, please,” she said, then went into the meeting room. “Hi, guys.”

Christine got up to greet her with a kiss on the cheek while the man simply stood and smiled.

Wow, she hadn’t expected Bryce Green to be much younger than her previous bodyguard. He was probably only about thirty or so.

“Holly, this is Bryce Green.”

Holly took Bryce’s proffered hand. He kind of reminded her of Jaxon—perhaps because they had the same muscular build and were both good-looking. Bryce didn’t make her heart skip, though. “Good to meet you, Bryce.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Stirling. I was reacquainting myself with Sydney and advised Mrs. Pan that I was around if she wanted to meet with me. I’m glad you’re here now too. I’m more than happy to answer any of your questions.”

Holly settled on a chair and motioned for Bryce to take a seat. “Why don’t we start with your experience and qualifications as a bodyguard?”

Bryce gave a detailed account of his previous work as one of the security officers employed to look after a group of private islands on the Whitsundays and elaborated on his bodyguard duties for the important people who’d stayed there.

She nodded, impressed. “So why did you leave that role for this job?”

“If you remember, there was a cyclone that hit the islands a few months ago. It affected a lot of the buildings, so not as many visitors can be accommodated until the works are finished. My job wasn’t stable anymore, so I started looking elsewhere. I applied for this position and fortunately got accepted. I’m also excited to be back in Sydney. I grew up here.”

“Which song of mine do you like best?”

Bryce turned red, and Holly bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. He wasn’t a fan, and she liked that. He needed the guy to be professional, not fawn on her like her very first bodyguard, whom she’d sacked after two months.

“I’m afraid I’m not into pop music, Miss Stirling. I’m more into heavy metal and rap.”

“That’s fine. So have you been fully briefed about what’s expected of you?”

“Yes. I’m used to being on call at all hours, so I don’t have a problem with that. I understand that my days off will be those times when you’re with family or other trusted people.”

“That’s right. You’ll know beforehand when I won’t be needing you so you can also make plans for your breaks. And just to be clear, I definitely won’t need a bodyguard when I’m at home since I have a very good alarm system there. All I expect is for you to be available to turn up for work within forty-five minutes of me calling.”

Bryce nodded. “I’ll try to be as unobtrusive as I can, Miss Stirling. I can only imagine that someone like you would want some normality every now and then, so I’ll stay in the background, unseen, unless I decide that’s not safe for you. I’ll do my best to keep you comfortable and happy, as long as we both understand that when your safety is threatened, I won’t care what you want. I’ll do what I have to do to keep you safe. But hopefully, those times would be few and far between.”

Holly glanced at Christine, who was nodding in approval.

Well, Holly was starting to like Bryce too. She couldn’t think of a reason why she shouldn’t hire him. And she bet her family would approve as well.

“Okay,” she said with a smile. “Let’s get the paperwork completed and you can start.”

“Excellent,” Christine said. “We can get that organised right now. I take it you can start straight away, Bryce?”

“Yes. I do already have plans for tonight, but I can cancel that if need be.”

“Please don’t,” Holly said. “Why don’t you start next week? I don’t have anything planned this week but to visit family and friends, and just chill out at home. Enjoy another week off before you start work again.”

“It’s no trouble starting straight away.”

“I insist,” she said with a smile. Truth was, she wanted to enjoy being a regular person, able to go anywhere she pleased without anyone spoiling her fun.

“Thank you, Miss Stirling,” Bryce said reluctantly. “But if you need me before next week, please let me know.”

“Just call me Holly. Actually, do you have plans right after this meeting? I’d like about half an hour of your time.”

“Of course.”

“I’d like you to meet my brother. He wanted to also interview you, but he was busy. Do you mind coming with me to his gym right now?”

“Sure, no problem.”

Holly waited until Christine completed the paperwork with Bryce, including a Non-Disclosure Agreement, then she and Bryce walked back to A to X Fitness.

“Hey, notice how no one’s bothering me?” she asked with a grin.

Bryce chuckled. “Well, it’s that blonde hair, no doubt. The glasses help too.”

“See how I don’t need a bodyguard when I’m not actually working or stepping out as a celeb?”

“Yes. So in cases like this, I can totally disappear in the background and you won’t even notice I’m around.”

“Or you can do other things. I’m happy to give you the time off.”

“Sure. We’ll see, okay? I might agree once I’ve assessed you really won’t need me.”

Holly smiled. She could tell she’d enjoy working with Bryce.

“Here we are,” she announced, walking into A to X Fitness. Her brows rose when she found Xavier standing outside his office, arms crossed and a forced smile on his face.

She hid a sigh. She bet Xavier would be guessing that the man with her was her new security guy. No doubt he’d be annoyed that she hadn’t sought his opinion as to Bryce’s suitability. Seriously, sometimes her brother was too cautious.

“Hey, Xave. I’d like you to meet my new bodyguard, Bryce Green. Bryce, this is my brother Xavier.”

Xavier shook Bryce’s hand. “Good to meet you, Bryce. I’d like to speak with you, but do you mind giving me and Holly a couple of minutes, please?”

Holly suppressed an eye roll and nodded at Bryce.

“Sure. I’ll wait here,” said her bodyguard.

She followed Xavier into his office, glancing around to look for Jaxon. But she couldn’t see him. Had he left?

“Hey,” Eve said, sitting in Xavier’s chair behind the desk.

Holly smiled. “Hey, can you tell your fiancé he’s being overbearing?”

Eve chuckled.

Xavier closed his office door as well as all the window blinds.

“I can feel an interrogation coming,” Holly joked.

“So you’ve hired him?” Xavier asked.

“Yes. I’m happy with his personality,” she said blithely as she sat on a chair.

“His personality isn’t the important thing, Hols.”

“I know. But Smith Security—one of the best around, as you well know—approves of him enough to hire him and assign him to me. I’ve already given my final tick of approval.”

Xavier let out a heavy breath.

“Come on. Why are you being so overprotective? There are no threats to my safety right now. In fact, I don’t see why I need a regular bodyguard when I can hire one during public events.”

Xavier sat in the chair next to hers and leaned forward, his elbows on his thighs. “Have you spoken to Anna Sanders lately?”

Holly frowned at the abrupt change in topic. “No. The last time I spoke to her was when the three of us had dinner with her and Bill two weeks ago. Why?”

“Eve and I tried to ring her earlier about the song she planned to sing during our reception. But we got Bill and…” Xavier ran a hand over his face.

Holly sat up straight. “What’s wrong?”

“She’s missing, Hols. The police are treating it as kidnapping, but they’re keeping it under wraps as they haven’t heard from anyone yet.”

Holly stared at her brother, her mouth hanging.

“And…” Xavier gulped. “Apparently, the police received an anonymous message that said Australian female celebrities will start disappearing if they don’t wake up to their sins.”

She shivered, the hairs on her arms standing. “What the hell does that mean?”

“Don’t know, but I don’t like the sounds of it. Bill said the police will probably contact you soon to make sure you’re aware of this threat since you’re one of the biggest stars around. Eve might be a target too since she’s a popular TV presenter.”

“I’m many rungs below Holly,” Eve said. “And I doubt I’m considered a celebrity.”

“I’m worried about the two of you,” Xavier insisted.

Holly gave the couple a wan smile, shock slowly gripping her. “Good thing I’ve got a new bodyguard, huh? Maybe you should hire one too,” she said to Eve.

Eve pointed her chin at her fiancé. “He’s gonna stick to me like glue and he’ll be better than a bodyguard. How about you stay with us while this is all happening? It’ll make us feel better, and we can have fun girls’ nights in as often as we want.”

“Thank you, but I’m sure I’ll be fine. I don’t want to be the third wheel for an indefinite period, and you guys would want your space. Besides, you know I’m loving my alone time. I’ve had ten gruelling months for my North American tour that I’m still recovering from. As for Bryce, he’s well qualified to protect someone like me.”

“But we know nothing about this Bryce Green,” Xavier said. “What if he’s not as good as he claims to be?”

“First, he wouldn’t have been employed by Smith Security if he’s not good enough. Second, and you might not know this, but Terry Smith himself has instructed his staff to always assign the best bodyguard they have for me.”

“Why?”

“Because his daughter Kate is my backup singer. I fought for Kate even though the recording company was insisting on using one of their own. Terry’s very grateful for that, and they really do treat me very well as a client.”

“Well, I’d still rather we check out other bodyguards.”

“Xave,” Holly said patiently. “Who are you gonna call when we’re already working with the top provider of security personnel? I am not going to insult them by insinuating they haven’t done their job properly. They’ve been bending backwards for me, sending those extra security personnel at the last minute when heaps more people turned up than expected for my recent TV appearances.”

Xavier opened his mouth to answer, but she was quick to interrupt.

“I’m working with Bryce. If he doesn’t live up to expectations, then of course I’ll have him replaced. But not right now. There’s no good reason to.”

It took a long moment before Xavier nodded reluctantly.

“I have to go to work,” Eve said, checking her watch. “Please think about staying with us, Hols. It’ll make us feel better.”

Holly gave Eve a goodbye hug. “Thanks. But I’m sure I’ll be fine with my new bodyguard. It’s Anna we should be thinking about. In fact, I want to call Bill right now to check up on him.”

Eve let out a sigh. Then she kissed Xavier, who announced he was going to walk Eve to her car.

Holly watched the couple leave the office and did a double take as she caught sight of Jaxon walking towards the Obstacle X room. Ah, he was still here, after all. But her usual excitement at seeing him was now coupled with resigned sadness.

She turned her back to the door and forced her attention away from him while she retrieved her phone from her bag. Her heart thudded as she rang Bill. She hoped that whoever had kidnapped Anna hadn’t hurt her.

Why was someone after celebrities? And what sins were they supposed to wake up to?

***End of Chapter Two***

Release day for Jaxon: The Assignment (Indie Rebels Book 2) is getting closer! Remember it's the 22nd of May. In the meantime, preorder the book today if you want to have it in your devices when you wake up on the 22nd.

