Page 105 of Xavier

Hell, she might even be pissed that I’m not back yet.

One to two days has now turned into three, and we still aren’t done, but we are finally getting closer to the end.

Of course, I had to call Hudson several times, and with his help, we led the killers back to Scarlett Island. To where it all began.

I get off the phone with Jordan, who filled me in on everything he and Brianna were able to uncover about John and his past.

Looking across John’s dining room table, my gaze meets his. “So, are we going to talk about the recording?”

His gaze darts away, settling on something outside the back door. The sun has set, and the sky is darkening. “What recording?”

“I don’t have time for games, John. My intel guy found the hit on the dark web, so either they have their wires crossed or you’re lying. Stop being a selfish asshole and think about your daughter for a moment.”

His gaze snaps back to mine. “What about Brianna?”

I growl out, “She witnessed a break in, theft, and murder. She’s had to hide away for the entire summer because you weren’t honest about your past. The isolation has changed her, and she’s not the same fiery woman she was before all of this.”

His jaw clenches as his gaze roams over my face. “Why does it matter that she’s changed? Change can be a good thing.”

I need to tell him how I feel about Brianna. I need to tell him before we finish this mission because afterwards, I’m taking her on a much needed vacation.

Clearing my throat, I softly say, “It matters to me because I’m falling in love with her. I love your daughter, and I want to make her happy. But you keeping secrets isn’t helping anything. It’s not helping this mission, it’s not helping Brianna.”

His lips tighten into a thin line, like he’s trying to keep his anger contained.

I wouldn’t blame him if he wanted to hit me, but to my surprise, he grins and stands.

“That’s wonderful news!”

“It is?” I ask, unsure if John has had an aneurysm in the past few seconds.

“Of course it is. Every father wants his baby girl to be loved and cared for after they leave home, and I know she’s in good hands when she’s with you.”

His approval only makes me miss her more.

“So, now that we have that settled, tell me about the recording.”

He sits back down and lets out a long sigh. “I didn’t record the interrogation and execution, but I was in the room.”

Well, that’s good at least, but doesn’t really help our situation.

He continues. “I warned them against keeping the recording. Sure, some other teams did it and got away with it, but those idiots made a copy for each team member and then bragged about it off base.”

I’m starting to see how the rumors got started and how it turned to John doing the recording.

“Why didn’t you correct them when it was mentioned that you recorded the interrogation?”

“Because it was just a rumor, and I was on my last mission. I had no plans to return, as I was going to settle down and move on with my life. I changed my name and made up a fake backstory.”

“But why keep the evidence? Why not just destroy it? Soak it in water and throw it away? Hell, even burn it.”

If they didn’t find the evidence, they might have moved on and not continued to target Brianna.

“I don’t know. Maybe it was for nostalgia since I was leaving my past in the past. I wanted to forget it ever existed, but wanted to remember my team, so I asked Zach to keep it protected.”

“Well, he did, until the guys figured it out and stole it from Zach.”

He picks up his glass of soda, drinking half of it in one gulp. “That wasn’t planned. None of this was.”

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