Page 11

Chapter 11

No Pressure

Xavier

The answer had to be no.

My job was to be a bodyguard. It was what I’d trained for; it was what I felt comfortable doing. I wasn’t like my older brothers, Damien and Maddox, who had the knack for saving the world. That wasn’t my journey to make. I didn’t handle that kind of pressure very well, nor did I even know where to begin this hunt.

Warrick looked at me from across the room, his green eyes scanning mine. He didn’t argue, but I could tell he wanted to. He had an adventurous spirit and always loved to follow it.

Not this time.

“I’m sorry, I can’t.”

Blake sputtered out, “What? Why?” He appeared disappointed, which surprised me.

“Blake.” The vice president cleared his throat. He had an air to him that commanded attention in a gentle kind of way. Even with the immense amount of stress and pressure he must have been under, there wasn’t a single crack in his demeanor. No way to tell what kind of storm raged on inside his head.

“I just don’t think I’m the right one for the job.” I was a bodyguard, nothing more, nothing less. I had the ability to manipulate time by three seconds, not the ability to hunt and track down a powerful artifact from a group capable enough to infiltrate the White House.

“I would like to respectfully disagree,” the Vice President said, “You are the perfect one for the job. You aren’t connected to anyone in the White House besides Blake and I. You aren’t compromised, and you won’t be on their radar. They’ll think your attention is solely focused on Blake.”

“He’s got a point,” Warr said. Cassius nodded. He walked to the chair opposite Warrick.

“I’m a meat shield. I’m not good at puzzles, I’m not good at subtlety. I’d make a terrible detective.”

Warrick’s leg bounced against the polished hardwood floors. “Then we can ask Caleb for help.”

Why was my brother so into this idea?

Blake sat up straight. He looked like he was going to say something but swallowed it down. His long lashes shadowed his golden eyes.

Was it really up to me right now? All the moments of failure in my life, big and small, came crashing down on me. The stakes would never be higher. Maybe I should get Damien involved? He could take the lead. He always handled most of the problems in our family. This would be no different.

The vice president stood behind his desk. He leaned a hip on the dark wood and looked out the window. The bright red buds of the roses were much too similar in color to the blood that had drenched these halls hours earlier. “This is a completely unorthodox situation and an ask I do not make lightly.” He turned to face me. The slowly setting sun slashed a band of light into the room. He looked spotlit. “There’s been a lot of ‘oh shit’ moments during my two terms, but this blows them all out of the water. I don’t have anyone of your caliber I can trust right now. I’ve trusted you with my child, my one true pride and joy in this world, and you’ve proven to be right for the job. I have faith you’re right for this one too.”

That was a difficult calling to deny. Not when it came from someone of Mr. King’s stature.

His words reminded me of someone else who always had unwavering faith in me.

Mom.

“Okay,” I said. I steeled myself. This decision would either be one of the best I’d ever made or one of the worst. “I’ll help.”

Warrick clapped, and Cassius yanked a fist toward his side. Blake didn’t have as big a burst of excitement, but his smile twitched a little larger.

Good. I found that I liked when he smiled. Made me feel like I made the right choice.

“Thank you, Xavier.” The vice president held out a hand. I stood from the couch and shook. His grip was firm, his eyes kind. There was hope in them, but it didn’t overshadow the fear. He really was terrified of what would happen if we didn’t get that dagger back.

Great. No pressure.

Warrick brought me a beer and set it on the smooth granite coffee table. I thanked him and popped off the cap. He had changed into his sleeping clothes: a pair of dark green shorts and a slightly oversized T-shirt he got from a concert. We were in the guesthouse, where he was staying next to the vice presidential residence. It was late, and we were all exhausted, but there was still a shit ton to talk about.

“How’s Blake?” Warrick asked, sitting cross-legged on a bubblegum-pink love seat. A tall and thriving fig tree sat in a glistening black pot at his side. “He didn’t seem too shaken after the fight.”

“We didn’t really get a chance to talk much, not in private. He told me he was feeling okay. He did say he needed a little space. He was showering and going to watch a movie with his mom.” Space wasn’t exactly the thing I wanted to provide Blake, but I understood the need for it. I had agreed, begrudgingly, and came to spend time with my brother.

“That’s fine, right? He’s literally only a couple feet away.”

I took another drink of the beer. “Yeah, I told him I’d be here with you.” I put my feet up on the coffee table and stretched over the couch. My baseball cap almost fell off. I flipped it so the brim was to the back.