Amazon.com | Other Amazon Stores | Apple iBooks| Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Google Play store link will be available on release date.

Do you have your copy of Xavier: The Contract (Indie Rebels Book 1) yet?

“Xavier gets a THRILLING BEYOND WORDS FIVE FULL SHOOTING STARS!” – Marie's Tempting Reads

“Another fabulous and suspenseful romance from the masterful pen of Miranda P. Charles.” – Lesley

Amazon.com | Other Amazon Stores | Apple iBooks | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Google Play

That's all for today! I'll be back on Jaxon's release day waving pompoms, lol!

Much love,
Miranda xo

 

 

Jaxon: Chapter One

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Not long to go before May 22, when Jaxon: The Assignment will be releasing!

I'm so excited. But first, here's Chapter One for you to enjoy.

Jaxon: The Assignment, Chapter One

Jaxon Caine pressed on the accelerator of his SUV, ignoring the stop sign at the side of the narrow, quiet residential alleyway. The black sedan coming from the left of the intersection swerved to avoid him and ended up hitting a parked car.

Ah, he’d timed it perfectly. He’d only been hoping to slow the burly man down, but he’d managed to stop him altogether.

He glanced at an oncoming vehicle and knew it was an unmarked police car chasing after the sedan driver. He got out of his SUV, relieved that the burly guy appeared too dazed to make a quick escape. At least he wouldn’t have to tackle the bastard or do something equally obvious.

The burly man fumbled with the door and stumbled out, then attempted to run.

Jaxon hurried to grab his arms. “Hey, are you okay? I’m so sorry.”

“You fucking moron! Get off me!” The guy tried to ward him off.

But Jaxon tightened his grip. “Hey, really, I’m sorry. I saw you coming, but I think you accelerated? You wouldn’t have had to avoid me otherwise. Are you okay?”

The police car screeched to a halt in front of them, and Jaxon let his captive push him away.

“Police! Freeze or we’ll shoot!” shouted one of the detectives as he and his partner aimed their guns at the sedan driver.

Jaxon pretended to look shocked, raising his arms in surrender. He kept his astonished expression as the police cuffed and patted the other guy.

Finally, one of the detectives approached him while his partner took the perp to the car.

“Don’t worry. We haven’t come for you,” the officer said jokingly, flashing a badge.

Jaxon let out a laugh. “That’s a relief.”

“Can you tell us what happened?”

“Well, I did look and I did see him. I was sure I had plenty of time to cross, but I mustn’t have noticed him accelerating. I think we both surprised each other. Anyway, he swerved to avoid me and he hit the other car.”

“You stopped him from running away.”

“Well,” he said with a snicker, “I actually thought he was dizzy and disoriented. I was holding him up because he didn’t look all right.”

The cop chuckled. “We’re lucky you were at the right place at the right time.”

“What’s he done?”

“He’s wanted for multiple counts of aggravated sexual assault.”

Jaxon let his mouth drop. “Glad I was of some help, then.”

The detective nodded. “Mind if I get your details for our report?”

“Sure. You’re not gonna give me a ticket for some driving offence, are you?”

“Nah. Just don’t be in too much of a hurry next time.”

Jaxon grinned in relief and gave his details to the officer.

“Thank you, Mr. Caine. Have a good afternoon.” The cop headed back to the police car.

Jaxon watched them drive away before returning to his vehicle and making a phone call. “Aidan,” he greeted the Indie Rebels agent who manned the control centre.

“How did you go?” Aidan asked.

“He’s in police custody now. And there are no complications. We don’t need to cover any of my tracks.”

“Excellent work. I’ll let Florence know about this. She’ll be relieved he’s finally caught. And she’s mentioned she’d want to meet the agent working on this case one of these days.”

“Does she live here in Sydney?”

“Yes.”

“It’ll be easy for us to meet then.”

“I’m just waiting to see if the chiefs will give it the go-ahead. As you know, you’re still both initiates.”

“Okay. So when will I become a full agent?” Frankly, he couldn’t wait to pass the Indie Rebels’ initiation phase. Then he’d be privy to restricted information regarding this secretive group he’d joined when he’d needed their help. Most of all, he’d finally learn the identity of the other Indie Rebels, or IRs as they liked to call themselves.

“Patience, Jax,” Aidan said with a chuckle. “Even though this assignment is very important, it’s not considered big. I’d say completing a couple more will get you there. You’ve already proven you’re trustworthy. So it’s just a matter of the chiefs being satisfied that you’ve balanced the scale with the assignments you’ve been completing against what the IR team has done for you. You’re almost there.”

Jaxon started driving towards his office in Sydney’s central business district. “Can’t wait, you know.”

“Can’t wait to see what I look like?” Aidan teased.

He laughed. “Yeah, sure. But I have to say you’re not the one I most want to meet.”

“The chiefs?”

“Nope. Not even our billionaire founder, even though I’m dying to know who he or she is.”

“So who, then?”

“The women IRs,” he answered, hoping he didn’t sound as embarrassed as he felt.

“Dare I ask why?” Aidan said dryly.

“Are you dating someone?”

Aidan chuckled. “Sort of.”

“Is she—or he—an IR?”

“No, she’s not.”

“Does she know you’re an IR?”

“’Course not.”

“See, that’s my problem. We can’t tell our partners about this.”

“Funnily enough,” Aidan said with a snicker, “she read in the papers about one of the cases we closed a couple of weeks ago, and she asked me if I’ve heard of our team. I said, oh, that vigilante gang? The police hate them, don’t they?”

Jaxon chuckled. “What did she say about that?”

“Well, she said the police had to stop being so arrogant and admit the Indie Rebels are helping them. Then she started Googling because she wanted to see what the IRs look like. She was sure the ones mentioned in the news were hot. She was so disappointed she couldn’t find a single picture that showed our agents’ faces.” Aidan chortled.

“So have you ever dated an IR?”

“No. Unlike you, I’m not looking for a serious relationship, so I actually avoid dating one of us. It’ll be messier if I happen to break an IR’s heart.”

Jaxon snorted. “It’s not that I’m looking for anything serious…”

“You just said you can’t wait to meet women IRs. I assume you want to be completely open to her for the sake of a good relationship. Ergo, you’d want it to progress to something serious.”

“It’s more like I don’t want to have to worry about hiding this role, even if I’m just casually dating. I went out with this girl five months ago, and she wouldn’t stop bugging me about why I couldn’t see her on certain nights. She thought I was cheating on her, but I was actually working on my IR assignment. I had similar problems with the girl I dated before her. So I think it’s just not worth the hassle dating non-IRs.”

“I guess it’s harder for someone like you who also has an actual brick and mortar office that you need to manage. Me, I can tell my dates I’m an IT consultant working with international clients, so they don’t question why I work funny hours. Anyway, you can ask the chiefs to give you simpler assignments that would work better with your schedule. But it would extend your initiation phase.”

“Nah. I enjoy the heavy stuff. There’s nothing like ridding Australia of big-shot criminals. Makes me feel more useful.” In fact, Jaxon had hired a manager to take over some more of his work for his tax agency franchisor business. Luckily, his company was established enough that he could take himself out of the day-to-day tasks.

“Speaking of useful…” Aidan suddenly sounded serious. “I just got a new report… Let me check this out, and I’ll give you a ring back. Looks like this will involve Xavier too, so I’ll speak to you guys at the same time.”

“I’ll go to his gym, then. I cancelled my session because I thought this would take up my whole afternoon. I’ll tell him I can turn up, after all.”

“Good. Give me an hour to find out everything about this, then I’ll call you guys.”

“Okay.”

Jaxon pressed the hang-up button on the steering wheel, then left a message on Xavier’s voicemail. Twenty minutes later, he arrived in his city office. He changed into his exercise gear then took the elevator down to Xavier’s A to X Fitness gym on the ground floor of the high-rise commercial building.

Xavier was still wrapping up a one-on-one session with another client, so Jaxon did some stretching and warm up exercises while he waited.

“Hey!” Xavier said to him when the other man left. “So you made it after all. I take it you got the guy already?”

He nodded to his fellow IR initiate. “Aidan does want to talk to us about something new. He’ll be calling in about half an hour.”

“Cool. We have time to check your progress on Obstacle X, then. You said you improved your time by eleven seconds when I wasn’t around to witness it.”

“Yup. I daresay I’ll come really, really close to beating you this time.”

“You’re on, bro,” Xavier said with a laugh. “Shall I go first while you continue to warm up?”

“Sure.” Jaxon called up the timer on his watch and signalled for Xavier to start. He watched his friend go through the long and extremely challenging obstacle course while he stretched his muscles.

“Two minutes, forty-two seconds,” he said as Xavier finished.

Xavier made a face. “Not my fastest time, so I expect you to come a lot closer to that.”

“We’ll see.” Jaxon waited until Xavier said go, then powered ahead.

He completed the first four segments easily. His fitness, strength, endurance and speed had certainly improved considerably since hiring Xavier as a personal trainer a year and a half ago.

They’d grown very close since then. People had even mistaken them for brothers twice before since they were both well-built with dark hair and dark-brown eyes. They were even the same age—thirty-three—and they both enjoyed pushing each other to greater heights with their workouts.

But their tightest bond came from being Indie Rebels.

When Xavier had asked for the Indie Rebels’ help, Jaxon had been the one tasked to explain to his buddy that to get the assistance of the IR team, Xavier had to become one of its agents. He’d been proud to tell Xavier exactly how much he owed the Indie Rebels. The team had saved his business from an underworld character who’d vandalised and trashed his and his top franchisees’ offices, jeopardising their livelihood. Now, he wouldn’t even consider becoming an inactive IR when he got to the point where he’d fully repaid the team in kind.

The Indie Rebels’ work was too important. While they were unsanctioned and unwanted by law enforcement agencies, he believed they were needed, nonetheless. Too many criminals avoided police detection or capture. Often, it was due to police resources being too stretched. But sometimes, it was from sheer incompetence by the cops or total dishonesty by individuals.

