Time Will Tell
After a couple more days in Paris waiting for doctors to okay the flight home for Kyle, Xander was chomping at the bit to get out of that city. Natalie had already gone back to work. Xander was stunned by her bravery. However, he did make sure Marv pulled a few of the best bodyguards in town and wouldn’t take no from Natalie about them being around. He and Natalie saw each other a couple more times before he and the team boarded Xander’s plane, but they never really spoke about their conversation in the hospital bed. All Natalie said was that she would see him back in the States once she wrapped the filming of her movie in Paris. He didn’t know exactly what that meant for them as a couple, but at least it meant he would see her again. And Xander had decided that a little bit of Natalie was better than none at all.
As he sat on his G6, thirty-five thousand feet in the air, sipping on some King’s Ransom bourbon, he was content with what he had told the people who were sitting all around him now. He wanted to see if he really could live life without the fight. The thought of slowing down and playing a bigger role in his businesses sounded like a breath of fresh air. And some fun times with his friends, old and new, sounded even better.
He already spoke with Director Hartsfield. And while she was disappointed to hear Xander say he was hanging it up, including the vigilante stuff, she was happy to take in the rest of the team, who all wanted a role in helping the United States. She said Zhanna and Jack would fit in nicely. However, she told Xander that Viktor would be best suited for a straitjacket. Xander couldn’t disagree, but he had grown to love that crazy son of a bitch. In small doses, at least. And he told Viktor he could find a place for him if he wanted. Viktor actually did a cartwheel at the prospect. Director Hartsfield ended the call with an open invitation for Xander to return if he ever so desired.
As he took another sip of bourbon, he tried to have an honest moment with himself. He realized that the last twelve years of his life had been dedicated to one mission: become the greatest killer he could and use what he learned to avenge his parents’ death. Now that all of that was behind him, he didn’t know how he would feel in the weeks and months to come. Could he find satisfaction in civilian life after all the years of adrenaline-pumping battle? He couldn’t say for sure. Couldn’t say for certain if that itch would ever creep back under his skin or not. He just knew he hoped it wouldn’t.
As he looked around at his friends, especially Sam and Kyle, he truly wanted to be done with that side of himself. He prayed he could stay away so he could prove to Natalie he was really finished. But Xander had always been a realistic man, and he knew that sooner or later that phone was going to ring. All he could hope for was that when that time came, he could call on that inner strength, tap into that mental toughness that made him the legendary soldier that he was, and not scratch that itch.
As cliché as it sounded, he knew that only time would tell.
Acknowledgements
To my friends and family, for not only being my life, but for always making it fun.
To Deb Hall, for giving my sentences structure, and making me seem more clever than I really am.
To Gary Guilmette, for taking my complete lack of weapons knowledge and guiding me toward something that resembles functional. If any errors were made in describing the tools of the trade, fault the author, not the expert.
To Xander King fans, for always being there to boost my fragile ego. Interacting with you on Facebook and via email has been the most surprising aspect of this journey. I always thought the work would bring me satisfaction, but it has been sharing with you that has truly made writing special. Thanks for that.
Bradley Wright is the author of the Xander King series. He and his wife spend time in both sunny California and the great state of Kentucky. He does his very best to be charming, witty, and clever. When those attempts inevitably fail, he locks himself in a room and makes up characters who always seem to find him far more interesting than real people do. Funny how that works.
Bradley has been writing since he was a child. He started with songs and poems but finally gave in to writing stories when the voices in his head resorted to shouting. He is inspired by every author he reads, most notably, Stephen King and Carsten Stroud.
For more information visit www.bradleywrightauthor.com.
Cheers!
King's Ransom (The Xander King Series Book 3) Page 23