“Holly… babe…” Jaxon gasped, driving into Holly faster, unable to hold back his imminent release.

Holly let out a loud cry, her body bowing as she convulsed with the strength of her orgasm.

He groaned, exploding inside her as he followed her to their own special heaven.

Incredible. Even after two weeks of sleeping with Holly every single night, it still felt like the first time. In fact, every day he’d spent alone with Holly had been amazing. He could feel their connection deepening rapidly.

He stroked her hair, then tenderly kissed her lips, her cheeks, her eyelids.

He couldn’t believe he’d been so stupid as to resist her for so long—too stubborn in trying to shield the both of them from the consequences of being together. But he was glad that needing to keep her safe had forced his hand to be with her because he’d never been so happy despite their unusual situation. He couldn’t wait to keep making up for all the hurt he’d caused her in the past.

He got out of the bed to chuck the condom. Glancing back on his way to the bathroom, he found Holly watching him, smiling contentedly.

He winked, his heart expanding.

And his fear resurfaced.

Even though it was great that they could get together like this in the absolute privacy of his own home, he’d rather the circumstances were different.

Anna Sanders had been released by the kidnappers yesterday after her loved ones had paid a six-million-dollar ransom—much less than what the kidnappers had demanded. Anna was an emotional wreck but was physically unhurt. She’d have a long road trying to get over her ordeal.

Anna had also brought with her a note from her captors. It said they weren’t done. And Jaxon feared Holly was next, especially since everyone in the world knew Holly was the most successful Australian female recording artist.

He shook his head, pushing the thoughts away. Right now, he’d rather go back to bed and hold Holly in his arms. So he did, kissing her sweetly as they both started dozing off.

Jaxon stirred from sleep.

He frowned. What had woken him up?

A faint light coming from the dressing table caught his attention. His phone was vibrating.

He carefully but hastily got out of bed to answer it. Fortunately, Holly was still out like a light.

He went to the living room before answering the call from an unknown caller. “Hello?” he greeted in a low voice.

“Jax, it’s Bryce.”

“Bryce? What’s up?”

“I need your help with something.”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s to do with Mum. I can’t tell you over the phone.”

Jaxon’s eyes narrowed. Did Bryce want him out of the house?

His suspicions against his brother had been increasing, especially since he’d noticed, while watching Bryce through his binoculars, that Bryce had more than one phone. Bryce had been using a different device when he was in his apartment. Was he calling from that one?

“Is this a new phone?” he asked. “I don’t have this number saved.”

“This is my personal one. The number I gave you before is for my work phone provided by Smith Security. Can you meet me tonight?”

“What’s going on?”

“I’ll tell you all about it when you get here. Meet me near Mum’s house, at the corner of Bale and Walker Streets.”

Jaxon scowled. This was serious. Were the kidnappers planning something tonight?

“Jax? Mum won’t leave the house, and she needs to. We need to get her out,” Bryce said urgently.

“What are you talking about?”

“Look, I decided to call Mum last week. She was emotional and all, but I also got the impression that she’s hiding something about Joseph. She’s just too scared to leave. There’s an opportunity tonight to convince her because Joseph’s not home. I need your help, though.”

Goosebumps covered Jaxon. What if Bryce was telling the truth? This was about their mother. Fractured as their family was, there was still a lot of love there.

“Okay, I’ll be there.”

“Good. I’ll wait for you. Hurry.”

“Okay.”

Jaxon hung up and called Aidan. “C’mon,” he urged when Aidan still hadn’t answered after four rings.

“Jax?” Aidan said sleepily.

“Sorry to wake you,” he said, then relayed his conversation with his brother. “I’m taking Holly to Xavier’s before I meet with Bryce. I think we should have someone watch my house.”

“I’ll do it from the cameras. I’ll tip off the cops as soon as I see anyone trespass, and I’ll also get another IR to shadow you as your back up. I don’t like the sound of this.”

“Thanks. I hope it’s not what we think,” Jaxon couldn’t help adding.

“We’d rather be ready.”

“Yeah. Gotta go.” Jaxon hung up and hurried back to the bedroom.

He caressed Holly’s hair. “Hey, babe, wake up.”

Holly stirred. “Huh?”

“I need to go see my mum right now, so I’m taking you to Xavier and Eve’s.”

Holly frowned, sitting up. “Is she okay?”

“I’m not sure. But she called me and wanted me to come straight away. I think she had a fight with her husband.”

“Okay. Please take care. But I’ll be all right here.”

“No, I’m taking you to Xavier’s.”

“Why?”

“We just want to be careful. I don’t want you all alone in the middle of the night.”

“I can ask Br—” Holly sighed. “You have to let Bryce do his job. You can’t continue to be jealous of him. Let him do what I’m paying him to do so you don’t have to go out of your way for my safety.”

He rubbed his face wearily. “Holly, please. I don’t have time to argue with you. Please.”

“Then let Bryce come to do his job while you go to your mum’s.”