He grunted and held on tighter to the horizontal log he was dangling from, almost losing his grip. But he quickly got back on track and made it all the way to the end of the course without further problems.

He raised his arms in triumph. That felt faster than the last time.

“Two minutes, fifty-three seconds,” Xavier said. “Not bad at all.”

His jubilation lessened. “That’s five seconds slower than my best time.”

Xavier patted the pole he was standing next to. “I’m still the king of my own Obstacle X.”

“It won’t be forever, bro,” he said with a laugh.

“Oh, we missed the show,” a female voice said.

Jaxon glanced at the newcomer and grinned. Holly Stirling, Xavier’s sister, stood by the room’s entrance together with Eve Marrin, Xavier’s fiancée and a fellow IR initiate.

He still couldn’t get over the fact that the famous Holly Stirling could be so unrecognisable with a long blonde wig covering her dark, wavy hair and a pair of black-rimmed eyeglasses fitted over her eyes. But Jaxon was sure that fans of the superstar singer could easily spot her if they bothered to take a good look.

“Can you guys do it again?” asked Eve cheekily.

“How about you girls have a go?” Xavier asked, kissing Eve on the lips and Holly on the cheek. “You two look dressed up for it.”

“Yes, I’ll have a go,” Holly said, starting to stretch. “But I can’t even get past the third segment. Maybe you should coach me, Jax.”

“Am I not the trainer around here?” Xavier asked dryly. “He doesn’t even work for me.”

Holly wrinkled her nose. “I think he’ll be more patient than you. Anyway, aren’t you supposed to have a phone meeting with that wedding planner Eve wanted to hire?”

“Oh, is that now?”

Jaxon hid his amusement at Xavier’s consternation.

“Sorry. I thought you guys weren’t having a session today,” Eve said apologetically.

“I finished early with my previous appointment, so I have time, after all,” Jaxon answered. “But you can drag your fiancé to the meeting. I don’t mind.”

“Aw, thanks. We shouldn’t take long. I just want to make sure he’ll be happy with this wedding planner too.”

“You know I trust your judgement, babe,” Xavier said. “But if you want me in the meeting…”

Eve sent her man a sweet smile. “I do.”

Xavier took Eve’s hand and headed to the office. “We won’t be long.”

Jaxon stifled a sigh. Xavier was lucky to be engaged to a fellow Indie Rebel. His buddy didn’t have to contend with the complications of hiding something from his significant other.

Not that Jaxon was on the market right now for a serious relationship, but he did want to settle down with someone special one day.

Unfortunately, with IRs being on the hit list of several powerful crime syndicates, he had to strictly abide by the team’s most important rule—that they could only reveal their Indie Rebel identity to another Indie Rebel. The safety of all IR agents depended on that incontestable directive.

“So, Jax,” Holly said. “I’m so looking forward to your housewarming.”

He smiled. “Me too. It’s going to be a small party, but it should be fun.”

“Xavier said you’ve asked him to design an obstacle course for the backyard. Have you decided to move to Avalon, then?”

“Nah. My city pad is too convenient. No way I’d want to deal with horrendous peak hour traffic every single day if I lived in Avalon. I’ve actually decided to list it on Airbnb instead of going for a long-term rental. That way, I could choose to go there for a break whenever I want.”

“Good idea.” Holly stretched her legs. “So, while Xave’s busy, would you watch me and give me tips on this obstacle thing?”

“Obstacle thing? Don’t let Xavier hear you say that about his beloved Obstacle X.”

“Then don’t tell! I’m envious of Eve getting past the pull-up ladder. By the time I get there, my arm muscles are already so tired that I have a hard time just hanging on. Say…” Holly sent him a coy smile. “Maybe you can hold me up when I’m about to slip.”

“That’s cheating,” he said with a chuckle.

Despite his promise never to encourage Holly’s flirting, he couldn’t stop his wide grin. Holly was fun to be with. And to be honest, he was flattered by her clear interest in him, which had been obvious from the moment they’d met six months ago.

Who wouldn’t be flattered? Not only was this woman one of the most talented people in the world, she was also hot.

And amazing.

And breathtaking.

But Holly was a superstar. No doubt he’d be dragged into the limelight if he went out with her, and the last thing he wanted was for the media to poke around his life. There were certain things about him and his family he didn’t want anyone to discover.

By the same token, it would be disastrous for Holly if she ended up with a boyfriend with such an “interesting” background. He couldn’t stomach the thought of subjecting her to the kind of scrutiny she was bound to get if his family secrets were dug up.

“So what say you?” Holly asked, positioning herself at the start of the course.

He scratched his head. “How about I watch you, like you suggested?”

“Great!” Holly said with a grin as she gingerly stepped on the first segment.

Jaxon allowed his eyes to feast on Holly. God, she really was hot, and he better close his mouth in case she noticed him drooling. Good thing he could pretend he was merely following her progress.

What if… just what if… she was only after some fun? That was entirely possible. According to some reports, Holly was a bit of a playgirl, enjoying dalliances with some of the most successful and eligible men in the world.

Not that he thought any less of her. Holly was a kind-hearted, sweet, generous and considerate person, and not wanting to settle down was a choice she was entitled to make.

So… what if they hooked-up?

He shook his head. No, he should get that thought right out of his mind. It had the potential to ruin friendships, including his with Xavier if things went pear-shaped.

Besides, and most critical of all, Holly wasn’t an Indie Rebel. Dating her would never work, whatever the circumstance.

Holly let out a little cry, appearing to lose her balance on the rope walk. He rushed to her, even though the heavily cushioned floor would have kept her from getting hurt.

But she recovered, pumping her fists in the air she successfully completed the segment.

Jaxon applauded her success. “Now, conquer that pull-up ladder!”

Holly took a deep breath, shaking her arms and legs briefly, before making a leap to grab the horizontal bar. Then she did an air-jump and brought the bar past the first barrier. She also got past the next barrier, and the next, albeit starting to struggle. She was breathing hard as she dangled.

“Good work, keep going.” He clapped harder.

“I think I’m going to slip.”

“Hold tight. You can do this.”

Holly tried a couple of times to move forward, but she wasn’t pushing up high enough to get the bar past the obstruction. Then she let out a little squeal and dropped to the floor.

To Jaxon’s horror, Holly’s blonde wig slipped off, snagged by the bracelet she wore on her right wrist.

Holly gasped, diving flat to the cushioned ground to hide her face.

He went to her aid, looking around. Fortunately, they were the only ones in the Obstacle X room, as it was still booked for his personal one-on-one training with Xavier.

But a glass window on one side exposed them to the others working out on the main gym floor. If any of those people glanced their way, Jaxon was sure they’d instantly recognise the famous Holly Stirling.

He positioned himself between Holly and the window and dropped to his knees.

“It’s caught in this charm,” Holly said in frustration as she tried to detangle her hair piece from her bracelet.

“Let me do it.”

Holly lay on her back and held up her wrist to him.

He hunched over so Holly wouldn’t have to hold the wig up too obviously, and started to loosen the offending strands from around the diamond-encrusted sun-shaped charm.

“Thanks,” Holly said, smiling at him. “If people find out my disguise, I won’t be able to come in here without being followed.”

“Without being mobbed, you mean,” he said, frowning in concentration at his task. He didn’t want to ruin her bracelet by yanking against the sun charm too hard.

“Look at those two,” Holly said with a sigh, nodding in the direction of Xavier’s office. “They’re so oblivious to what’s going on here.”

“Well, it’s the window behind me that I’m worried about.” Jaxon glanced back. Two ladies on treadmills were already looking their way, brows furrowed. He ignored them, hoping they wouldn’t think help was needed.

Holly detangled the last of the strands, and the wig was free. She shifted to sit on her legs. “Now I have to put this back on without attracting attention.”

“Just make sure you stay low. Some people are already watching.” He moved closer to her, ensuring his torso shielded her face from prying eyes.

Holly started giggling.

“What?”

“You’re sitting up straight and I’m hunched down here facing your front. If someone’s looking, they’ll be wondering what we’re doing.”

His lips twitched. “Maybe you shouldn’t be crouching too low.”

“But they’ll see my face. Now, don’t move.” Holly ducked down farther to don the wig, her head getting closer to his lap.

He inhaled sharply, heat rushing to his groin.

Damn. This position was too hot, even if what Holly was doing was entirely innocent.

He glanced at Xavier. His friend wouldn’t be happy to see him and Holly in a certain pose on his gym floor that could be mistaken for something else. But neither Xavier nor Eve was looking their way, with the couple lost in their own world as they spoke with their wedding planner.

Jaxon checked the women on the treadmills. They were now whispering to each other and frowning at him.

Shit.

“You better hurry in case someone reports us for public indecency.” He was grateful, though, that the snoopy ladies provided a distraction for his dick. It was threatening to get embarrassingly hard.

Holly’s shoulders shook with laughter as she adjusted her wig.

“I’m glad you find this funny,” he said dryly, looking back at the women outside to help himself cool right down. “Your brother will kill me if someone complains to him about us.”

“I’ll stick up for you. I’ll tell him you’re my knight in shining armour.” Holly sat up, smoothing the blonde locks with her hands. “Is this good?”

He carefully pulled out a couple of strands that had gotten caught under the netting and stroked her hair in place.

“Thanks,” Holly breathed, her lovely brown eyes suddenly wide, her lips parted, and her face tilting up.

His breath hitched and his heart drummed fast. God, she really was beautiful—blonde or brunette. And he knew exactly what she was trying to say without words.

But…he shouldn’t accept the invitation for a kiss he was dying to have.

With much reluctance, he got to his feet and offered his hand. Guilt hit him at the flash of embarrassment on Holly’s face.

Holly was quick to put on a smile, though, and she turned around so she wasn’t facing the window. “Those girls are still looking at us,” she murmured.

