Whiskey & Roses (The Xander King Series Book 1)

by Bradley Wright

  “Which is all the more reason to push you.” Xander stood in front of him, covered in sweat with his arms stretched at his sides, palms in the air.

  “I get it.”

  “Do you?”

  “I do, I do. Come on, let’s do this,” Kyle started to bounce again and put his hands back out in front of his face.

  “All right, let’s go.”

  Xander stepped back toward him but instead of putting up his hands he bull-rushed him and wrapped his arms around Kyle's upper thighs for a double-leg takedown. Kyle's training kicked in and he kicked his feet out behind him, sprawling out to keep Xander from putting him on his back. As he kicked his feet out he simultaneously pushed his hips downward, landing himself on top of Xander’s back.

  “Good!” Xander shouted from underneath Kyle.

  Kyle pushed down on Xander’s back with both hands and spun on top of him to take his back. Xander curled up into a ball on his knees as Kyle tried desperately to sink his “hooks” into Xander by fitting his feet down to the insides of Xander’s legs. This would help him control Xander’s body and keep him from escaping.

  “Nice! Now stretch me out!” Xander barked.

  Kyle wrapped his arms under Xander’s armpits and pushed forward, and outward. At the same time he forced Xander’s legs backward as he pushed his own legs back. This put Xander flat on his stomach and vulnerable to a myriad of submissions and strikes as Kyle rode his back.

  “That’s it! Now finish me!” Xander shouted, excited.

  Kyle slid his right hand under Xander’s chin and kept going until his arm wrapped around his neck. Kyle grabbed his right hand with his left in a gable grip, as Xander called it, then pulled back as hard as he could. As he did so, he squeezed his right arm like a clamp, bent Xander’s head forward and pushed down into him with his hips. After a second of Kyle squeezing with all he had, Xander tapped on his arm and Kyle let loose of the Rear Naked Choke hold. Kyle stood up and Xander turned over on his back. His face was red and he was short of breath.

  “That was really good. Even a trained fighter would have had trouble getting out of that. The way you put all the steps together seamlessly…that’s how it’s done.” Xander reached out his arm and Kyle grabbed his hand, helping him up. “I’m proud of you. You’ve learned a lot in a really short amount of time.”

  “Thanks, brother. Felt good.”

  “Now, let me show you how to take a pistol from a man’s hand.” Xander smiled.

  “Let’s do it!” Kyle had a newfound sense of enthusiasm and Xander’s confidence that he could handle himself was getting stronger.

  Thank God.

  They were leaving for Syria in a matter of hours, and even though Xander would make sure Kyle stayed out on the boat while he did all the fighting, he had to make sure Kyle could defend himself in a pinch. This was war; anything could happen.

  “Where’s Sam? Shouldn’t she be getting some work in?” Kyle asked.

  “Yeah, and she will. She is handing off our one remaining Middle Eastern friend to the feds and then she’ll be back.”

  “One? How the hell will she explain where he came from?”

  “Don’t know, and I don’t ask. That’s not my side of the business. She has a lot of contacts that trust her implicitly, so it really isn’t that difficult for her.”

  “Did you ever get anything out of him?”

  “No, neither one would talk. Sam killed the big man to try and scare information out of the other one. Didn’t work. She decided she would rather see the one left alive suffer in jail for the rest of his life than give him the easy way out. Plus, on the off chance someone would actually be dumb enough to get him out of jail, it would lead us right to who is responsible.”

  “That’s smart.” Kyle’s tone changed. “Does it ever amaze you how easily we talk about killing? I mean, in your wildest dreams, in fifth grade talking about Jordan and Jerry Rice, could you ever have imagined this would be your life?”

  “Of course not, but I also would never have imagined my parents getting mowed down right in front of me.”

  “No, I know, I didn’t mean to—”

  “It’s okay. You know you don’t have to be dragged into this life by me, right? You can stop anytime.”

  “No, I know. What else would I be doing though? Running a Denny’s? At least with you I’m making a difference in the world. I just want you to find some peace, you know?”

