Fighting Temptation (Men Of Honor) (27 page)

Finally Jaxson gets the upper hand and manages to pin Cooper, “You need to stop picking a fight with me and take your girlfriend into the house and figure out why the hell she thinks you’re fucking cheating on her.”

Jaxson shoves himself off Cooper and Kayla runs into the house crying. Cooper glares at Jaxson for a second longer then he shakes his head and follows behind Kayla. He punches the side of his house on the way in and slams the door behind him.

I look over at Jaxson, “What do we do? I can’t leave her here with him while he’s like this?”

“Jesus Julia he’s not going to hurt her. He’s just majorly pissed off, with good fucking reason,” he shakes his head, “let’s go!”

I follow hesitantly.

The car ride home is filled with silence, except for the sound of my crying. When we walk into the house Jaxson looks at me for the first time since leaving Cooper’s. “What the hell were you girls thinking? I mean Christ Julia, this is fucking Cooper we’re talking about here.”

“I know Jaxson, believe me we feel terrible, this isn’t something we just assumed over petty jealousy. The evidence was damning.” I tell him about everything that happened and why we thought he was cheating.

“Ok fine, but what about after you saw me there with him? I mean right there didn’t that clue you in?”

I look away from him now, remembering what Kayla and I first thought, and it must show in my expression.

“Holy shit! You guys thought we were both fucking her didn’t you?”

I don’t bother to confirm.

He shakes his head and laughs bitterly, “This is too fucked up, even for me. I’m going to bed,” with that he turns and walks upstairs, without another word.

After locking up I crawl into bed but I can’t help being worried about Kayla. I send her a quick text telling her to call if she needs me then I cry myself to sleep.

I don’t know if it was from the fucked up night that happened earlier with Kayla and Cooper or from Sawyer bringing up what the Admiral wants from us, but somehow I knew nightmares would plague me that night and I was right.

I’m back in that fucking hell hole, the cold damp cell reeking of blood and death. My wrists are chained above my head, as my broken body burns and aches from the pain I had endured earlier. Christ! A part of me almost wishes they would pump those fucking drugs in us that they did at the beginning, at least then I would be too fucked up to feel all this.

No
. It’s good they stopped, I need to keep a clear head if I’m going to get out of this. I look over at Sawyer and Cade. Shit! If I look as bad as they do, then no wonder why those assholes think they don’t have to worry about incapacitating us with those fucking drugs anymore.

Sawyer groans and looks over at me, “You look like shit!”

I grunt, then immediately regret it, “Ya well, you don’t look too fucking pretty either.”

I’m hoping Cade comes around soon. They really did a fucking number on him after what he did to that sick fuck who was rubbing Faith in his face. I drop my head down, feeling too weak to hold it up. Panic floods my system when I look down at my chest.

“FUCK!”

Sawyer looks over at me, “What?”

“My fucking chain, it’s gone.”

“They ripped it off you,” a quiet female voice says.

My head snaps up in surprise at the cell to my left. There’s a girl chained to the fucking bed.
Jesus Christ!
When the hell did she show up here?

“How long have you been here?” I ask her.

“I don’t know, I think a few hours,” her voice is shaking with fear, I also realize she’s American and she sounds fucking young.

“How did you get here?”

She starts to cry, “I don’t know. I’m travelling with my school, a friend and I snuck out at night to go to the beach. These boys were trying to take my friend home, she was drinking and something didn’t seem right with her. I was only drinking pop but now I don’t remember anything and next thing I know I woke up in the back of a van and I haven’t seen my friend since.”

“Your school travelled to Iraq?” Sawyer asks the question I was just thinking. What school travels to a fucking war zone, something doesn’t make sense.

“Iraq? No we are in Thailand.”

Jesus Christ!
Knowing that she was shipped here from Thailand confirms my original suspicion, that were smack fucking dab in the middle of a human trafficking ring.

She whimpers when I don’t say anything, “We, we, aren’t in Thailand?”

I let out a heavy breath, “No, you’re in Iraq.”

“Oh my god, they’re never going to find me, I’m never going to see my parents again,” she starts sobbing, her fear robbing her of breath.

My chest constricts at the sound of her agony. And something builds up in me that I haven’t felt in a long time… protectiveness. “Hey it’s alright. Listen everything’s going to be okay. What is your name?”

“A, Anna.”

“Hey Anna, I’m Jaxson and these are my buddies Cade and Sawyer.” I’m hoping she doesn’t consider addressing Cade since he’s still out of it. “We’re Navy Seals, do you know what that is?”

Her cries start to settle, good the distracting is working. “I think so, isn’t that like soldiers?”

“Ya kinda…”

“Except we’re way more bad ass.” The girl giggles at Sawyer’s interruption, but soon she quiets and I hear her crying again.

“How old are you Anna?”

“Fourteen.”

Fuck me!

“Well Anna, we have every intention of getting out of here and I promise we won’t leave without you okay?”

Christ! Please let me be able to get her the fuck out of here.

“O, Okay.”

“Where are you from?”

“I live in South Carolina.”

“No shit?” Fuck! I shouldn’t have said that. “So am I. What part?”

“Summerland.”

“That’s only a few hours from where I grew up.”

She goes silent again and I leave her be, thinking she fell asleep. But she proves me wrong when a few minutes later she says, “It was the fat smelly one.”

Huh?
“What’s that?”

“The guy who ripped your necklace off. He’s fat, smelly and his teeth are disgusting. Do you know which one I’m talking about?”