“Short as my gym shorts are, I hope they now see that they’re still firmly in place.”

Holly sighed. “I hope Xave and Eve won’t mind if I barge in there while they’re still on a phone call. I just don’t want people coming around here to talk to us—or tell us off.”

“Well, you’re one of the bridesmaids…”

“True.” Holly knocked softly on the window of Xavier’s office and gestured for permission to go in.

Eve nodded with a grin.

Jaxon went to his gym bag to grab his towel. He was sitting on a bench, drinking from his water bottle, when his phone rang. “Aidan.”

“Hey. Is Xavier with you?”

“He’s just on the phone with a wedding planner. Eve said they won’t be long.”

“Good. I need to talk to you first.”

“Okay.”

“One of our IR agents who’s also a police detective said that Anna Sanders was reported missing by her boyfriend last night.”

Jaxon frowned. “Anna Sanders, the singer?”

“Yes. She’s a good friend of the Stirlings, I believe. Apparently, the boyfriend got home and she just wasn’t there.”

Jaxon inhaled deeply. Anna’s loved ones would be beside themselves. He knew how that felt. “Any chance she just left her boyfriend?”

“Not likely, especially when the police also got an anonymous note the day before Anna disappeared. It said that top Australian female celebrities will start disappearing one by one unless they woke up to their sins. They didn’t know what it meant until they got the call from Anna’s boyfriend.”

“Any idea who sent it?”

“The cops have no clue, and we’re just about to start our investigations.”

“Holly could be a target. And she doesn’t have a bodyguard at the moment. I think she’s still to interview the new one Smith Security wants to assign to her.”

“Yes. I’m texting you his picture right now, and…we think he’s your brother.”

Jaxon’s heartbeat spiked. “You found Bryce?”

“Well, technically we didn’t find him. Xavier asked me to run a check on this person Smith Security hired to be Holly’s new bodyguard. I’m just as surprised that it’s him.”

Jaxon quickly checked Aidan’s message, and his heart pounded harder as goosebumps formed all over his body. No wonder Aidan had identified Bryce immediately. Bryce only looked slightly older than the twenty-year-old guy in the ten-year-old photo that the Indie Rebels had managed to dig up when they had checked out Jaxon’s family history.

“I can’t believe this,” he murmured, joy seeping in from this unexpected development. “So where has he been all this time?”

“For the last five years, until two weeks ago, he worked for a company responsible for providing security to a group of privately owned islands on the Whitsundays. His job included keeping uninvited people away and playing bodyguard to the VIP guests when they travelled outside of the islands. He came back to Sydney two weeks ago, presumably because he was hired by Smith Security. Do you know that he changed his surname?”

“No. To what?”

“He’s now called Bryce Green, although he didn’t lodge it officially.”

“When did he start using it?”

“Not sure, but he’s been Bryce Green for at least five years. He must be using a fake ID to get away with it.”

Jaxon rubbed his face. What the hell had Bryce been up to? “And now he’s here to work with Holly?”

“Yes. If our sources are accurate, he only quit his previous job when Smith Security confirmed that he’d be working with Holly Stirling. Frankly, with this kidnapping threat, the timing’s too coincidental. We have to treat him as a suspicious individual at this point, especially with that change of name.”

Jaxon inhaled deeply. The insinuation about his brother bothered him. “It’s entirely possible that Bryce could also have been set-up and blackmailed by that bastard stepfather of ours. If that’s the case, him changing his name is not surprising.”

“That’s true. But what would you do as an Indie Rebel, when several women’s safety is at risk?”

Jaxon shut his eyes. “I’d continue to investigate.”

“So this is your new assignment. Specifically, we need to figure out if Bryce is part of whoever’s behind Anna’s kidnapping and the threats to other female celebrities. Needless to say, this also gives you a chance to work on your stepfather’s case—see if you can get something out of Bryce that can be pinned on Joseph Bridge.”

“Yes,” Jaxon said with determination. He’d been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. He was sick and tired of Joseph dangling the threat of an attempted murder charge over his head—a crime Jaxon had not committed but could not disprove. Joseph held manipulated evidence against him.

“You’ll need to meet your brother again as soon as possible,” Aidan said in a quiet voice. “Are you up for this assignment?”

“Yes.” He couldn’t wait to start.

Aidan paused. “Blood is thicker than water, but we need you to be an Indie Rebel first and Bryce’s brother second.”

“I understand. You can count on me.”

“Good. Your meeting with Bryce will have to look like an accident since we can’t afford to let anyone know the Indie Rebels are working on this, including Holly. So let’s work something out with Xavier. You guys call me back as soon as he’s free.”

Jaxon frowned, an uneasy feeling settling in his stomach. “Are you saying we’re making Holly bait?”

“Not exactly. You, Xavier and Eve can work together to make sure she’s safe. But if she decides to employ Bryce as her bodyguard, we can’t stop her. We don’t want to raise anyone’s suspicions, especially Bryce’s, until we’ve rounded up the kidnappers. Remember that Anna Sanders is already missing. Her loved ones want to get her back alive. So it’s up to you to figure out if Bryce has any ulterior motives for being Holly’s bodyguard. The sooner, the better.”

“Okay. Regarding Holly, aren’t we looking at bringing her into the IR fold so she can be bound by our secrecy rules?”

“We can work on this case without Holly needing to know about us, so it’s not necessary for her to become an IR.”

“Of course.” Jaxon already knew that, so why had he asked?

You want Holly to be an IR.

He shook his head at himself. Instead of hoping for a future with Holly, he should be concentrating on Bryce. What would he do if he found out that Bryce was indeed a member of some criminal syndicate?

He took a deep, steadying breath. In his heart of hearts, he believed that Bryce wouldn’t have gotten involved with underworld characters unless he’d been forced to. So if his brother had been sucked into the world of criminals, he’d find a way to get him out.

But until then, he hoped and prayed that his brother wasn’t here to hurt Holly.

***End of Chapter One***

Keep an eye out for Chapter Two tomorrow. In the meantime, you can preorder Jaxon: The Assignment (Indie Rebels Book 2) today from the following stores:

Amazon.com | Other Amazon Stores | Apple iBooks| Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Google Play store link will be available on release date.

Have You Read Book 1 of the Indie Rebels Series?

Xavier: The Contract is  Book 1 of the Indie Rebels series. Each of the books can be enjoyed as a standalone, but to enhance your enjoyment of the series, you might want to read about Xavier and Eve's story first.

You can get Xavier: The Contract from the following stores:

Amazon.com | Other Amazon Stores | Apple iBooks | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Google Play

Thank you so much and enjoy your day!

Much love,
Miranda xo

Xavier: The Contract Out Now

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Xavier: The Contract is now live!

The day is finally here, and I'm so excited that Xavier and Eve's story is out now. Early reviewers loved this book, and here are what some of them said on Goodreads:

“Xavier gets a THRILLING BEYOND WORDS FIVE FULL SHOOTING STARS!” – Marie's Tempting Reads

“Charles likes to write on the edge. She's at her best when she teases with lust and tempts with danger.” – Isha

“Mystery and suspense are very seamlessly entwined with romance making it an entertaining read.” – Urvashi

“Hang on, this is one exciting, hard to put down story, loved it.” – Carol

“Another fabulous and suspenseful romance from the masterful pen of Miranda P. Charles.” – Lesley

“The book was so interesting and I didn’t want to put it down.” – Becky

“This is an intriguing, fast paced, well written romantic suspense book that you will surely enjoy reading.” – Emabubby

Book Description

She could ruin him and his family, and he is tasked to protect her. Now, Xavier not only needs to watch his back–he also has to watch his heart.

When Xavier Stirling's father suddenly confesses to fraud, Xavier suspects he's being coerced by a notorious criminal. Then Xavier finds himself the target of false accusations that threaten to ruin his own business. With the police suspecting him of wrongdoing, he desperately looks elsewhere for help. Enter the Indie Rebels–a secret group unsanctioned by law enforcement agencies. But to get their help, Xavier has to become an Indie Rebel himself. His first assignment is to keep journalist Eve Marrin safe–without Eve knowing she's being protected. He's surprised by the strength of his attraction for her. Now Xavier not only needs to watch his back–he also has to watch his heart.

For Eve Marrin, her new job as co-lead reporter for a popular public affairs program is a dream come true. She loves nothing more than to uncover scams, unfair business practices and other matters that the public has the right to know about. When she's given a tip to investigate the fitness training business of Xavier Stirling, she soon realizes she needs to build a wall around her heart in order to do her work.

If you've preordered, you should have your copy in your device right now. If not, here are the store links where you can get your copy of Xavier: The Contract.

Amazon.com | Other Amazon Stores | Apple iBooks | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Google Play

You can also order a paperback from the following stores:

Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes & Noble 

Thanks so much for your support, and I hope you enjoy Xavier: The Contract!

Love,
Miranda xo

 

Xavier: The Contract Chapter Two

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Did you get to read chapter one of Xavier: The Contract yesterday? Hope you enjoyed it.

Here's chapter two for you to check out.

Xavier: The Contract Chapter Two

Eve Marrin left the juice bar and instantly turned her head to the direction of A to X Fitness. She inhaled deeply at the sight of the dark-haired, muscular guy walking back inside the gym after saying goodbye to the older man with him.

Xavier. What a handsome hunk.

She slurped on her smoothie with a pout, regretting now that she hadn’t agreed to have coffee with him. It wouldn’t have hurt, since he clearly didn’t know her. This was Sydney, not Adelaide. The statewide evening news in South Australia, on which she was a popular anchor, didn’t get shown here. She was a virtual unknown in this town, so Xavier couldn’t be like her ex-boyfriend, who’d used her profile to boost his own business, all the while sleeping with his secretary. Nor was Xavier like one of the men who’d stopped her on the streets of Adelaide, trying to chat her up because they’d watched her every night on TV.

