Page 4 of Guarding The Phoenix: Vol. 2

Axel and Gideon were keeping watch, wary of further attacks, while I searched through Carlos Vega’s files. During my investigation, I’d located encrypted files on his computer. And while I did destroy the computers before I escaped so that Santos’s wouldn’t be able to use any of the data, the day before the attack I had transferred every file on the server onto a portable drive and into my cloud backup, just in case we had to move fast. Thank fuck I did that, or we’d be up shit’s creek.

Vega had owned a multitude of shell corporations. And then each shell corporation had a list of holdings. The guy owned properties around the world. He had holdings in Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, Costa Rica, Aruba, Manhattan, Chicago, and even a few places in Europe.

But I found a piece of real estate that was rather peculiar. It took me a hot minute to locate because I had to sift through several shell corporations to find it. And then I finally discovered that Carlos Vega had opened a shell corporation using his wife’s maiden name, Evans. He purchased a coastal property an hour or so north of Sitka, Alaska, along the coast. The house was heavily fortified and could withstand a siege if necessary. All the records we needed were there in detail. From what his records indicated, he stored a host of items he didn’t want anyone else to know about, along with keys to a safe deposit box to a bank in Nassau.

That’s why Alaska was our destination. We needed the key and whatever data was in those files. Because in an encrypted email, he mentioned that he had Santos over a barrel because of the damning information he had stored there.

I’d taken over part of the main galley. Setting up a small computer workstation with the laptops Gideon had stored on board. I had to hand it to him. The guy knew how to be prepared for any situation. And we decided on the main galley, mainly because someone needed to monitor the princess. She was more valuable than she realized. Because her dead husband had installed her fingerprints on his security access panels in locations he wanted guarded the most. That’s why Santos was after her. Because she could access all of Vega’s high security vaults around the globe. That fucker would use her to get what he wanted.

And Jesus, but I felt so fucking guilty. The bruises around Kylie’s neck, the terror she’d experienced tonight, were my fault.

My computer skills were better than that. Hell, my hacking skills were damn near legendary with the Bureau of Central Intelligence. I’d hacked foreign government offices and militaries. But somehow, Santos’s guy had blazed past the legion of firewalls and booby traps I had in place and hacked my system like it’d been child’s play.

I’d gotten lax in thinking I couldn’t be hacked.

It wouldn’t happen again. Kylie almost died because of my negligence. I contacted the team we reported back to and explained the equipment I needed. It meant a stop on our way to Alaska. But now I had the hacker’s pattern and signature. I would hunt the motherfucker down and see how close it led to Santos.

A terrified scream ripped me from my thoughts. I bolted out of my seat. It came from the princess’s room. Without a second thought, I entered the bedroom, worried I’d find another attacker choking her.

Instead, I found her thrashing and whimpering. Jesus, she broke my fucking heart. She was having a nightmare, and no wonder with everything she’d been through tonight.

Needing to comfort her, I climbed into bed and pulled her into my arms. I held her cradled against me while sobbing in her sleep. I pressed my lips against her temple and stroked her back. “Hush, princess, you’re okay. No one is going to harm you again on my watch. I swear it.”

Her eyes shot open at my touch. Alarm blazed in her eyes. She jerked against my hold, trying to escape.

“Hush, it’s just me. I’ve got you. You’re okay. You were having a nightmare and screaming.” I held her face until she finally recognized me through her terror. Moisture flooded her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. “Oh, princess, you’re okay. I won’t let anything bad happen to you again.”

Kylie’s bottom lip trembled. And then she buried her face against my chest. Her tears soaked my shirt. I held her through the storm, soothing her as best I could. Guilt weighed heavy on my shoulders as I listened to her quiet sobs as she shook in my arms.

“I’m so sorry, princess. It’s all my fault. I was arrogant, thinking my system was impenetrable, when I knew better that nothing was unhackable. But I swear I won’t make that mistake again. I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe,” I murmured against her hair.

Stroking her back, I discovered she was nude beneath the covers. My dick twitched at the prospect of a naked Kylie in my arms. But I swallowed and tempered my lust. It wasn’t the time for thinking with my dick. There would be plenty of days at sea to broach that front.

Doing my best to ignore the state of her undress, I soothed her until her sobs quieted. Then gave her some tissues and helped her wipe her face.

“It was just a nightmare. He won’t harm you ever again. It’s all my fault.”

Kylie scowled. “No. It’s—”

I put my finger over her mouth to silence her strained, raspy voice. “You shouldn’t talk, princess, it will just hurt your throat.”

She cupped my face between her palms. “No. It wasn’t your fault.”

“It is.” I stroked her hair and gave her a wry grin. “But I won’t let it happen again. I swear it. I’ll keep you safe.”

Kylie huffed and rolled her eyes, then surprised the fuck out of me. Because she planted her lips over mine and kissed me. And for a moment, I allowed it. I had watched her with the others through surveillance. I’d spent many nights wondering what her lips tasted like and how she would feel in my arms.

My dreams didn’t come close. They hadn’t even been in the same ballpark. Because her hungry, satiny smooth lips sent lust thundering through my veins. I’d worship every inch of her toned form. Then I’d taste her everywhere. And when she’s writhing and aching for it, then I’d slide inside her tight heat, and finally feel her gripping my shaft.

But I couldn’t do that. She was injured, for fuck’s sake. What kind of sick fuck took advantage of a woman who had been battered and terrorized? She’d lost her fucking home tonight and here I was, thinking with my dick.

Tearing my mouth away, she whimpered and reached for me. “We can’t, princess. Fuck, I want to. You don’t know how badly I want you. Do you know how many times I watched you with Axel and the others and wanted it to be me? You’re the most gorgeous fucking woman alive. And when you’re feeling better, if you still want me, you’ve got me. I’m yours. But you need rest and time to heal.”

“No…please.”

“Princess, I want to, believe me. But you need—” I gasped as she cupped me through my cargo pants. My hips involuntarily thrust against her hand.

“Help me forget. Please. I need you.” Her poor voice was hoarse from the attack. But her eyes were clear. There was no hesitancy and no fear—just lust.

---