  “I know. I do, too. I really believe that taking out Khatib and avenging what I lost will do it. Whether or not I will continue to target these bastards after this is over, I don’t really know. And right now, I don’t really care. We have no room for error. We cannot lose focus here.”

  “No doubt about that. With what Sam told us, it sounds like this is the toughest thing you’ve ever done?”

  “There is no question.”

  “Do you ever get scared? Because I know I will be shitting bricks.”

  “You know, I really don’t. I feel something different. In the SEALs they train the scared out of you. Instead of being scared when most people would be, we learn focus. It’s like a subconscious channeling of the fear emotion that we should feel, into an extreme focus,” Xander explained.

  “That is so damn cool. And scary. All of you are like loaded weapons.”

  “Well, let me show you this gun trick. You never know when some moron will be dumb enough to point one at you at too close a range. After that, let’s get some pad work in. We gotta sharpen your boxing skills.”

  “Why,” Kyle joked, “I can already take you.

  Xander smiled and flicked a boxing mitt at Kyle's groin, tagging him perfectly.

  Kyle let out a yelp as just the slightest little knock sent his testicles into his throat. “You asshole!” He lunged forward to try to take Xander down, but Xander sprawled and shucked Kyle to the floor.

  “I said you’ve learned a lot; I didn’t say you were ready for me,” he taunted, standing over Kyle, who was now flipping him the bird.

  “Fuck you. I hope Megan stalks you until you’re miserable.”

  “You’re an idiot,” Xander joked. “Let’s take a break, I’m starving.”

  “Sounds good.”

  The two of them toweled off and took the wraps off their hands. They were on their way upstairs from the basement gym and Melanie was on her way down.

  “There you are. Xander, an Agent Thompson is at the door? He’s CIA, is everything okay? Should I say you aren’t home?”

  “Sean is here? Now?”

  “If Sean is a good-looking government agent, then yes, he is here.” Melanie smiled.

  “You have the hormones of a teenage boy,” Xander joked.

  “Yeah, Melanie, you need to get some,” Kyle chimed in. “You know I’m always willing to lend a helping hand.”

  “Would you two just hump and get it over with?” Xander laughed. “Just don’t catch feelings. I have enough to deal with. I don’t need that kind of drama.”

  Melanie smacked Kyle on the ass. “Pretty firm. I’ll consider it.” She laughed. “Xander, I’ll take Agent Thompson to your office. Kyle and I will give you some privacy as we shit talk over lunch.”

  “Sounds good. Make enough for Sean if you don’t care. We’ll see you in the kitchen in just a bit.”

  As Agent Sean Thompson waited for Xander in his office, he looked around at the many artifacts that adorned the walls and shelves. In particular, he noticed a nice shiny new trophy on Xander’s desk. It was the Kentucky Derby trophy. It stood about two feet tall and solid shiny gold. Atop the cup-like trophy, sat a jockey on a horse. The handles on the sides were horseshoes. Sean noticed the only thing engraved on the front was another horseshoe.

  “You know, from 1925 to 1998 that horseshoe was always engraved upside down,” Xander said as he walked into the office.

  “Hey, X-man!” Sean turned and gave Xander a hug. “So, why’d they change it?”

  “Well, it has always been a horseman superstition t
hat if you turn a horseshoe upside down, all the luck will fall out. I guess it just took them seventy-four years to get the nerve to correct the original.”

  “It’s a helluva trophy. Is it real?”

  “Actually, it is the only trophy in major American sports that is all real gold.”

  “Shewweee! That thing must be worth a ton!” Sean shouted.

  “Not real sure, but I’ve heard a couple people say $100k. Anyway, what in God’s name are you doing here in Lexington?” Xander changed the subject. He didn’t like talking about money. His entire life he’d been made to feel bad by all who knew him because his dad had money. Xander had been avoiding and downplaying the subject ever since. He sat down behind his desk and Sean took a seat on the other side.

  “Well, first of all, this visit was long overdue. I can’t believe I haven’t been here in over six months. Plus, I wanted to see the big Derby winner again!” Sean answered, skirting the real reason.