That was why Xavier was such a breath of fresh air. Not once had she felt she needed to question his reasons for wanting to get to know her. It was… so much fun. And she hadn’t felt like that in a long while.

Admittedly, she’d been having a hard time trusting men’s motives since breaking up with her cheating ex. Her family and some friends had been encouraging her to enjoy life more. They were concerned that she was already jaded at only twenty-nine, with a job that entailed reporting on negative, shocking and horrendous news almost every day. Her parents had even warned against applying for the Your Eyes and Ears role, considering how hard-hitting the top-rated Australian public affairs program was, with its fearless coverage of scammers, shonky service providers, and the like. They worried it would suck the light out of her.

But she didn’t see that role as light-sucking. Yes, the show played up the sensationalism, but it provided a service to the country and to would-be victims of scams and crimes. Eve hadn’t been able to save her Aunt Tammy, but she’d love to have the opportunity to save other people from becoming prey to heartless predators.

She blinked back the tears that immediately surfaced at the picture that popped in her head: her Aunt Tammy, unconscious in her own bathtub, with an empty plastic bottle of sleeping pills floating on the water.

Eve had never screamed so loudly in her life, and she couldn’t remember how she’d managed to drag her aunt out of the tub and onto the bathroom floor. Fortunately, Eve’s apartment wasn’t far from a hospital, and paramedics had arrived within minutes. They’d found her giving CPR to her aunt and taken over. But even then, they’d been too late.

A year and a half on, Eve still burned with anger at the man who’d driven Tammy to do the unthinkable. Everyone in the family had been aghast to learn that Tammy had given all her life savings to her then-boyfriend, who’d turned out to be a conman who’d already stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars from other lonely women. If it hadn’t been for Tammy’s suicide note, no one would have known the truth about the scoundrel.

Eve dabbed the corners of her eyes with a finger. Unfortunately, the lowlife scammer who’d destroyed the lives of several ladies was still at large, his true identity unknown. He apparently used several aliases, so who knew exactly how many women he’d victimised?

That was why Eve had applied for the Your Eyes and Ears role. She couldn’t think of a more worthwhile career than helping expose tricksters so they could eventually be caught.

She felt her watch tap her with an incoming call, and pulled out her phone from her bag. “Hi, Dad.”

“Hi, Eve. Where on earth have you been?” Lionel asked softly. “I’ve been trying to reach you all morning.”

“Sorry. I was with a friend, then I went to a gym.” Speaking of gyms… She turned around and started heading back to A to X Fitness. Why not have a drink with Xavier to cheer her up? She’d need it after this phone call.

“You know I needed to speak to you urgently.”

Eve rolled her eyes. No way would she let her father risk losing any money in a questionable investment promoted by his new bowling buddy. “What do you mean?” she asked innocently.

“You know what I’m talking about. I’m really keen to invest in the property development scheme Scott’s in. He needs an answer right now because they’re meeting with the bank this afternoon.”

“I’m sure there’ll be other, much better investments for you to consider.” She dearly loved this man who’d adopted her when she was twelve—two days after Lionel had married her mother. But she worried he hadn’t done enough due diligence on this investment.

“I know you’re only trying to look out for us,” Lionel said gently. “But I truly believe Scott is trustworthy. You should meet him one day.”

Yes, she’d love to meet Scott one day and suss him out. But she simply feared her dad was starting to get desperate for a source of income since the dry-cleaning business he and her mother had run for fifteen years had finally folded, and he was still out of work. Her mum’s current job in the supermarket was only enough for the couple’s living expenses, forcing them to dip into their savings to pay for outstanding business debts. Going into what appeared to be speculative investment wasn’t the answer.

And call her cynical, but she still wasn’t satisfied that it wasn’t a scam. Fortunately, Lionel couldn’t go ahead with it without her help.

“So,” Lionel said, “will you lend me the twenty-five grand? Please? I’ll pay you back with interest.”

“Sorry, Dad. I trust you, but I think Scott’s not giving you enough time to fully consider his proposition.”

Lionel let out a heavy sigh.

“But if you guys need some cash,” she added hastily, “I’m more than happy to lend you some. As long as you promise none of it is going towards this investment Scott is selling to you.”

“No. We’re still fine, so far. I just want to do something so your mother and I won’t have to rely on you in the future.”

“I know. I appreciate that. But that investment is not it. Please trust me on this. It’s literally too good to be true.”

“Okay, fine. I’ll tell Scott I don’t have the funds. I won’t tell him you don’t trust him, though. He’s a good friend who keeps asking about how you’re doing.”

“Okay.” She’d rather her father wasn’t friends with this Scott person, but she’d keep her mouth shut about it for now.

“Will we see you on Sunday when you get back?”

“Sure. We’ll have dinner together.”

“Good. We’ll cook. I don’t want you taking me and your mother out again. We can’t afford to return the favour at this point.”

“Dad, you know I don’t mind,” she said with censure. What proud, stubborn folks.

“That’s not the point. Anyway, see you soon, darling. Bye for now.”

“Bye. Kiss Mum for me.”

“Will do.”

She’d just hung up when her phone vibrated with another incoming call. She frowned at the unfamiliar number. “Hello?”

“Hello, Eve?”

“Yes?”

“It’s Chester Blunt. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

Her heart skipped. The co-host of Your Eyes and Ears was calling her! “Hi, Chester. No, this is not a bad time. I’m free to talk.”

“Good. I was speaking with Aaron and Jody about your interview with them the other day. I was wondering if you’re available for another interview at three this afternoon?”

Her heart beat faster. “Yes, I can make it.”

“You’re staying at Macleay Street in Potts Point, right? At the building right across the road from the fountain?”

“Yes.” She loved that Airbnb place she’d found online. The price was extremely reasonable for the location.

“I’ll pick you up by the bus stop in front of your building in two hours.”

“O-kay,” she said slowly, confused. “We’re not having the interview at the station?”

“No. This is kind of an unofficial interview. I’m not supposed to tell you this, because nothing’s been announced, but Aaron’s not so sure about you for the job because they think the other candidates are better suited.”

Eve’s heart sank, although she wasn’t surprised. Aaron Adler, the program director of Your Eyes and Ears, hadn’t looked enthused when he’d interviewed her. She guessed that while she was successful enough to anchor a statewide evening news program, she wasn’t a recognisable face outside of South Australia. The other candidates were probably vastly more popular than her and already had a following.

“I disagree with Aaron,” Chester said. “I don’t think your lack of profile compared to them is a big issue. Your Eyes and Ears already has a strong following in the over-forty demographic because of me and Veronica. With Veronica’s imminent departure, this is the opportunity to have a co-host who could pull the younger demographic into the show. Besides, I believe you’re closest to having Veronica’s on-screen presence. Your compassion and strength shine through with just your delivery.”

“Thank you,” she murmured.

“Fortunately, someone else seems to agree with me—Trevor Clarence. Have you heard of him?”

“I’m afraid I haven’t.”

“I’m not surprised. His legal entity owns sixty percent of our production company. He’s originally from Adelaide and spends half of his time there, so he’s familiar with you. He wants to see you before he decides if he’ll lend his weight to your case.”

Eve’s mouth dropped. Had she heard him right?

“So what do you say?” Chester prompted.

“Yes, of course. I’ll be waiting by the bus stop at three.”

“Great. We’re going to his house. That’s where he’ll meet us.”

“Okay, thank you, Chester. I really appreciate this.”

“My pleasure. I really believe in you. My gut tells me you’re the best choice as Veronica’s replacement. See you soon.”

Eve took a huge breath as Chester hung up. Wow. That was totally unexpected. And incredibly exciting.

She should go and do some Googling on Trevor Clarence. But that meant not having time to go back to A to X Fitness. Pity.

But then, again, she still had a chance at the Your Eyes and Ears co-host role. She might be moving to Sydney. And she’d promised Xavier a date if she did.

She grinned. A promise was a promise.

* * *

“We’re here,” Chester said.

Eve stared at the imposing gates of Trevor Clarence’s Vaucluse home while Chester pressed a button on a security panel to announce their arrival. The solid metal gate slid slowly to the side, giving Eve her first glimpse of the long driveway and the breathtaking mansion standing proudly at the end of it.

She took deep breaths to calm down her nerves, which had increased exponentially.

The details she’d found online about Trevor Clarence were scant—strange for a person who was clearly very wealthy. A couple of websites did suggest that he was an extremely private individual who shunned media attention, and that the guy had sold his multimillion-dollar IT company three years ago. At fifty-five, he’d chosen to retire from “the daily grind”. He still held a financial interest in the company that produced Your Eyes and Ears and owned a couple of commercial properties.

She’d tried to find out more from Chester, but Chester hadn’t been forthcoming, only stating that he’d prefer to let Trevor himself answer Eve’s questions.

Anyway, here she was, feeling unprepared for her meeting with the person who could change the course of her career. It still stunned her that Trevor Clarence was extending an opportunity to her that he hadn’t appeared to have offered to the other candidates. Even if she didn’t get the job, she was already grateful for the boost this gesture had given her.

“Impressive, huh?” Chester said, staring up ahead at the house as they slowly drove towards it.

“It certainly is. So is there anything else I should keep in mind before I meet him?”

Chester shrugged. “He’s really easy-going, so just call him Trevor, not Mr. Clarence. And have at least one glass of wine. He’s a wine connoisseur and very proud of his collection. He loves opening hundred-dollar bottles for his guests and expects them to like them as much as he does.”

“Wow.” She doubted she was considered a guest, though. She was only here for a job interview.

Soon they were parked by the double front doors. Two men in black suits, clearly security personnel, were waiting to welcome them. They were rather good-looking.

But not as hot as Xavier.

She hid her smile at her thought. Handsome as the security guys were, they definitely had nothing on Xavier.

“Good afternoon,” said one of them as he helped Eve out of the car.

She smiled her thanks. “Good afternoon.”

“Trevor’s ready to meet with you,” said the other, pushing one of the front doors open. “I’ll take you to him.”

