Page 99 of Xavier

The guest bedroom is pretty bare except for the queen sized bed, nightstands, and a dresser. It’s the same as the last time I was here, except he added a mirror on the dresser.

Maybe it’s always been here.

The last time I was here was right after Julia died.

“Xavier, are you alright?” Brianna’s voice comes out soft and gentle.

“Uh, yeah, but there are some things I need to tell you about. Things that happened in the past.”

She kicks off her sandals and climbs on the bed, sticking her ass in my direction.

God, I wish I didn’t have to do this right now. I wish I could be buried inside her and forget about all of this.

I sit on the edge of the bed and turn to face her.

“When I was stationed overseas, I met a woman named Julia. She was a bartender at a local bar that was popular with military members.”

I have to pause as emotion lodges itself in my throat.

“At first, the flirting was just us having fun, but the more I got to know her, the more I fell in love. As a bartender, she made decent money, but it wasn’t enough to pay all her bills and take care of her parents.”

Brianna places her hand on my leg. It might be a tiny gesture to some, but I can feel the love and support she’s giving me.

“I helped when I could, but it still wasn’t enough. They had too much debt. In trying to find a quick solution, Julia got mixed up in the wrong crowd. The anti-American military people. They saw how friendly she was towards the troops and used it to their advantage.”

A soft gasp comes from Brianna. “Oh, God. That’s horrible.”

She hasn’t even heard the worst part yet.

“One night their leader came in, roughed her up pretty good in front of us, but there was nothing we could do except sit and watch. We were gathering intelligence on their organization and needed to pretend not to care. It killed me to not do anything.”

“Is that why you stood up for the woman at the bar?”

I nod my head.

“My commander decided to use Julia to our advantage. He made her a spy. They thought she turned her back on us when, in reality, she was helping us.”

We used her when we should have helped her.

“She dived headfirst into their organization and got hooked on drugs. I had to watch the woman I loved deteriorate before my eyes, and there was nothing I could do.”

Brianna’s hand rubs my thigh in a calming manner. Even though I’m sharing details from the worst part of my past, her touch is electrifying.

“Somehow, they figured out she was working for us, giving us information about their hideouts and camps. By the time I figured it out, it was already too late.”

I ball my hands up into fists.

“They poisoned her, tortured her, and then dropped her off at the bar for us to see their handiwork. Within hours, she was dead. Her murder was covered up, and within days, she was replaced as if she didn’t mean anything to anyone.”

I look up at Brianna when I hear her sniffling. Her cheeks are soaked from her tears. Tears for another woman that I used to love.

Reaching up, I swipe the tears away.

“When we were given the all clear to take down the organization, I jumped at the chance to be on the team. I think everyone knew I would be there whether I had permission or not. I enjoyed taking them down one by one. I enjoyed the fear I saw in their eyes right before I took their lives.”

Brianna tenses beside me, and I stop talking. I shake those memories away.

“Anyway, I told you all of that to tell you this. The men that are after you are from the same cartel that Julie infiltrated. I don’t know why they are targeting you, but I will make sure they learn their lesson this time.”

---