“Babe, you’re probably at the top of the kidnappers’ list now. I’m worried about you, and I’m worried about Mum, and I haven’t had much sleep. I can’t think straight right now. All I know is I don’t want to leave you alone. Even if you call Bryce, it’ll take him half an hour to get here. What if something happens within that time?”

Holly sighed, touching his face. “Okay, you can drop me off at Xave’s.”

He exhaled his relief. “Can you get dressed in five minutes? I really need to go very soon.”

Holly nodded, already getting out of bed.

Jaxon put on his briefs and picked up his shirt. “I’ll see you downstairs.”

He ran down to his bedroom and got dressed, calling Xavier to tell him about Bryce’s call and warn they were coming. Five minutes later, he and Holly were driving out the garage.

“I think you should crouch down for a couple of minutes until we’ve left our street,” he said. If the kidnappers were outside waiting for him to leave, he didn’t want them to see Holly in the car with him.

“I don’t think paps or my OZs would be out and about at this time of the night.”

“Probably not. But we’ve gone to all this trouble to ensure no one knows you’re here. Why take chances now?”

Holly nodded and pressed the button that moved her seat farther back. Then she bent forward, propping her elbows on her knees and resting her head on her forearms.

He gave her back a brief rub. “Thank you for being so patient.”

“Thank you for looking after me, even if I think you’re being a pain in the ass.”

He laughed. “Thank you for indulging me.”

“So what else are you not telling me?”

He gave her a quick glance. Thankfully, he was driving, and she was doubled over. She couldn’t expect him to look her in the eye.

“Jax, this couldn’t be just about you being jealous of Bryce. After the two weeks we’ve had together, it just can’t be. So what is it?

His heart lurched. Perhaps it was time to let her know the IR’s suspicions about Bryce. Aidan had instructed not to tell her so they could be one step ahead of the kidnappers—if Bryce were involved with them. But if Holly knew about their suspicions, she might stop believing that Smith Security was infallible when it came to checking out the bodyguards they supplied her.

“Okay,” he said reluctantly. “I read a news article some time ago that drug dealers used one of the private islands in the Whitsundays to conduct their operation. As you know, Bryce used to work for the company that provided security to a group of private islands there. What if he became involved in something criminal while he was there? With the kidnapping threat still unresolved, we shouldn’t ignore those things, even if they seem farfetched.”

“But I’m sure Smith has checked him out thoroughly. I doubt they would have employed him if they have any question marks about his character and history.”

“What if the company he used to work for is under the thumb of the drug dealers? Then they could have given Smith a glowing reference. As for the references from well-known people he played bodyguard to in the past, well, they couldn’t have known about his criminal connections unless they were told.”

Holly squeezed his hand. “I appreciate that you’re this concerned about me, but that’s all speculation, right?”

“We can’t be too careful.”

“Honey, I know this threat that I could be kidnapped is making everyone jittery. So, okay, I agree we should check it further, to be safe. I’m sure, though, that Bryce will pass your checks with flying colours. I have full confidence in Smith Security. Plus, even if those baddies did stay at the island where Bryce worked, that doesn’t mean he was part of their operation. But, yes, investigate away if it makes you feel better.”

“Thank you. Don’t tell Bryce, though.”

“I won’t. But please understand that until you find proof that he can’t be trusted, he will remain my bodyguard. I know what it feels like to have untruths said about me and for people to make judgements based on those falsehoods. I don’t want to do that for anyone. So it won’t be fair if I sack Bryce based on speculation when I have the utmost confidence in Smith Security.”

Jaxon inhaled deeply. He guessed even though he feared for Holly’s safety, he appreciated that she was being fair to his brother. “Okay, I understand.” He placed a hand on her back again. “Stay down until I tell you.”

He stopped to press the button to open the gate. He better not look like he was chatting with someone when he was supposed to be racing to his mother’s aid.

He drove out, checking the surroundings. There were cars parked on the street, but he couldn’t tell if people were in them. He waited until he was on the main road, driving fast before he told Holly she could sit up.

“Ah, finally.” Holly stretched her back.

He squeezed her thigh. “Sorry.”

“Did you see anyone?”

“No. It was too dark to tell. But better safe than sorry, hey?”

“I know. And I want you to know that even though I think you’re being over-the-top, I really do appreciate that you care about my safety.”

“I care about you so much,” he murmured, grabbing her hand and kissing it.

“Same here,” she whispered.

He stopped at the set of lights and looked at her. She was grinning, and he grinned back. Despite the urgency and uncertainty of the situation at hand, right that moment, all he felt was bliss.

They got to Xavier and Eve’s in no time, and the couple’s garage door started opening. Jaxon drove in.

“I’m surprised Xave moved his car out,” Holly said.

“Well, the last thing we want is for someone to see you on the street, going into their house.”

Holly shook her head. “This is making me nervous. It’s all…too much.”

“Just as a precaution, babe,” he said reassuringly.