Eve glanced at Chester as they followed the man inside. Chester didn’t seem to know the security guys, so he probably didn’t come to his house that often.

Her nerves came back. Had she really made that much of an impression on Trevor Clarence? She was finding all this a little surreal.

They turned a corner and arrived at a big open-plan room tastefully furnished with a leather lounge set, a ten-seater dining table and an amazing kitchen with a huge island. The wide bifold glass doors leading to a balcony were closed—probably due to the cool weather—but the sky was clear outside, and the views of Sydney Harbour were magnificent.

A blond man in casual clothes placed the wine bottle he was holding on the coffee table and walked over to them with a smile.

Eve recognised him as Trevor Clarence. He looked a tad older than the picture she’d seen on the internet.

“Hello, Eve,” Trevor said, extending a hand. “Pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure’s all mine, Trevor. Thank you for this opportunity.”

“You’re welcome.” Trevor greeted Chester, then gestured for both of them to take a seat on the sofa.

“So, Eve,” Trevor said, grabbing the bottle of red and pouring the wine into three crystal glasses, “I heard that Aaron doesn’t think you’re suitable for the role.”

She smiled. “He did give me that impression during my interview.”

Trevor chuckled. “Well, for me, you have the most charisma out of all the candidates. While you all passed the on-screen chemistry test with Chester, I think you’re the most capable of making the viewers feel with you. To me, that’s of primary importance with shows like Your Eyes and Ears. I’ve watched you enough to know you can be straight to the point and hard-hitting, but you also have a soft side that can elicit empathy. There’s no point to the show if the hosts can’t make the viewers care. You might not have the kind of following the others already have, but I do believe you’ll pull in new viewers that the show hasn’t been able to reach before. You’re younger and certainly a fresh face—no offence, Chester.”

“None taken. Fifteen years on the show will give you these lines.” Chester touched his forehead.

Eve chuckled along with Trevor.

“Anyway,” Trevor said, “I believe that with the right platform, you’ll easily draw in more of your own following. In a nutshell, I think Your Eyes and Earsneeds you, and you need it in return. Which is why you’re the perfect co-host for the show.”

Gratitude surged within Eve. This sounded promising. “Thank you,” she murmured.

Trevor handed them their wine. “Cheers.”

Eve clinked her glass with the men’s and took a sip. “This is beautiful,” she said.

Trevor beamed. “Glad you like it. Carmichael Shiraz 1999.”

“Yes, exceptional,” Chester said, before taking another big gulp.

“Have some cheese and crackers,” Trevor offered, indicating the tray on the coffee table.

Chester didn’t hesitate, placing a large chunk of camembert on a cracker and popping the whole thing in his mouth.

Eve reached over and cut herself a smaller slice, aware that Trevor was scrutinising her. She ordered herself to relax. One thing she’d learned was not to look intimidated, no matter how she felt inside. In a competitive industry, the one who didn’t wither under bold inspection earned respect.

“Why Your Eyes and Ears, Eve?” Trevor asked after a long moment. “Is it because it’s the number one public affairs program in the country?”

“That did influence my decision a great deal,” she said, meeting his gaze. “But it wasn’t my main reason. Frankly, I can’t wait to personally shine the spotlight on heartless con artists preying on people who can’t fight back against them.”

Trevor cocked his head. “Do I detect more than a professional interest in this?”

Eve stared at her glass. “My aunt overdosed on prescription drugs a year and a half ago, after she lost her life savings to a man who befriended her in church, and proposed marriage within three months. She’d suffered from anxiety and depression for most of her life, and that pushed her over the edge. She wasn’t the first victim of that con artist. He’d stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and kind from women whose hearts he’d also broken. While my aunt was the only one I know who took her life because of him, I’m sure he’s destroyed the happiness and financial security of plenty others—and will continue to do so until he’s caught. So…” She took a sip of her wine. “I honestly can’t wait to help expose the likes of him to the unsuspecting public. I know that Your Eyes and Ears has also helped the police catch perpetrators when their victims found the courage to talk after seeing their cases on TV.”

“I’m sorry to hear about your aunt,” Chester murmured.

“Thank you.”

“Well.” Trevor reached for his phone and called someone. “Aaron, it’s Trevor Clarence. How’s it going?… Good… I have Chester and Eve Marrin here with me… Yes, Eve Marrin. I asked Chester to set up a meeting with her. Anyway, Chester and I believe that Eve is the best person to replace Veronica. I know you don’t agree, but I’m asking you to reconsider… I know you’re the program director, Aaron, and I do trust you, but I feel strongly that Eve is a great choice.”

Eve could make out Aaron’s voice on the other end of the line as he argued with Trevor.

“Look, how about you trial her out for, say three months?” Trevor said in a calm tone. “Promote her to the viewers as Veronica’s substitute for the holidays, since she’d be starting in October and the three months would finish in December. If she doesn’t work out, then replace her in the new year. I don’t see a problem with that… Good, glad you like that idea… I’ll leave it to you to arrange the paperwork and call Eve when it’s ready to be signed… Perfect… Thank you, Aaron. Bye.”

Eve gaped at Trevor.

“We haven’t discussed remuneration,” Trevor said to her, “but I don’t think you’ll be disappointed when you get your contract for a three-month stint. It’s all up to you now. If you want the job permanently, you have to work extremely hard to impress Aaron.”

Eve shook herself out of her surprise. “Thank you, Trevor. I won’t let you down.”

“I don’t expect you to,” Trevor answered smugly. “But don’t announce this to anyone yet. Let Aaron run the timeline on when to let the public know who’ll be replacing Veronica. Give him that, at least.”

“Okay. My lips are sealed until then.” She turned to Chester. “I want to thank you too. I’m so thrilled to be working alongside you.”

Chester grinned. “You’re welcome.”

Eve relaxed in her seat. She had less than two months to organise everything, including resigning from her current job. She ran the risk of being jobless after December, but she wasn’t going to worry about that right now. She intended to stay at Your Eyes and Ears permanently.

In the meantime, she could use the rest of the weekend to start her search for a place here in Sydney.

And see Xavier.

She breathed deeply. Perhaps she could see him before he found out who she was and what show she was about to co-host. Just for a change, she’d like to go out with a man who didn’t seem to have any ulterior motives for wanting to go out with her.

“Now, Eve,” Trevor said, “the anniversary of Ross Anton’s arrest is coming up in two months. I’ve been very interested in his case, having been a former Stirling Mortgage Brokers client, myself. It might be a good topic for you to cover on your first day at Your Eyes and Ears. Personally, I’d like to hear from other past clients who still feel betrayed by Ross and the Stirlings. Just don’t interview me for the show,” he added with a laugh.

“That’s a great idea,” she answered.

She was familiar with the Ross Anton case, even though most of the happenings had occurred in Sydney. The flamboyant businessman’s networking parties had been legendary, so when news of his arrest had come out, it had shocked many people. But the fact that he was also the business partner of Holly Stirling’s parents had made his arrest viral.

Eve couldn’t wait to do some research. She didn’t know much about the Stirling family, as she wasn’t a fan of Holly Stirling, but she’d love to investigate the possibility that Gerald and Adele Stirling had pulled the wool over the eyes of the public. She remained sceptical that they’d known nothing about Ross Anton’s criminal side, so she couldn’t wait to sink her teeth into this now. She’d been a mere observer of this case in the past.

But first things first. She’d ask Chester to drop her in the city on their way back. Hopefully, Xavier was still at work.

**End of Chapter Two**

Mark Tuesday, the 27th of February, on your calendar! Xavier: The Contract will be releasing then. Hope you're looking forward to it as much as I am.

In the meantime, you can preorder the book from the following stores:

Amazon.com | Other Amazon Stores | Apple iBooks | Kobo | Barnes & Noble

Store link to Google Play will be available on release day.

Love,

Miranda xo

Xavier: The Contract Chapter One

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She could ruin him and his family, and he is tasked to protect her. Now, Xavier not only needs to watch his back–he also has to watch his heart.

***

Xavier: The Contract is releasing on Tuesday, the 27th of February, and I can't wait for the day to come. I had a blast writing this story–the first book of the new Indie Rebel series–and I'm so excited to share it with you.

Not long to go before the 27th, but here's chapter one right now to whet your appetite. Enjoy!

Xavier: The Contract Chapter One

“Keep going,” Xavier Stirling grunted, adjusting his arms’ and legs’ grips around the thick horizontal logs he was dangling from, his muscles straining. He stopped to crane his neck and look at the other man who was groaning in agony.

“Argh!” Jaxon Caine, the millionaire owner of a tax agency franchise, pushed the bar past the next barrier on the pull-up ladder segment of Obstacle X, his biceps taut. He tried to advance further, but he lost his grip and dropped to the heavily cushioned floor.

Xavier climbed down and clapped. “Excellent work. That’s the farthest you’ve gone, and your time’s improved too.”

Jaxon reached for his water bottle, his breathing laboured. “Thanks. But seriously, bro, don’t slow down for me next time. I need to know how I’m keeping up with you when you’re full steam ahead.”

Xavier chuckled. “I didn’t slow down that much. You’ve done well. But we should keep concentrating first on your upper body strength before we work on improving your speed.”

“Well, my new girlfriend’s impressed with speed,” Jaxon said with a grin. “But I couldn’t have continued anyway. I have to run for an important meeting.”

“Excuses, excuses,” Xavier teased. “I won’t let you get off as lightly next time.”

Jaxon laughed, heading to the men’s shower room. “I don’t expect you to. See you Monday. Enjoy your weekend.”

“You too, bro.”

Xavier wiped his face with a towel and glanced at the people congregated by the entrance to the Obstacle X room. There were still five minutes left of Jaxon’s one-on-one session, but several members of A to X Fitness— Xavier’s gym in Sydney’s central business district—were already waiting to use the room’s facilities. He was heartened that the three hour-long blocks each day when the Obstacle X room was available to regular members were very popular.

