Expose, p.1
Expose, page 1
Also by Willow Fox
Aigle Tactique
Révélation: Jaxson
Furtif: Mason
Dissimuler: Lincoln
Clandestine: Jayden
Bossy Single Dad
Billionaire Grump
Mountain Grump
Bachelor Grump
Bratva Brothers
Brutal Boss
Wicked Boss
Possessive Boss
Obsessive Boss
Dangerous Boss
Casamentos Mafiosos
Voto Secreto
Voto Cativo
Voto Selvagem
Voto Relutante
Voto Implacável
eagle tactical
Expose: Jaxson
Expose Jaxson
Stealth: Mason
Conceal: Lincoln
Covert: Jayden
Truce: Declan
Eagle Tactical Box Set
Eagle Tactical Serie
Svelato: Jaxson
Enthüllt: Jaxson
Verheimlicht: Mason
Invisibile: Mason
Versteckt: Lincoln
Nascosto: Lincoln
Verborgen: Jayden
Infiltrato: Jayden
Eisige Romantik auf dem Spielfeld
Schwindel mit dem Milliardär
Wagnis mit dem Eishockeyspieler
Verhaftung des Eishockeyspielers
Fratelli Bratva
Boss Brutale
Boss Diabolico
Boss Possessivo
Boss Ossessivo
Boss Pericoloso
Frères Bratva
Boss Brutal
Boss Vicieux
Boss Possessif
Boss Obsessif
Boss Dangereux
Frères Bratva: Toute la série
Gebrüder Bratva
Brutaler Boss
Böser Boss
Besitzergreifender Boss
Zwanghafter Boss
Gefährlicher Boss
Gebrüder Bratva: die komplette Serie
Ice Dragons Hockey Romance
Faking it with the Billionaire
Daring the Hockey Player
Arresting the Hockey Player
Ice Dragons Hockey Romance (FR)
Faux-semblants avec le Milliardaire
Défier le Joueur de Hockey
Faire Arrêter Le Joueur De Hockey
Mafia-Ehen
Geheimes Gelübde
Gefangenschafts Gelubde
Wildes Gelubde
Widerwilliges Gelubde
Rücksichtsloses Gelübde
Mafia Ehen: die komplette Serie
Mafia Marriages
Secret Vow
Captive Vow
Savage Vow
Unwilling Vow
Ruthless Vow
mariages mafieux
Vœu Secret
Vœu Captif
Voeu Captif
Vœu Sauvage
Vœu Non Consenti
Vœu Impitoyable
Mariages Mafieux: Toute la série
matrimoni di mafia
Voto Segreto
Voto Prigioniero
Voto Selvaggio
Voto Non Voluto
Voto Spietato
Matrimonios de la Mafia
Voto Silencioso
Voto Cautivo
Voto Salvaje
Voto Involuntario
Voto Despiadado
Père, célibataire et autoritaire
Le Milliardaire Grincheux
Grincheux des Montagnes
Le Célibataire Grincheux
Ruppige Single Papas
Berg Muffel
Bachelor Muffel
Milliardär Muffel
Táctica Águila
Expuesto: Jaxson
Sigilo: Mason
Oculto: Lincoln
Encubierto: Jayden
EXPOSE: JAXSON
EAGLE TACTICAL BOOK ONE
WILLOW FOX
Expose: Jaxson
Eagle Tactical Book One
Willow Fox
Published by Slow Burn Publishing
© 2021
Cover by GetCovers
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
CONTENTS
About this Book
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Epilogue
Giveaways, Free Books, and More Goodies!
About the Author
Also by Willow Fox
ABOUT THIS BOOK
A man ruined me once. I won’t allow it to happen again.
There’s a reason I decided to move all the way to Breckenridge, Montana, and it’s not because it’s been on my bucket list.
Neither is driving across the country in the dead of winter for that matter. Or having my car give up on me. Or getting frostbite as I trudge up a mountain in heels.
But all of the above happens.
And guess who saves the day.
Jaxson.
Former special forces. Single father of one. Professional background checker.
I’m sure he means well—and I definitely need that generator he promised me to make my brand-new cabin livable—but that’s all this is.
He’s just a friendly acquaintance. A polite neighbor. A nice man on the street.
I’m not supposed to get close to him. I’m not supposed to meet his daughter. And I’m certainly not supposed to share with him anything about my recent past.
What’s buried there needs to stay buried.
And I’ll bury my feelings for Jaxson right next to it if I have to.
