The Assassin's Redemption

Chapter 1: Continued

Instead of the sound of a bullet striking my brain, the sound of a man’s painful yelp reaches my ears. Opening my eyes, I watch as another man stabs the man in the neck and kicks the other in the chest. I know this man. I’ve seen this man several times over the past two years. One of those most recent occasions happened when Hunter and I signed our privacy disclosure, and the other one was at Hunter’s funeral. I don’t even want to think of the first time we met. It’s too painful.

Once the three men are disposed of, Jaxon Maxwell turns around and approaches my slumped form. I gaze at him through the tousled curtain of my hair as he leans down and faces me. His eyes widen with recognition before all emotion fades from his face. “Maleah, are you alright?” He asks in his deep sensual voice.

You’d never know that he just took out three armed men by his composed appearance. He’s wearing a navy blue suit, with no tie, a white dress shirt, and shiny black dress shoes. His golden hair is stylishly combed, and his beard is tightly trimmed. Gazing into his cobalt eyes is like looking into the ocean on a stormy day. Jaxon Maxwell is one of the most handsome men I’ve ever met. And if you’ve seen the men I’m around, you would know that it’s not something out of the ordinary. Sage’s husband Priest is so beautiful that he can make angels weep, and the others aren’t chopped liver either. But Jaxon is definitely in his own league with his patrician nose, high cheekbones, and tall, toned body.

“I’m fine,” I murmur as I pick up my broken phone and clumsily rise from the ground. Before I can protest, Jaxon wraps his arms around my waist and helps me stand.

“Let’s get out of here.” He mutters as he leads me over to a black SUV. Hobbling, I clench my teeth as pain radiates through my body with every step I take. Jaxon must see me flinch because he picks me up and carries me into the passenger seat. The heat of his body makes every nerve in my body come instantly to life.

I watch intently as he inspects my abraded knee and winces.

“s**t, you’re bleeding.” He mutters through gritted teeth.

“I’m fine. Please, just get me out of here.” Without another word, he closes the vehicle’s door and makes his way into the driver’s seat. Nausea rolls in my stomach with every mile we put behind us.

Needing a distraction, I inspect my knee with a hiss. It looks like I shredded my knee. Blood drips from the wound down my leg, and pieces of sand stick to the abraded skin.

Jaxon extends a handkerchief in my direction. “Here, use this to stifle the blood. I have a first-aid kit in the back seat. Once we’re a good distance away, we’ll stop, and I’ll clean you up.”

I place the handkerchief against my cut and swallow down a cry as pain shoots up my leg.

We’re miles away when he finally pulls up to an empty lot. “You don’t need to stop for me, Jaxon. I’ll be fine,” I mutter vehemently.

Ignoring my plea, Jaxon turns off the ignition and steps out of the car. I had forgotten how stubborn he could be. Within seconds, he’s standing in front of me, holding a first aid kit. I observe silently as he removes the handkerchief from my cut and gently wipes it with an alcohol swab. Yelping at the stinging pain, I stiffen my spine and pull my knee away. Jaxon’s brow quirks at my childish move before he leans down and gently blows on the cut. His hot breath makes my body heat with tension, my skin tingles at the touch of his fingers, and my n*****s bead. Squirming in my seat, I look at his golden hair and resist the urge to run my fingers through it.

“I’m fine,” I whisper huskily, my voice laden with desire. Jaxon gazes up at me, his eyes heating before he straightens his spine and places a bandage over my cut.

“You should be fine.” He mutters gently.

I don’t respond. I can’t. I’m too tongue-tied to say a word. Looking at my bandaged knee, I pull my loose hair behind my back and glance at him from beneath the fringe of my lashes. His jaw ticks, and his fists are clenched tightly, but he doesn’t say a word.

The car ride is painfully awkward. It’s not until nearly a half-hour that he speaks. “Tell me what happened? Why were those men after you?” Taking a deep breath, I bite my lower lip and tell him the sordid tale. He doesn’t interrupt as I stumble through my words and nearly choke on my tears when I tell them how they haplessly tossed the man’s body into the ocean.

It’s not until my story is done that I melt back into my seat and close my eyes. My head pounds with tension, and my body feels weak. I nearly jump out of my skin when his hand settles over mine. His touch is hesitant at first. Glancing up, I look at him through my blurry tears. “It’s okay, Maleah, no one is going to hurt you. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

Instead of reassuring me, the irony of his words makes pain radiate through my heart.

Slipping my hand away from his, I face the windshield and close my eyes tightly. “What do I do now?” I mutter softly.

Jaxon answers right away. “Right now, we’re going to my house. I’ll have one of my men run a search on those men and what transpired tonight. After that, we’ll figure out a way to get you home.”

I nod my head at his words. The sooner I get home, the better. Thankfully, my mom and my sister-in-law decided to drive back with my cousin to Orlando.

“Do you live in Miami now?” I ask tentatively.

Jaxon shrugs. “I still live in Los Angeles, but I own several houses in the states and several other countries. I was actually here to meet up with a board member when Savage sent out the call. Luckily, I was at a nearby hotel. Why are you in Miami?”

