Page 57 of My Secret Bandit

Allfornothing.Theplane touched down in one piece, not even a speck of turbulence.

Exiting, I booted up my phone. I didn’t have the heart to tell Sierra or Jeffrey what happened, so I just let them know I made it and dialed Mateo.

“Mateo’s phone.” The deep voice that answered wasn’t my boyfriend’s.

“Oh, um. Hi, this is Jamie. Mateo wanted me to call him when I landed.”

“Sounds like you made it in one piece?”

“Pretty sure some of my pride is back in Tampa, but, you know.”

He laughed softly. “Better than the alternative, our boy was losing his shit over here. Oh! This is Xander, by the way. They just went back into the locker room. Mattie talked to Jeffrey… “ His pause caused my stomach to do a little flip.

“Why?” I asked when he didn’t continue.

“Sorry,” he said, preoccupied. “Usually I can do a few things at once, but this fucking website is trash.”

Again, a long pause passed.

“Okay. He called Jeff, had him cancel your hotel reservation. He said if you’re cool with it, you can stay with him or he’ll get you your own room where we’re staying. There’s a car waiting for you at the passenger pickup, a black SUV. I’ll meet you at the hotel to get you situated.”

“Uh… okay. Thanks. I’ll see you there then.”

“Bye, Jamie.”

A black SUV sat in the pickup area. A middle-aged man in a black suit waited by the opened back door, my name written on a sign clinging to the window. Walking over to him, I waved. He smiled and welcomed me into the car.

In less than half an hour, we pulled into the horseshoe-shaped drive of the large atrium style hotel. There was a guy looking at his phone standing out front I knew had to be Xander. I’d seen his face included in most of the Linx family photos. I also saw him at that first game talking to Jeffrey and at a few of the practices. Always busy. Always running to and from the direction of the front office.

Withholding his actual name, Jeffrey only ever referred to him as ‘Pretty Boy’ or the team’s player liaison.

He looked to be just a few years older than me. His dark hair coiffed and paired with a neatly trimmed beard. He dressed in a wine-colored suit that looked tailored for his tall frame. He had an athletic build too, one that if the players surrounded him, you wouldn’t even be able to pick him as the odd man out.

As the car came to a stop, he tucked his phone away and opened the door for me.

“I know you,” he said, honey brown eyes standing out against the evening sunshine. “You’re Jeff’s girl.” His eyebrows inched up his forehead, and his jaw went slack. “Fuck me! Mattie and Jeff have the same girl. Hold on a second, I need to call up Usher and T-Pain. We’re ’bout to have a fire ass remix to the remix.”

“Wow!“ I chuckled, hopping from the car, appreciating his attempt to lighten the mood.

“Hell of a coincidence, though. Huh? What are the odds? The two shitheads that bug me the most fawn over the same girl.” He reached around me to grab my bag. “Everyone is in the final meeting for today. Shouldn’t be too much longer, though. Here you go.” He handed me a key card as we got on the elevator.

“Am I even allowed in his room? I thought—“

“It’s all good. You’ve probably already realized this, but Mateo’s kind of the golden child ’round here. He flashes that pretty smile and gets whatever he wants. A private suite was just part of his deal.”

I drew in a breath and nodded, letting some nervousness I’d been holding onto fade away. “I know that smile.”

Xander grinned and tipped his chin. “Figured you would.”

“Thank you for all your help.”

“Not a problem. I’ll do anything for these guys. Especially Mateo, he’s family.” His hand went out to hold the elevator door open.

“Jamie,” he called as I stepped out. “I just want to say in the five years I’ve known Mattie, I’ve never seen him so happy. It’s nice to put a face with the name of the woman who made him that way.”

I blushed at the thought of Mateo mentioning me to others.

“Oh! And you have full permission to kick his ass for cursing at you earlier. I would’ve, but I like my job.” He grinned and let the elevator doors slide closed.

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