Expose: Jaxson is book one of the Eagle Tactical series. Jaxson and Ariella’s small town romance ends with a HFN (happily for now) and a guaranteed series HEA (happily ever after).
CHAPTER ONE
Ariella
I ran for my life, and it was all his fault. Secrets had brought me over a thousand miles from home. I fled with only one thought in mind: a second chance. Starting over was my only option for survival.
I squinted through my sunglasses, shucking them to the empty passenger seat, finding it difficult to see. My vision adjusted, but the night was setting in fast as daylight fell over the horizon.
I struggled to see the narrow, snow-covered road ahead.
The streets at the bottom of the mountain had been freshly plowed and salted. The headlights on my five-speed were angled at odd intervals, casting shadows over the road covered in potholes beneath the slush.
The car jolted and bounced with my foot on the gas, splashing my scalding, stale coffee from the cup holder.
My eyes burned and welled.
“Shit!”
Tears threatened the surface, but I wouldn’t cry. It wasn’t the sting of blistering liquid that hurt. I’d done this to myself. I blamed him, but it was as much my fault.
Secrets surrounded my past. Benjamin Ryan had been part of those secrets, but there was more than even he knew. There were secrets I could never tell him, even as he was whisked away in handcuffs.
I packed my car with my possessions and hurried out of the state of New York. Of course, not before finding a small log cabin in the woods that I could afford in cash, sight unseen.
I also lined up a job interview at a nearby resort, but there was no guarantee of landing a position right away. My last one had ruined my life, and I couldn’t even put it on my resume.
I’d have to be frugal with the few dollars left to my name, which consisted of a few ones in my wallet.
Was I bitter?
Sure as shit, but I moved on, started over, and prayed for a second chance. A fresh start is what I did, what I craved, and the only way to get that was to move.
I went back to using my maiden name: Ariella Cole. I wasn’t in hiding per se. After all, I had done nothing wrong or criminal.
I couldn’t say the same for him.
I didn’t want to get mixed up in his illegal affairs.
I had planned on arriving at my new home before dark, but the interview had been in the afternoon at Blue Sky Resort, a ski lodge just outside of Breckenridge, Montana.
It was for a position covering other worker’s shifts, everything from waitressing at the restaurant to doing housekeeping tasks and handling the ski rental equipment. I’d take whatever I could get.
The interview had seemed to go well, and they had asked to run a background check. I wasn’t keen on i t but I didn’t have a choice, so they’d see that my ex-husband, Ben, had run up our credit. They couldn’t deny me a job because of that, right?
He was serving time in federal prison for several felonies. That couldn’t count against me, right?
When I’d left the resort, with my piping hot, burnt coffee, it had grown dark. The front desk attendant had given me directions since my phone died, and GPS was sketchy as to whether it worked in the mountains.
I headed for my new house, weary, tired, and worn after a lengthy interview and an even longer drive across the country. I wanted to discover my new home, climb into bed under the warm covers and sleep for a week.
The interviewer informed me they’d run my references, and I had to submit to a background check.
It sounded all good, and while I hoped the job was mine, there were no guarantees. They hadn’t offered me anything yet.
I downshifted my car, but I struggled to get up the mountain.
The bald tires spun as I white-knuckled the steering wheel. The back of the vehicle fishtailed.
I downshifted again and stomped on the gas to climb the godforsaken beast of a mountain when the car slipped and slid backward downhill.
“Shit!” I screamed and stomped on the brakes hard, which only had me doing donuts as I spun and slid down the icy path of the mountain. I would have braced for impact if I had known how, but I just wanted to survive. I needed to survive.
My stomach ached with dread. My palms were sweaty, and I clung to the steering wheel, attempting to maneuver my car out of danger.
I had no control over the vehicle, like it had a mind of its own.
The car spun and smacked into a tree. The window smashed. It wasn’t enough to stop the momentum from sliding down the mountain, and the back wheels skidded off the road.
By some miracle, the vehicle came to a halt. The back wheels teetered off the edge of a ravine.
The car’s front appeared stable, but would it propel me downward and into oblivion if I made any sudden movements?
I glanced in the rearview mirror.
It grew darker by the minute, and I couldn’t ascertain how far down the ditch went, but given the fact the entire drive up the mountain was switchbacks and dangerous, without a doubt, it was deadly.
Exhaling a soft, slow breath, I couldn’t stay in the car. I needed to get help.
I hadn’t seen a car on the road since I attempted to climb the damned mountain. Was there a reason for that? Did anyone live up in Breckenridge, or was I the only one crazy enough to head up there on the cusp of winter?