“You can go in, guys,” he said to them.

He was proud of his newly refurbished gym. He’d hesitated to lay out a large sum to create this obstacle course, especially since it took up a lot of space where he could have put more exercise machines or group classrooms. But he’d taken the risk. He wouldn’t have gotten some of his personal training clients if it wasn’t for this obstacle course. Now, he even employed two fitness trainers who used to be his competitors, and they’d brought their own loyal clients who were eager to be trained on Obstacle X.

It would still take several more months to break even with his investment, though, with rent here in the city being so expensive. Thankfully, with A to X Fitness being right on the ground level of a forty-five-floor commercial building on busy George Street, a number of executives who worked long hours—including Jaxon—found the location very convenient.

Xavier grinned, remembering Jaxon’s comment about his new girlfriend. The man appeared totally smitten with the Olympic gold-medal-winning triathlete he’d met a few months ago.

Speaking of smitten…

He snorted. He wasn’t at all smitten, but he hurried out towards the main gym floor, scanning each person using the elliptical machines in search of the stunning brunette who’d caught the attention of every single cell of his body the first time he’d seen her.

To his disappointment, his mystery woman wasn’t there again.

She’d stepped onto an elliptical last Monday at one in the afternoon. He knew because he’d happened to check the time right before she’d come into his view. He’d been immediately bowled over. And to his delight, she’d returned on Tuesday and Wednesday around the same time.

But he hadn’t seen her at all yesterday, and there was no sign of her again today.

He should have approached her earlier, but he’d baulked at picking up a woman in his place of business. The last thing he’d wanted was to set an example to his staff that would encourage them to flirt with the customers. But now, he wanted to smack himself for missing the opportunity.

He turned around to do some paperwork in his small office, but stopped in his tracks. He gaped at the woman coming out of a dance-exercise class. This time, her chestnut-brown hair, which was usually in a bun, was in a ponytail.

She was here after all, and he let out a sigh of relief.

Or several sighs of relief.

Or whatever, because his breathing had shallowed and his heart was suddenly beating like crazy, as if he’d jumped on one of the ellipticals and pushed himself hard from the get-go.

Damn. He just had to meet her.

Without another thought, he walked towards her. “Excuse me.”

“Yes?”

His breath hitched again when her beautiful chocolate-coloured eyes met his gaze. “My name is Xavier, and I’m one of the personal trainers here. I noticed that you’re a new customer. I was wondering what you think of A to X Fitness?”

Ugh, lame. But he had nothing else prepared.

She cocked her head, regarding him curiously. “How do you know I’m a new client? I bet there are many casual customers coming here all the time.”

Whoa, he hadn’t expected that. He looked around, ensuring none of his staff could hear him, and let out an embarrassed chuckle. “I’m sorry. That was actually my way of asking your name.”

To his relief, she laughed.

“I see. That still doesn’t explain how you knew I’m a new customer.”

Okay, this hadn’t started the way he wanted. He wasn’t usually a bumbling idiot when it came to women. He sent her an apologetic smile that he hoped conveyed he wasn’t being a creep. “I first noticed you on Monday, and I know you haven’t been here before then. I would have remembered you otherwise. And, no, I don’t notice everybody new who comes in here.”

She stared at him for a long moment before her face broke into a smile. “Okay, I’ll buy that.”

“Phew.” He brushed off imaginary sweat from his forehead and grinned.

“So do you really work here, or was that just a line?”

“I really work here,” he said with a laugh. “And apart from wanting to meet you, I do want to know how you’re liking this gym.” If she enjoyed it here, then she’d keep coming back, wouldn’t she?

“I like it a lot. The facilities are great, the classes on offer are excellent, and the staff are fantastic. Unfortunately, you don’t have a branch in Adelaide.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m only here in Sydney for a week. I’m from Adelaide, and I go back on Sunday.”

His spirits crashed. “Really?”

“Yeah, really.” She sounded equally disappointed.

“Shame. So you’re only just visiting?”

“Yeah. Actually, I came for a job interview and decided to enjoy a week’s break here also.”

He perked up. “So you could be moving to Sydney?”

She shrugged. “I won’t know for another week or two. But I’ve been having fun playing tourist.”

“Need a guide for the weekend?” he asked teasingly.

She chuckled. “Thanks, but I already have things planned. Anyway, I have to go. It was nice meeting you, Xavier.” She gave him a small wave before walking towards the ladies’ change room.

“So your name is…?” he called out.

She turned around. “Eve.”

“So, Eve,” he said, approaching her. “If you get the job you applied for, will you come back here and take me up on my offer to be your tour guide?”

She laughed. “Okay.”

“Well, then, I wish you the very best of luck in getting the job.” He put his right palm against his chest to further convey his sincerity.

“Thank you,” she said with a chuckle.

“You know, I have half an hour for a coffee…”

Eve gave him a pretty smile. “Next time.”

He watched her walk away. What a real damned shame that she lived in another state. He’d just have to forget about her until she came back. If she ever came back.

“Xavier.”

He turned around in surprise at the sound of his father’s voice. “Hey, Dad. What are you doing here?”

“Thought I’d pop by,” Gerald answered. “Place looks packed.”

“Obstacle X is waiting for you,” he teased. “Where’s your exercise gear?”

Gerald simply laughed. “Hey, I want to talk to you about something. Can we talk in private?”

“Sure.” Xavier led his father to his small office, which overlooked the main gym floor on one side, and the Obstacle X room on the other.

“What’s up, Dad?”

“Anything weird happening lately?”

He frowned. “Weird? What do you mean?”

Gerald pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket. “I don’t want you to be alarmed, because I’ve already gone to the police with this.”

Xavier took the paper and unfolded it. The hairs on his arms and neck stood as he read the three sentences in the middle of the sheet.

YOU STIRLINGS ARE ROSS ANTON’S PARTNERS. STIRLING MORTGAGE BROKERS IS A COVER FOR ALL YOUR CRIMES. WATCH OUT, BECAUSE WHY SHOULDN’T YOU PAY TOO?

“Where’d you get this?”

“In the mail. That’s a copy. The police took the original when I first told them about it.”

“When?”

“Last month.”

Xavier scowled. “You got this a month ago and you didn’t tell me?”

“I didn’t want you to worry. Anyway, the police said it most likely came from an angry client who feels betrayed by our company. As you know, there are some who were downright appalled that someone like Ross could have had access to their private information.”

“What makes them think that?”

“Well, they found fingerprints on the original letter and envelope, but they didn’t match anything in their database. Apparently, that’s a very good thing, because if the writer is in any way connected to Ross’s crimes, either they would have been more careful not to leave their fingerprints everywhere on it, or they would already have a police record. That’s why the detectives believe it’s just a disgruntled client who’s still scared that their details might have been stolen by Ross. And that it came to our PO Box was positive too.”

“So what else are the police doing about this?”

Gerald shrugged. “They’re still investigating. They did also ask me to remind you and your sister to keep an eye out for anything suspicious, although that will always be difficult in Holly’s case,” he added with a sigh.

Xavier himself took a deep breath. With his sister being a superstar pop singer with a few overzealous fans, how would she be able to tell the difference between star-struck admirers and possibly dangerous individuals?

At least Holly now had a bodyguard. The whole family had forced her to hire one after Ross’s arrest.

“And they also asked again if I remember Ross mentioning Eugene Barker to me,” Gerald said. “Frankly, I don’t believe Ross ever had dealings with Barker. I don’t think he’s that big of a criminal. But you know what? It still makes my skin crawl every time I think we were even close friends with that Ross, not to mention had him as our marketing director. Thank God we were able to buy back his shares.”

“Yeah.”

“Anyway, that’s all. I better leave you to it. I gotta get back to work myself.”

Xavier walked his father to the exit. “See you in a day or two—when you come back for a private training session with me.”

“I’ll let you know when I’m ready,” Gerald said with a chuckle, stopping at the foyer to give him a back slap. “See you on Tuesday at home for dinner. Don’t forget that Holly’s leaving for her big North American tour, so we won’t see her for months.”

“As if I’ll miss that. Anyway, let me know if you get any more anonymous messages, ’kay?”

“Okay, but I really think it’s all harmless. Like the police said, it’s probably just a former client venting a little.”

“Let’s hope—”

“Bye, Xavier,” Eve said as she walked past them towards the exit.

His heartbeat instantly spiked. “See you later,” he enunciated.

She laughed. “I hope so.”

“Who was that?” Gerald asked in a low voice.

“A customer,” he answered, busy watching his mystery woman walk out the glass door.

“I mean, what’s her name?”

He filled his lungs with air. “Eve.”

“You seem… enamoured.”

He scoffed. “Enamoured? Not at all, Dad.”

“Well, you’re still gawking at her,” Gerald teased.

Xavier forced himself to peel his gaze off Eve to look at his father. “I want a date or two with her, that’s all. I’m hardly enamoured. Besides, she lives in Adelaide, so there’s not much point pursuing anything.”

Gerald wrinkled his nose in disappointment. “Yeah, long-distance relationships don’t often work. But you should really think about finding a partner you can settle down with. You’re thirty now.”

“Thirty-two,” he said with an eye roll. His father could never get his and Holly’s ages right these days.

“See? I already had two kids at that age.”

“Aren’t you supposed to go back to work?”

“Fine,” Gerald said. “See you Tuesday.”

“See you, Dad.”

He walked out the door with Gerald, waving goodbye. But his eyes scanned for Eve.

No luck. He couldn’t spot her amongst the lunchtime crowd milling around George Street.

Shaking his head, he walked back to his office. He gazed out the window to watch people use the machines and smiled. At least Eve liked his gym.

Actually, he’d been thinking of expanding. Perhaps Adelaide could be a good location for his first branch outside of Sydney.

He snorted. It intrigued him just how attracted he was to a complete stranger. The pull to want to have some fun with her was strong.