  “Okay, well, I agree it is overdue, and we can definitely go visit Ransom, but don’t bullshit me. Why the hell are you really here, Sean?” Xander asked, very matter of fact.

  Sean’s face took on a much more serious look.

  “Buddy, I’m here to talk you outta whatever suicidal, Middle Eastern, dumb shit plan you’re getting ready to screw up.”

  “Getting ready to screw up? Since when have you known me to screw up a mission, Sean? I seem to remember covering your ass on more than a few occasions,” Xander pointed out.

  “Now hold on, X. Don’t take it personal. I didn’t mean to imply…It’s just, Marv is up my ass cause I told him I mentioned Khatib to you and we don’t want to see you go and get yourself killed, that’s all.”

  “Look, Sean, with all do respect, you have no idea how capable my team and I are.”

  “I ain’t sayin’ you’re not, X. Just let Marv’s team handle it. They’ve been—”

  “They’ve been what? Watching him? How long do you watch someone murder and take advantage of innocent people, Sean?”

  “I get it, but he’s got orders.”

  “Exactly, and I don’t. That is the entire point of what I do, why I work for myself. I don’t have to wait until Khatib murders someone else’s parents. I can do something about it. And I’m going to, whether you and Marv, or Uncle Sam his damn self like it or not.”

  Xander was heated. The vein in his neck bulged and his face turned a crimson shade of red. He had reached the breaking point of everyone questioning him on this target and this mission.

  “Okay, okay, X. I get it. I get it. You know I do. I just love ya, man, and I want to see you get what you want. I just don’t want it to cost you everything. Hell, at least take me with you.”

  “You?” Xander took a deep breath; the vein and the redness subsided as he let his mouth curl into a hook of a smile. He appreciated his friend trying to help. “Buddy, you in combat now would be like a declawed house cat in the jungle.”

  Sean paused. A wan smile grew across his face.

  “Shit, you’re probably right. Five years ago I would have taken real offense to that. But I can get some training in while we figure out if this is the guy or not in the next couple of weeks.”

  “Next couple of weeks? Sean, we leave at seven o’clock tomorrow morning.”

  “Tomorrow morning? Xander, we don’t know if this guy is even—”

  “Sean, we’ve been over this. We leave at seven, not a second later. Since you’re here, you are more than welcome to come along. I can always use another good SEAL. But don’t be mistaken; if you go, it has to be because you want to see this scumbag get what he deserves, not because of me.”

  “Xander,” Sean paused. “X…I can’t let you go alone. It’s suicide.”

  “I’m not going alone. And like I said, if you go, this isn’t about me. It’s about Khatib,” Xander reiterated.

  “One for old times’ sake, huh?” Sean took a long pause as he traced his eyes around Xander’s things displayed around the office. “Hell with it. I’m in. That bastard deserves the wrath of God more than about any other of these terrorist freaks I’ve come across in a long time. No tellin’ how many people we’d save by killin’ him.” Sean stood up and reached out his hand. Xander took it with force.

  “It’s settled then. But this stays between us. I’m serious, Sean, between us.”

  “I’m ’bout sick a you actin’ like you can’t trust me. Just wait till I save your ass in Syria, then we’ll see who ya trust. Now let’s eat. I’m starving. By the way, introduce me again to that pretty little thing that answered your door if she ain’t spoken for. Hell, even if she is,” Sean smiled.

  Xander came out from behind his desk, put his arm around Sean, and walked him out of the office. “Let’s just worry about lunch for now, big guy.”

  Someone Doesn’t Know as Much as

  They Think They Know

  Xander shut the door of the G6 and Kyle, Sam, and Sean buckled themselves into their seats.

  “Six fifty-five, five minutes to spare, X. You gotta like that.” Kyle smiled.

  “My watch says seven, so it’s definitely time to go. We’ve got no time for falling behind. Every second will count. If everything goes perfectly, after ten hours in the air, and the seven-hour time change, we will be landing right at midnight.”

  “Where’s Amy?” Kyle asked.

  “You’re gonna have to get your own beer on this trip. I didn’t feel like overseas espionage was really gonna be one of Amy’s strong suits.”