“Ya,” and I did know, the dick whose nose I broke when he took my picture of Julia and made his goddamn remark about fucking her.

“Was it special?” she asks quietly.

“Ya.”

“Sorry.”

Me fucking too.

“What are they going to do to me?”

Her fearful question hits me like a blow to my chest, “Nothing if I can help it.”

After that she did fall asleep. I look over at Sawyer, “You need to keep working on Irina. She’s our only hope of getting the fuck out of here.” I whisper, making sure not to wake Anna.

Sawyer nods, “Ya, I know.”

We doze off and wake up some time later to a fearful scream.

“No, don’t touch me! Ow stop!”

I look over and see two guys grabbing Anna, one of them the perverted fuck whose nose I broke and took my chain. The mother fucker has her by her hair.

“Come on bitch, we have a customer who can’t wait to break you in.”

Oh fuck. No!

Anna screams louder, “No! Jaxson help me! Please, help me!”

I shoot awake drenched in sweat, my heart pounding so loud in my fucking ears it’s all I can hear.

I fall back down till I get my heart under control again. Looking to the clock I see it’s 5:00 am. Knowing I won’t be going back to sleep I get up and hop in the shower and try to wash the fucking guilt away.

The next morning I wake up and look at my phone, hoping Kayla texted me back, she didn’t. I send her another one asking her if she’s alright, then I get out of bed and throw on my robe before I head downstairs. Jaxson is up already sitting at the kitchen table with coffee and the paper. He doesn’t look at me as I walk in and it makes me want to cry all over again.

I walk over to him tentatively. Grabbing his face in my hands I make him look at me, “I’m sorry, please don’t be mad at me anymore,” I whisper sadly.

He lets out a breath and pulls me down on his lap, I wrap my arms around his neck and bury my face in his neck. “We didn’t know Jaxson, all the evidence pointed to what we thought.”

“I know Jules,” he shoves his hand under my robe and rubs comforting circles on my upper thigh.

Looking up I rest my forehead against his and stare at the cut on his lip from the fight. I touch the wound gently, “This is my fault,” then I press a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth.

His eyes heat and his grip tightens on my thigh, “No it’s not baby.”

Suddenly the doorbell rings.

“I’ll get it, you get yourself something to eat,” Jaxson kisses my forehead before I get up to let him answer it.

A few seconds later Kayla comes barging into my kitchen in her pajamas. Her eyes look the same as mine- red and puffy, but she has a huge smile on her face.

“Oh my god!” I run up and hug her, “I’ve been so worried about you. Are you ok? How’s Cooper?”

At that Cooper comes walking in sporting a busted lip, with Jaxson trailing behind him.

Cooper nods at me, “Hi Julia.”

“Hi Coop,” I whisper nervously.

I look back at Kayla who still has a huge smile on her face, “Everything is ok,” she lifts her hand showing me her finger. I gasp and grab her hand studying the massive rock. “We’re getting married!”

I look back up at her face, my own smile spreading, “You’re getting married?”

She nods her head with a huge infectious smile.

I hug her tight, “I’m so happy for you guys.”

Stepping back I look over at Cooper. He gives me a small grin, telling me we’re ok and it causes me to break down. I walk over and wrap my arms around him. “I’m so sorry I thought you were a cheating bastard Cooper,” I say blubbering into his chest.

He snickers and hugs me back tightly, “It’s alright Jules. Sorry I told you to shut the fuck up.”

Kayla comes over and Cooper lifts his other arm to pull her in tight too.

Kayla backs away first, “Don’t you have something else to say Cooper?” She asks, flicking her eyes back and forth towards Jaxson.

“No.”

“Cooper, apologize to Jaxson too,” Kayla whispers harshly.

I look over at Jaxson and see him smirking at Cooper.

“No fucking way.”

Kayla glares at Cooper’s response.

Coop lets out a deep breath then walks over and puts his hand out to Jaxson, “Sorry asshole,” he mutters under his breath.

“Cooper!” Kayla scolds and I can’t help but giggle.

Jaxson grabs his hand smugly.

“Jaxson don’t you have something to say back?”

He glares at me, “Why the fuck should I say sorry?”

“For punching him.”

He scoffs.

“It’s ok Julia, I’m used to being the bigger man,” Cooper says with a smirk.

Jaxson grabs him in a headlock, which Cooper gets out of easily, and they start play wrestling.

Kayla and I roll our eyes at their barbaric way of apologizing. Then she looks at me with a huge smile again, “Will you be my maid of honor Jules?”

I start blubbering again, “Of course I will.”

When we step back and look at each other we can’t contain the excitement anymore, we start squealing and jump up and down.

“This is going to be so fun!”

“I know! I’m so fucking excited!” Kayla saying laughing as we continue to jump around excitedly.

We settle down and see Jaxson and Cooper staring at us like we’re crazy.

Whatever! Guys don’t get stuff like this.

I turn back to Kayla, “We can reschedule our girls night if you want. I completely understand if you want to celebrate with Cooper.”

“No Coop has to work for a bit tonight anyways, so you, Grace and I can celebrate. Katelyn told me about this great club that just opened in Charleston.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Jaxson grunts, “How are you guys getting there?”

I shrug, “We’ll take a cab.”

“Coop said he will come get us after.”

“Perfect.”

We make our plans and decide to get ready together here at my place.

Cooper cuts in, “Alright lets go. I have plans for you for the rest of the day,” he picks up a giggling Kayla and hauls her out of the house.