The garage door closed and Eve and Xavier came out to greet them.

“Hey,” Eve said, giving Holly a hug.

“Sorry to disturb you guys,” Holly said. “But Jax insisted.”

“Which is good,” Xavier said. “We don’t mind.”

“Well, I better go,” Jaxon said.

“Are you coming back to pick me up?” Holly asked.

“I’m not sure what time I’ll finish with Mum.”

“I’ll take you home tomorrow morning,” Xavier said. “I mean, later today.”

“I need to be at the studio by nine, so I need to be back at Jax’s at seven-thirty to have time to get ready before Bryce picks me up.”

“I’ll take you to work,” Xavier said. “I’ll just need to reschedule with a couple of clients.”

“No,” Holly said definitively. “Bryce will pick me up. I don’t want you rearranging your day when you don’t have to.”

Jaxon exchanged a surreptitious glance with Xavier. Holly was immovable about her bodyguard, and they couldn’t let her in on the whole thing yet.

“Anyway, you better go, Jax,” Holly said. “Hope all goes well with your mum.”

“Thanks. I’ll see you, guys.” He wanted to kiss Holly, but Eve and Xavier were watching. They didn’t know about them yet.

So, giving his new girlfriend the briefest of glances, Jaxon went back to his car. He waved to Eve when the garage door opened—glad that Xavier had ushered Holly inside to make it look like it was Xavier leaving—then raced to where Bryce was waiting for him.

He was ten minutes away when the sound of the ringing phone filled his car. “Bryce,” he answered.

“Hey, Joseph just got home,” Bryce said despondently. “We have to cancel our plans.”

“Will Mum agree to see us?”

“No. She specifically said not to let Joseph know I’ve been talking to her. We’ll be putting her in a worse spot if we do something tonight.”

“What in the fuck is going on, Bryce?”

“Why don’t you try to talk to her tomorrow? See if you can convince her to leave him?”

Jaxon raked his hair. “Okay, I’ll call her tomorrow. Where are you now?”

“On my way home.”

“I’ll meet you there.”

“No, go home. There’s nothing else we can do tonight, so we might as well get some sleep. I need to drive Holly to the studio in a few hours. And maybe we can meet in your office at, say, two in the afternoon? Holly should be in the middle of recording then, and she usually doesn’t expect me to sit around and wait for hours. I can go to your office, then we can call Mum together.”

“Good idea. See you then.”

“Bye, bro.”

“Bye.”

Jaxon called Aidan. “Anything suspicious happening in Avalon?”

“Not yet. Everything’s still quiet.”

Jaxon sighed in relief. “Then this might actually be a family thing, after all. Bryce called tonight off. He said Joseph came home. I’m meeting him in my office tomorrow so we can both talk to our mother. But I’ll go to Bryce’s to see if he does go home. If he’s coming from Mum’s, I should get to his place before he does.”

“Copy. I’ll call off your backup. In the meantime, I’ll continue to watch the cameras until you get home.”

“Thanks, Aidan. Sorry I interrupted your beauty sleep.”

Aidan snickered. “I can sleep in tomorrow, but you can’t. You have your JC Tax Franchise work to go to.”

“So how did you get that full-time gig with the IR? I take it you’re getting paid since you don’t have any other job.”

“I’ll tell you once you pass initiation,” Aidan said with a laugh.

“Can’t wait,” he said dryly. “Anyway, I’ll keep you posted.”

“Thanks. Bye.”

Jaxon shook his head. The sooner he became a full agent, the better. So much about the Indie Rebels intrigued him.

He was kind of jealous of Aidan being able to fully concentrate on his IR work. As for him, he still had his business to run—his livelihood. Admittedly, he was becoming good at delegating everything, so he was now only needed for top-level executive decisions.

Maybe Aidan had passive income somewhere else. Or maybe, once Jaxon had done enough IR work to pay for what the team had done for him in the past, he’d start to receive monetary compensation.

Not that he cared. Money was not an issue. Being an Indie Rebel had fast become a cause for him.

He arrived on Bryce’s street and stationed himself a block away from Bryce’s building. His brother should be coming from the other side, so there should little chance of Bryce noticing his car. Unfortunately, with Holly staying at his place, he hadn’t been using the car supplied to him by the IR—the one that wasn’t registered to his name.

It took ten minutes before he spotted Bryce’s vehicle turning into his building’s parking. Relief spread all over Jaxon. Or was that gratitude? So far Bryce had been consistent with his story. With no one trying to get into his Avalon place, it appeared this was all indeed about their mother.

He couldn’t wait for the real kidnappers to be caught so they could take Bryce off their suspect list. He’d be overjoyed.

But why had Bryce taken that picture near his gate? Why had he checked that Jaxon wouldn’t be home before going to Avalon to see Holly a couple of weeks ago?

Jaxon rubbed his face with both hands. He had to keep being suspicious to ensure Holly’s safety. But what he wouldn’t give for his brother to be innocent.