  “Shit, wasn’t even thinking.” He laughed at himself.

  “You’re an idiot,” Sam chimed in, “and he seems to be dumbing you down as well Xander.”

  “You two, already? Really?” Xander rolled his eyes.

  “X-man, looks like we got ourselves a nice little family here. Family of killers, but a family all the same I reckon.” Sean laughed.

  Xander agreed and notified the pilot that it was time to leave. It was illegal to fly this plane with only one pilot, but Bob was the only man Xander could trust. That is why Xander had paid for Sam to be certified on the G6 just in case it ever came into question. The engines immediately fired up and Xander took his seat. In just ten short hours they would be landing at a mostly abandoned airstrip in northern Lebanon. Then, getting on a boat and riding through the darkness to almost certain—well, riding into a messed up situation. Xander was far more worried about Kyle in this endeavor than anything. Kyle was a lot of things, but a killer? Why had he dragged Kyle into all of this, anyway? There was just no reason for it, other than the selfish reason of not being lonely. Lonely. Probably the most frightening word in the English language for Xander. He was good at doing his own thing, but the thought of being alone scared him. It was about the only thing that did. It was undoubtedly a by-product of what happened to his parents. It made his relationships with women all the more strange, however. Instead of doing what most would do if they feared being alone—marrying someone safe—Xander did the opposite. Somewhere, subconsciously, he supposed, the fear of being left alone was far worse than just being alone. Hence all the one-night stands. If he never had anyone he really cared about, he never really had anyone to lose.

  As the jet rocketed down the runway and the wheels lifted from the ground, he wondered if Natalie could be the girl that changed all of that for him. This was the very reason he couldn’t be with her, because he knew it would pull his focus from what was important. Even more so now that Xander was responsible for other people’s lives. No one stood a chance of surviving if he wasn’t at the very top of his game.

  Time to focus.

  “Did you see this?” Kyle handed Xander his iPad from the seat across from him.

  “What is it?”

  “The TMZ app, scroll down a little.”

  Xander swiped his index finger along the surface of the iPad. Until his heart jumped when he saw a familiar face. So much for time to focus; it was an article about Natalie. The headline read, “America’s Sweetheart
Still Charming in Paris.”

  Below the headline was a picture of Natalie strolling down the streets of Paris with the Hotel Le Bristol in the background. Xander immediately handed the iPad back to Kyle.

  “Don’t you want to read it?”

  “No, thanks.”

  Kyle could tell it was painful for Xander to see her and not be able to reach out to her. He let it go. The jet pulled up into the sky, the massive engines roaring as Bob steered it toward Lebanon.

  Xander pulled out his own iPad and began to study intently on all the details that Sam and her sources had thus far gathered about the mission. However, before he could completely focus, he pulled out his iPhone and scrolled to the contact Sam had forwarded to him on the car ride over just moments ago.

  Xander had a phone call to make.

  Sarah Gilbright ended the call with Allison Freedman and sat her phone down on the console of the rented Toyota Camry. She let a long sigh exit her lungs as she watched Xander’s G6 fly off into the glow of the morning sun. Something was going on. Something big. She just didn’t know what. There was no flight plan scheduled for Xander’s N800XK G650 this morning. He may as well have been flying to the moon for all she knew. When she saw Agent Sean Thompson get on the plane with Xander, a massive pit formed in her stomach. Allison, Thompson’s secretary, confirmed that he would be out of the office for a couple of days, but she had no idea why. Sean had called it “personal reasons.”

  Sarah’s phone buzzed in her lap. She couldn’t believe who was calling her.

  “Agent Gilbright,” she answered.

  “Hello, Sarah. How are you enjoying Lexington?”

  “I-I’m sorry? Who is this?”

  She knew exactly who it was. His handsome face had filled the locked screen on her iPhone when he called.

  “Let’s skip the part where you pretend to not know who I am, and the part where you try to tell me you aren’t sitting across the street from the airport in that black Toyota Camry. It may be early, Ms. Gilbright, but I don’t miss a pretty face like yours when it’s around. Did you enjoy my launch party in San Diego last weekend?”