Mission: Protect the Ex
Alina Popescu
SEAN MADE HIS way through the woods soundlessly. Despite his heavy boots and the decent amount of gear he was carrying, he was very good at keeping noise to a minimum. It came with his military training, and the critters of this forested area did great at concealing his presence. He was glad he’d opted for multicam. The camouflage pattern was perfect during autumn, especially in the woods. With the rays of sun sneaking through the thick layer of branches and leaves, he was almost invisible.
The twigs and dead leaves were not the hardest to keep under control as he was stepping on them. The problem was that Sean found it almost impossible not to curse out loud and let the whole forest know he was moving about. He was fuming and the straining trek on uneven terrain with heavy tactical vest, backpack, and guns plus ammo weren’t doing enough to exhaust it out of him.
Tom, I’m gonna kill you when this weekend is over. The silent vow made him feel a little better and for the moment he couldn’t care less he’d be a best friend short after the deed was done. The guy had it coming though. Of all the people in the world, he couldn’t have found someone else to play babysitter for Tom’s precious younger brother.
An image of Aiden, the man he had to protect, flashed in Sean’s mind and he growled in response, stealth be damned. What the hell had Tom been thinking? It had only been six months since Sean and Aiden’s breakup. It was still too fresh and he sure as hell thought Aiden would have wanted anyone but Sean to be protecting him.
Tom and his stupid trust issues had forced Sean into a corner. He couldn’t say no to his best friend. No, that wasn’t why he’d given in. The idea of Aiden in danger had him on high alert. Sean wouldn’t have been able to trust someone else with the task either.
He gulped down some water and picked up the pace. Sean just needed this assignment to be over, unofficial as it was. The high profile part of the trial Tom was involved with would be over on Monday when the verdict was given. They’d reassess the situation then and figure out if Aiden needed any more protection and if so, find him a proper bodyguard. Tom had said this time was critical, that the threat was real and they’d try to pull something before the verdict.
In all honesty, Sean had no idea how these things usually went down, or why an investigator for the prosecutor’s office was such a target. He wouldn’t risk it though, not with Aiden. Another image of Aiden lying half-naked on Sean’s bed came out of nowhere, making the air rush out of his lungs. God, he was gorgeous. He always was, but more so that day. Lazy, well fucked, and content. Or at least Sean had thought he was content. Happy, even. Given how things had gone to hell soon after, maybe he’d been wrong.
“How the fuck am I supposed to survive this long weekend?” he whispered, crushing the now-empty water bottle in his large hand.
Sean knew these woods well enough. This remote cabin had been his and Tom’s hangout since high school. They’d come here, alone or with dates, to get away from the craziness that generally surrounded them at school. Tom’s absent father and Sean’s alcoholic mother were enough for them to want to run away. At first to this cabin, later on…well, Sean had enlisted after college, while Tom had drowned himself in his work.
He knew he had another thirty minutes before reaching the cabin, and that would have to be enough time for him to get his head screwed on right and push down all these wild emotions every thought of Aiden ignited within. He’d known Tom’s little brother most of his life without really knowing him. He was five years younger and hadn’t really registered on Sean’s radar at first. Years after enlisting, he’d come home after being deployed and found Aiden waiting for him at the airport.
The quiet, shy kid he’d known had grown into a stunning young man. Not very tall, slender. Not Sean’s usual type, yet gorgeous to him just the same. With pitch black eyes full of fire, stylishly messy black hair, porcelain white skin, and that bright red full mouth of his, Aiden made the perfect male version of Snow White, at least in Sean’s eyes.
The shyness was toned down and Aiden wasn’t awkward anymore. He had morphed into a witty, funny, and very perceptive man. From the first moment of that reunion, Sean had been unable to not drool all over him. Aiden hadn’t been shy at all about showing Sean how mutual their interest was.
They’d been together for two years, the best of Sean’s entire life. Six months ago, that had all gone to hell. And now here he was, angry and all messed up, pain still so fresh he wanted to scream at the trees, walking straight to Aiden. To protect him. But who would protect Sean from the heartache of seeing his ex? The ex he still loved with every fiber of his being.
“Fucking hell.” Sean angrily shook his head in a failed effort to clear his mind. He couldn’t protect Aiden with his head in such a mess. The cabin was five minutes out. It was time for him to cover the area around it with motion sensors. He reached into his backpack and took out what he needed, spreading the sensors in his path. He was pretty sure no one knew about this cabin, but one could never be too cautious. Besides, taking the time to set them up delayed the moment when he’d have to face Aiden and his wrath. Tom had been kind enough to at least tell Sean that Aiden didn’t even know he was getting a babysitter for the weekend.
Too soon, Sean was stepping onto the back porch, facing the wooden door and trying to get in the right head space as much as possible. He reached into his pocket and unlocked the door with his key. It was a move made out of habit, but when he realized it, Sean decided it was probably better. He’d avoid having the door smashed into his face. Of course, there was no reason why Aiden couldn’t smash something else into his face.