Biting my bottom lip, I lean back on the headrest and gaze back at him. “It was my cousin Sasha’s baby shower.”

His brow furrows at the name, but he doesn’t comment as he reaches for his phone and presses a few buttons. “I’ll call Savage and let him know that you’re alright.”

I nod my head and scowl when I see that my cell phone’s screen is cracked. It’s completely destroyed. I guess it’s better, my phone than me.

I sit idly while Jaxon talks to Micah and reassures him that I’m safe. It’s almost amusing to hear them talk about my safety. I feel like a child whose parents are discussing a problem. After a moment, Jaxon extends the phone in my direction.

“Here, talk to him,” He mutters, never taking his eyes off the road as he passes me the phone.

“I’m fine, Micah,” I mutter in a smooth voice. Micah takes a relieved breath before he answers. “Good. I’m glad. I don’t think Sophia would be pleased with me if I let her best friend get hurt. Jaxon told me what happened. Right now, we’re going to put off bringing you home until we know it’s safe. Who knows if these men are scoping the airport or any other public transportation. I don’t want to take the chance that they’ll find you.”

Tears clog my throat at his words. Swallowing my tears, I manage to reply. “Okay, tell Ali, god mommy Mal misses her, and give her a kiss for me.”

Micah chuckles. “I will. Be safe, Mal, and trust Jaxon. He’ll keep you safe until you get home.”

Nodding my head, I hand an observant Jaxon the phone and go back to distractedly looking out the window.

“You’re Ali’s godmother?” Jaxon asks.

I think of my sweet baby, Ali, and a smile curves my lips. “Yeah. Ali’s my BFF. We’re tight.” I mutter as I playfully hold up my crossed fingers.

Jaxon chuckles at my gesture. “She’s a lucky girl to have you.”

I don’t respond. I’m too confused to answer. Why is he being so nice to me?

The vehicle grows silent as we wind our way through the roads. I don’t know what to talk about, and even if I wanted to, I don’t think I could say what I really want to say. Instead, I lie back, close my eyes, and pretend to sleep. Every few seconds, I peek through my lashes and run my gaze across Jaxon’s masculine features. To my surprise, I catch him looking back. His blue eyes glint with an untold emotion as he appraises me.

We eventually drive up a driveway to a large, solitary house over a massive cliff. The dim lights of the house glow like beacons in the night within the thick foliage surrounding it. Stepping out of the vehicle, I look up at the glass structure. It’s a beautiful Spanish-style house, surrounded by large windows giving its owners an unobstructed view of the surrounding greenery. There’s not another house in sight.

Turning off the ignition, Jaxon steps out of the car, meets me at the passenger door, and ushers me to the front door. The door has an infrared pad that scans his eye and his thumb before it asks for voice recognition. It’s seriously high-tech. Once Jaxon’s security is deactivated, he opens the door and leads me inside. The house is as breathtaking outside as it is inside. There are tall ceilings with gleaming opal floors, chandeliers, and winding stairs that lead up to the second level.

“Maleah!” A familiar male voice calls out from another room. Gazing back, a smile spreads across my lips when I see who it is. Scotty bounds in my direction, his scruffy red beard and long red hair flailing around him. I grunt when he pulls me into his tight embrace and twirls me around the room. Scotty is a bear of a man with brawny arms and legs. They call him Scotty because of his thick Scottish brogue. His real name is Malcolm Mc Callum. He reminds me of a Highland chief from one of those historical shows you see on PBS.

“Scotty! Oh my gosh! What are you doing here?”

Scotty settles me down on the floor, his grin broadening further. “I’m Jaxon’s Assistant. Didn’t ye know? How are ye lass? It’s been a long time.”

I shake my head at his melodic voice. “I’m fine. How are you, Abby, and the baby? It’s been so long.”

We both snap out of our happy haze when Jaxon clears his throat and gives us both a speculative frown. “How do you two know each other?” Scotty waves his hand and snorts. “I met Maleah through Hunter. The lad introduced us to her last year. Abby and I were excited to see him with such a bonny lass.”

His smile instantly fades to be replaced by a mournful frown. “My condolences, lass. Hunter was a good man. Abby and I are sorry we missed the funeral. She felt wretched that she missed it, but the bairn was giving her a hard time.”

My lips tremble at his kind words. “It’s okay, Scotty. I know that Abby would have been there if she wasn’t experiencing a hard pregnancy. Hunter would have understood.”

Scotty’s smile brightens. “I miss him every day. Especially our online games.”

My lip quirks at his comment. “He really loved playing with you too.” Scotty nods solemnly. “Well, then you must be exhausted, lass.” Jaxon nods and pats Scotty on the shoulder. “I’ll show Maleah her room. For now, I need you to do some research for me.”

He gives Scotty a quick run-through of what happened before he turns to me and waves his hand towards the stairs. “Shall we?” He mutters, reminding me of another place and another time I heard those words.