JAVIER Read Online Free Page A

Bracing himself as the car
hurtled towards them at full speed he lowered his head and let out a loud war
cry as the SUV burst through the gates then careered wildly for a split second
before continuing along the narrow country road. Breathing a sigh of relief he
gave thanks for German engineering before calling out;
    “Alright? Stay down a little longer. They may follow.
Where the hell are we Cassia?”
    “The house is close to Windsor. You should see signs
soon. The M4 motorway would take us back to London.” Cassia’s voice was muffled
from the back seat.
    “Are you alright Flavia?” Javier called. The sister
had seemed in a state of shock but the voice that answered was strong.
    “Yes. Are they following us?”
    Javier checked again. No lights. Briefly he wondered
why. Perhaps they were awaiting their leader. Perhaps this vehicle had a
tracker. He accelerated; he would dump the SUV at the first opportunity and
change cars. Stopping at a crossroad he checked the signpost and steered
towards the motorway. They had to move quickly. He had to get them all to a
safe place before dawn. Just before the motorway he stopped in a small hamlet
and ushered the women out. He had spotted his target.
    “Why have we stopped here?” Cassia whispered as she
stood holding onto her sister.
    “Changing cars. They didn’t chase us. That SUV may
have a tracker fitted.” Javier pulled off his jacket and wrapped it round
Flavia. The young woman was shivering, perhaps with a combination of shock and
cold. He touched her cheek reassuringly and smiled;
    “It’ll be alright querida. I’m taking you somewhere
safe.”
    Cassia felt a sharp pricking in her eyes as she
watched him take something out of the back of the SUV then move with stealthy
grace to a line of three cars parked on a grass verge. He was inside the oldest
car in minutes before gesturing them over. Stealing cars seemed to be one of
his skills as well as killing, she thought, perhaps he was some kind of
gangster. She settled Flavia in the back then climbed into the front passenger
seat, watching as he hotwired the car expertly then set off smoothly down the
road towards the motorway.
    “Almost a full tank, that’s a lucky break.” Javier
murmured then spoke louder;
    “I am heading back to London. There’s a safe place we
can get to before sunrise then I’ll be able to arrange for those collars to be
removed. Still alright Flavia?”
    “Yes, thank you.” came a quiet voice from the back
seat.
    “And you?” Javier glanced over at Cassia only to find
her staring at him.
    “Fine. Who are you?” she asked.
    “You know my name.” Javier kept his eyes on the road,
    “Alright. What are you? Why do they want you? Who is
the woman they were sure you would follow and why?”
    Javier laughed bitterly. God, he had been well and
truly played. They had targeted him, him specifically and he had taken the bait
just as they had known he would. The disappointment felt like a sharp physical
pain in his heart though why he should feel it was completely illogical. He had
known, he had always known that it couldn’t be Charlotte. Sighing, he
concentrated on the driving. Time enough for questions later; he was certainly
not going to be answering any of hers now.
    “We will talk later.” was his only reply. There was a
long silence and he could feel Cassia examining him. When she spoke again her
voice was very quiet;
    “Thank you for not abandoning us. You could have left
us there. Thank you for being kind to Flavia.”
    “Let’s call it quits shall we? You could have left me
unconscious in that room, you did not.”
    Still more silence and Javier glanced at her quickly.
She sat staring straight ahead, her body tense and her hands clasped tightly
together in her lap. He couldn’t wait to check her name against the Warrior’s
Council watch list; somehow he was certain she would be on it. A person of
interest. She had a lot of questions to answer. He took a deep breath