I probably should have traded my car in for a vehicle with all-wheel drive or a truck, but it wasn’t like I could afford it.
I was strapped for cash. I spent every dime on getting to Breckenridge and paying cash for the cabin I found on one of the realtor sites online.
The place looked like a gem, backed up to a gorgeous river, and within walking distance to a few local shops in town.
This had to mean I wasn’t the only one in Breckenridge, but they were smart enough not to travel at night up the mountain.
My phone was dead, and even if it had any juice left, I knew without a doubt there would be no cell service around here.
There had been no service at the bottom of the mountain. That had been when my phone still had a tiny amount of battery power.
Not that I didn’t have anyone to call. My sister would expect to hear from me, but we weren’t on the best speaking terms. She was pissed that I moved to Breckenridge instead of staying in New York with her.
I couldn’t stay. I had to get as far away from New York and the enemies we’d made.
I glanced behind me at my knapsack. I couldn’t risk reaching for it. Not until I was out of the car.
With slow precision, I unlocked the door and eased the driver’s side open. I made no sudden movements.
While I’d have preferred to stay in the confines of the car that offered shelter, it teetered on the edge of a ravine. I wasn’t ready to meet death.
The car creaked and groaned as I was careful to shift my weight from one foot and then the other out from the vehicle.
The vehicle didn’t launch off the cliff as I had first feared. I shivered and pulled my jacket tight.
I couldn’t easily open the back door from my position. The snow was several inches thick, and I had stuffed my boots in the trunk.
There was no way I could maneuver myself to grab my warm and comfy shoes. My fancy heels would have to suffice because I wasn’t going barefoot. That would be even stupider in this weather.
“Okay, I can do this,” I said to myself.
There wasn’t another soul on the road, and I didn’t even want to consider what wild animals like bears or wolves come out at night. I hadn’t the slightest idea if they were nocturnal. I hoped I didn’t run into any creatures because I had nothing but my hands to protect me, and well, I may as well just lie down and play dead.
Okay, so getting my bag from the backseat wasn’t as easy as I thought. I exhaled a nervous breath, my stomach in knots as I climbed back into the driver’s seat, reached for my knapsack in the back, along with my purse on the passenger seat.
I didn’t make any sudden movements, and I backed away from the car, shut the car door, shoved my purse into the bag, and swung it over my shoulder.
My hands shook from the cold and the adrenaline coursing through my veins. I dug into my pockets, retrieving a pair of leather driving gloves. They would have to suffice.
With daylight nearly gone, I headed for the main road of the mountain.
I kept to the center of the snow-covered path. I’d probably hear something long before I’d see anything, but I wasn’t holding my breath.
The moon offered the faintest bit of light to illuminate the snow-covered road.
I had no flashlight, and the darkness of night seeped in, which reminded me there wasn’t a town for miles because there were no city lights nearby.
I glanced up at the heavens, the frigid night air offering way to a sparkle of stars peppering the night sky. It would be a beautiful sight if it wasn’t so cold and I didn’t worry about freezing to death.
My lungs hurt from the cold. With each breath inward, a thousand knives were stabbing at my lungs.
With my jacket zipped up tight, I leaned my head down toward my coat. I needed to find shelter. With sundown, the night would only grow colder.
My hands trembled even with the warmth of my gloves. The edge of the road was difficult to see with no light. It seemed even more impossible to determine if there was any evidence of shelter.
I kept walking up the mountain. The only way I could tell I was headed in the correct direction was because the wind assaulted my face, and my footprints were evidence of where I’d been.
I could no longer see my car in the distance. The broken windows may have offered little shelter from the wind, but I could have been warmer had I stayed inside the vehicle. I could also have been catapulted down the ravine had I so much as shifted the car’s weight.
There was no use second-guessing my decision. I just hoped that the main road would lead off to a driveway, a house, a cabin, or some sign of civilization.
The chill of the cold brought tears to my eyes, freezing my eyelashes, stinging my cheeks. My hands were numb, and my knapsack offered no clothes. Frozen inside and out.
I stumbled over my feet.
My toes burned from the frigid air that assaulted every inch of my body. The sensation went beyond numb and tingling.
I tripped and braced myself as I hit hard-packed snow on the road, eating a mouthful. I spit out the contents as best I could.
My lips were numb, along with my cheeks.
I shivered and curled up in the fetal position in the middle of the snow-covered road. I buried my face away from the chill.
Shielding my cheeks from the cold, getting an ounce of warmth and a reprieve from the elements. I pulled my bag closer to protect me from the wind. I shut my eyes.