That was all, though, nothing more. He wasn’t the long-term-relationship kind of guy. Not anymore. His desire for anything permanent with a woman had died with Gail. He had enough happening in his life not to want to work on something that could be taken away without warning.

A dull, distant sadness instantly clouded over him at the memory of his last girlfriend. Sadly, Gail hadn’t survived a middle-of-the-night attack five years ago, when her drug-crazed neighbour had driven a knife into her stomach after she’d refused to hand him money.

Xavier crossed his arms. He still laid some blame on the police for Gail’s passing. They’d taken over half an hour to get to Gail’s place after her neighbours had reported hearing loud arguments from her apartment. Gail might not have bled to death if they’d prioritised the call. Worse, they still had no idea where her neighbour had disappeared to. Now, Gail’s case was considered as cold.

He rubbed his face, remembering the dark despair he’d fallen into following her death.

Then the murder of his client-turned-friend, Richard McCarthy, a mere five months after Gail’s had threatened to drag him down further. But looking for evidence against Richard’s killer had pulled him out of the abyss. He hadn’t wanted another person close to him be denied the justice they deserved.

Unfortunately, Richard’s killer was still at large too.

He’d always suspected Ross Anton to be the murderer, but his parents’ former business partner had staunchly denied it during his arrest ten months ago. Subsequent police investigations pointed to Ross telling the truth about being a thief only, not a killer.

He frowned, remembering the note his dad had shown him.

After several stressful months of putting out fires created by Ross’s arrest, Xavier hoped his parents weren’t about to face worse times with their clients.

He had a bad feeling about it, though, especially when Ross had warned him something like this could happen.

Unbidden, the day of Ross’s arrest played back in his head.

* * *

Xavier glared at Richard’s murderer. Finally, the bastard was being arrested, and Xavier was more than glad he was present to see it.

Ross Anton caught him staring as two detectives led him to an unmarked police car. “Xavier! I didn’t kill anyone. Yes, I stole, but I’m not a murderer. You have to believe me before it’s too late.”

“Too late for what, Ross?” he asked in a bored tone, not surprised that the man was trying to save his ass. Ross was narcissistic enough to believe he could get away with anything.

“Mr. Anton, you’ve been cautioned about your rights,” Detective Swanson said.

Ross glared at the detective. “If you believe I’m the one responsible for killing all those people, then you won’t be looking for the puppet master! He could very well go after everyone involved in my arrest. Everyone who’s here today! Even Xavier’s parents could be in danger.”

“Leave my parents out of this,” Xavier said coldly.

“But they’re my business partners!”

“They know nothing about who you really are and what you’ve done.”

“They might have been clueless about me, but that won’t protect them. The puppet master is as paranoid as he is ruthless. He won’t hesitate to get rid of anyone involved with me, now that I’m in police custody.”

“Mr. Anton,” Detective Swanson said with impatience. “You’ll make things easier for yourself if you tell us who this supposed puppet master is.”

“I already told you, I’m not going to say his name until I’m guaranteed complete protection by the police. And I bet you you’ll want to make a deal with me. He’s one of the most cunning and sickest criminals you could ever know.”

“We’ll see,” Swanson said, making to close the car door.

Ross leaned sideways to prevent it from shutting. “I have the right to contact a relative or a friend, right?”

“Yes, you can do that at the station.”

“I’d like Xavier to be my call-a-friend. Give me a couple of minutes of privacy with him, then I’ll tell you who the puppet master is.”

Swanson narrowed her eyes.

Ross sighed. “I want to apologise to Xavier’s parents, and he can deliver my message to them. Gerald and Adele have been good friends to me. I don’t want them thinking I’ve stolen from them or messed with the business.”

Swanson exchanged a glance with Detective Harris before raising her eyebrows at Xavier.

Xavier shrugged. “If he’s going to tell us who the puppet master is—if there’s really a puppet master—then I’m fine with it.”

Swanson nodded, opening the back window before closing the door. “When we come back, you’ll give us his name,” she warned Ross before she and Harris walked away.

Xavier stared at Ross impassively. He had no idea what was going on in the man’s mind, but he doubted Ross suddenly felt sorry for all his misdeeds.

“I need your help,” Ross whispered, glancing furtively at the detectives’ retreating backs.

Xavier laughed dryly. “Seriously? But I don’t know how to pick handcuffs yet.”

“Listen to me! The puppet master is one motherfucker named Eugene Barker, and the police—”

“Eugene Barker?” Xavier asked sharply. He’d heard of the man. Barker’s face had been all over the news over a year ago, when he’d somehow escaped from police custody while being transferred to a maximum-security prison. He was a wanted man in several countries, reportedly heading multiple international crime syndicates involved in money laundering, white-collar crimes and artwork trafficking. Most chilling of all, he apparently left a lot of dead bodies in his wake.

Ross sat up straighter, his gaze intense. “I know you’ve heard of him, so listen and listen well. I’m sure the police will offer me a deal in exchange for more information about Barker, since they’re so desperate to catch him. But just because I’ll have police protection doesn’t mean I’ll be safe. He’s got minions in and out of jail. He could get me there too. And I’m telling you, Xavier, it will only be a matter of time before he sets his sights on your family. He’ll off people if he suspects they could be a threat to him. He needsto be caught.”

“You should have given him up much earlier, then, shouldn’t you?”

Ross shook his head. “I was too scared. He would have killed me without warning if he even had a sniff of me wanting to go to the police. But now, I don’t have any other choice. For all our sakes, Barker has to be found. He’ll start hiding again now. He knows how to disappear into thin air.”

Xavier frowned at Ross, taking in what the man was saying. The puppet master was the Eugene Barker? Damn.

“But I’ve heard of people who are also after Eugene Barker,” Ross said conspiratorially. “They’ve been instrumental in getting some of Barker’s men caught, even if the police are too arrogant to admit that fact. I’m happy to give them details about Barker too, so they or the police can catch the bastard once and for all. They’re not easy to find, but I have info on how you can get in touch with them.”

Xavier snorted. “Me? Are you kidding me? You want me to act as a go-between for you and some… what… vigilantes?”

“Yes! Consider this. Police from here, the US, Canada, the UK, Germany—they’ve been searching for Barker for years. Years, Xavier. And the one time our police managed to get him, he escaped. So frankly, I don’t want to rest my hopes on the police. We need the Indie Rebels’ help.”

“Indie Rebels?”

“That’s what they’re called.”

Xavier shook his head. “I don’t think I should trust anything coming out of your mouth right now. I think you’re just trying to trick me into doing something for you.”

“I’m not!” Ross insisted. “I’m telling you that the police have proven to be inept when it comes to getting Barker. We could all be dead before they even turn up at the scene of the crime.”

Xavier inhaled sharply, an image of Gail flashing in his mind. He knew damned well what it meant for the police to arrive too late.

“Everything okay here?” Detective Harris asked as he and his partner returned.

“Ross has a name for you,” Xavier quipped.

“Give it up,” Harris said, looking inside the car window.

Ross’s lips curved mirthlessly. “Eugene Barker.”

Harris shot Swanson a startled glance.

“I’ll tell you everything I know,” Ross said, “as long as it doesn’t come out that I’ve ratted him out.”

“How much do you know?”

“A lot. And that’s all I’m saying until I talk to my lawyer.”

Harris glared at the captive, then opened the car door to close the window.

Swanson motioned for Xavier to move away from the vehicle. “Thank you. We weren’t expecting this at all. But if Ross is telling the truth, then you guys do have to be careful. Once Barker learns that Ross is in custody, he might start looking at the people close to Ross—including your parents.”

“But why?”

“If Ross does know a lot about Barker, then Barker might get nervous that we’ve got Ross. Not to scare you, but Barker’s well-known for shutting up people who he thinks might have information that could be detrimental to his syndicate.”

Xavier raked his hair. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, Detective. But why on earth are the police having a hard time catching this man?”

Swanson sighed. “He’s a master at hiding. He has a lot of cronies. Mind you, we’ve already caught some of his partners, but he’s always been one step ahead. He’s definitely not someone to be underestimated. Anyway, we’ll be in touch again soon. We need to talk to Ross more. In the meantime, I suggest you don’t talk about Eugene Barker’s supposed connection with Ross to anyone. That could help ensure you don’t get onto Barker’s radar.”

“Okay. Have you heard of the Indie Rebels?”

Swanson frowned. “What do you know about them?”

“I’ve never heard of them until Ross mentioned them just now. He said they’ve helped you guys catch some of Barker’s people.”

“The Indie Rebels are a vigilante gang, Xavier,” Swanson warned. “Stay well away from them. Don’t believe that they can do a better job than the police—because they can’t. Now, what else did Ross say about them?”

“That’s it. He said he doesn’t know anyone from the group, that’s why he wants me to find them.”

“Well, ignore Ross. We’ll deal with him. And if you find out anything about the Indie Rebels, let me know. We don’t want them taking matters into their own hands.”

Xavier nodded, refraining from mentioning that Ross appeared to know how to contact the Indie Rebels. Instinct told him it was better to keep that information to himself.

* * *

Xavier was startled by the tapping on his office window, pulling him out of his thoughts. One of his customers was waving at him.

He smiled and waved back, then went to sit in his chair.

He hadn’t heard anything from the police that their arrangement with Ross Anton had been broken or cancelled. As far as he knew, the police were still pretending that Ross had not revealed his connection to Barker to anyone.

Had Barker stopped buying that story? Did he believe that the Stirlings had information about him and his syndicate?

Out of all possibilities regarding the note his parents had received, Xavier feared this one was the truth. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do but trust that the police were on top of this.

The Indie Rebels popped in his mind and he shook his head to clear it. He was sure Ross had been exaggerating about their success.

He got up from his chair to wait outside for his next client.

Had Eve seen him on Obstacle X? Perhaps she’d be impressed if she saw him on it.

He laughed out loud. Where the hell did that thought come from?

**End of Chapter One**

That's all for today. Keep an eye out for chapter two tomorrow!

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Love,

Miranda xo