“He’s a really good guy. I like him a lot,” Warr said. Something in his tone made me careful about my next words.

“I do too.”

“ Riiiiight. ”

I looked at him, eyes narrowing. “What? ”

“I know you, X. You’re seriously terrible at hiding your sneaky glances.”

“My what?”

“No, really. It’s like your eyes just hone in on him. If I had to guess, I’d think you imprinted on him somehow. Like a baby duck. It’s cute. I feel like I haven’t seen you like that since Harry.”

The mention of my ex-boyfriend pushed a thorn through my heart.

“Not that Blake is Harry, of course.”

No… no one could be Harry. But I didn’t want that. I wasn’t looking for someone to be him or to replace the memory of him. He was my first love, and that love was tragically cut short. I couldn’t hold his image up against anyone else.

“I have been feeling happier. I think you’re right,” I admitted for the first time out loud. Blake gave me a bubbly feeling that I nearly forgot existed. Or at least never expected to feel again. He was charming and funny and a little awkward. He had the best laugh, an array of different interests, and he glowed every time he smiled. Plus, he had the dark brown-haired and big golden-eye combo that had me tripping over myself the first time I saw him.

Basically, he was exactly my type.

“Is that forbidden or something? You are his bodyguard. What happens if you’re, like, bodddddy guarding? You know what I mean?”

“I know what you mean,” I said, laughing. “It’s complicated, yeah. That’s why I’m trying to, I don’t know, fight it?”

“You’re doing a terrible job at that. ”

I raised a loose fist to my lips. I didn’t work with an agency, so there really wasn’t anyone to report to other than myself. As far as getting in trouble for dating a client, that wouldn’t happen. But it still crossed a couple of lines.

“I also don’t want to get distracted around him,” I said, swirling my beer bottle and watching the light gold liquid spin. “That’s another big reason I’m trying to hold back on the emotions.”

“I guess, but… I don’t know. Wouldn’t you just protect him all that much harder?”

I shook my head and tossed a pillow in my brother’s direction. “You talk too much sometimes.”

“Yeah, too much sense.” He chuckled and played with one of the tassels on the pillow. “You’re going to have to figure it out, especially now that we’re all working together to find that dagger.”

“You were really insistent on taking the job back there.”

“I was,” Warrick said. He ran a hand through his loose brown curls. He normally kept his hair short but must have decided to try something different. “I’ve learned that saying yes is almost always the best answer. You know the one thing I remember most when I was dying from the Dragonfall? The sadness mixed with regret I felt laying on that bed. It was worse than the pain. I wanted your powers, X, so bad. I wanted to turn back time. Wanted to experience everything I was too scared of experiencing. I wanted to say ‘I love you’ more, I wanted to erase all that self-doubt that held me back from truly living . All those times I beat myself up or worried over things that didn’t matter or never ended up happening.

“That’s why I fought for this so hard. I knew that when we were all on our deathbeds, we’d look back on that moment with regret.”

Warrick, Warrick, Warrick. He always knew how to deliver some life lessons when they were the most needed. He was the youngest of us but definitely one of the wisest.

“And with me hopefully leaving to Wynwood Academy next year, I want to make sure I have as many moments with family as possible. Even if it means risking our lives to save the world.”

“I’m not sure you’re considering what kind of moments the hunt for this dagger might bring.”

“Listen, I’ve seen the worst happen. I’m at least going to try and stop it from happening again.”

I sucked in a deep breath. “You’re right.”

“I know I’m right.” He reached out and ran his finger under one of the fig tree’s leaves. It perked up, turned a shade brighter, and another leaf sprouted nearby.

A buzz at my thigh drew my attention. Blake was calling me. “Hello? Everything alright?” I jumped to my feet.

“Hi, yeah, everything’s alright except for the fact that you know the world might end soon, and we wouldn’t even know it happened. But yeah, other than that, totally fine.”

That drew a genuine laugh from me. He had that superpower over me.

“I was calling to see if you wanted to watch The Wedding Invite with me. I, uh, know it’s your favorite.”

I couldn’t tamp down my grin. “You sure? If you need more space?—”

“No more space. Forget I even said that.”

“Alright, I’ll be there in a minute.”

We hung up. “He wants me to go over to watch a movie. ”

Warrick looked at me, his concerned face quickly turning into a gloating one.

“I knew it. You’re so into him, it’s wild. Look at that smile!”

I couldn’t even argue with him. I turned so he couldn’t see my face anymore, waved over my shoulder, and closed the door.