Page 104 of Xavier

The wheel spins as the machine tries to complete whatever it was that Jordan told it to do.

A giant map pops up on the screen. I scoot my chair closer to get a better look at what he’s searching for.

A few clicks of his mouse later and a red dot pops up. Every few seconds, the red dot moves, and it takes several minutes to realize the red dot is Xavier.

“Do you have a tracker on Xavier?”

“Yeah. It was his idea to give you extra peace of mind. You can see his location whenever you want. All day, every day.”

Even after I ignored him, he cared enough to let me always see his location. My heart constricts in pain. I shouldn’t have let him leave like that.

“Damn it.” I mumble to myself.

Jordan either didn’t hear me or he’s pretending he didn’t hear me because he doesn’t comment on my expletive.

He moves the map to another monitor and types a few more commands into his computer.

Once again, the wheel spins as the machine completes Jordan’s command.

Dozens of files pop up on the screen regarding Isaac Thornton, Dad’s true identity.

He lets out a whistle. “This is some serious shit, if it’s true.”

“What is?” To me, these files look like hieroglyphics.

“They have a hit on your entire family.”

“Who does and why?”

He clicks on another file and reads several pages. “It doesn’t say who, but with some more digging, I could figure it out. According to your dad’s service record, he was involved in some top secret shit back in the day.”

“Why would they want us all killed for something that happened decades ago?”

He doesn’t answer my question. He opens more documents and skims through them before opening another one.

He clears his throat and says, “War is messy and sometimes adrenaline gets the best of us and we do some stupid shit.”

“Stupid shit like what?”

He glances my way and studies my face for a few moments before saying, “Like taking pictures after a secret mission.”

My eyes widen as I begin to understand what he is hinting at. “Pictures with the dead?”

“Sometimes, yes, as horrible as it sounds.”

I close my eyes and lean my head back against the chair as a faint feeling washes over me.

Oh my God, did Dad take pictures with a dead person?

Jordan continues, oblivious to my current condition. “There are rumors floating around on the dark web saying Isaac Thornton recorded a video of a very intense interrogation, brutal torture, and messy execution, and now the leader of the cartel is after revenge.”

Oh my God, this is worse than Dad ever let on, and now Xavier is going in blind. I just hope he doesn’t get hurt because Dad is still keeping secrets.

Chapter Twenty-Four

XAVIER

Brianna is going to be worried.

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