Xavier O’Brien

by Ingro, Jessica

  “I suppose communication could be worked on,” I said cheekily to hide my shame.

  Xavier slapped my ass and muttered, “Brat.”

  Rather than reply, I kissed him which led to more touching. It was a great way to celebrate that crisis being averted.

  Chapter Ten

  Wiping damp hands on my pants, I waited for the door to open. I wasn’t sure why I was so nervous. Maybe it was because the woman behind the door had the power to break a piece of my heart.

  “Alyssa,” Ruth greeted me. “You look well.”

  “Thanks. You do, too.” The exchange between us felt awkward and forced, not at all like the easygoing conversations we used to have. It made me sad.

  “Come in. Sit. I made tea.”

  I followed her into the kitchen and sat at the table while she served me tea. I stirred the honey in my cup a little longer than was necessary, not sure what to say or what to do. The unease I felt was eating away at me. I never would have thought things would ever have been so strained between Ruth and me.

  “I have to admit, I’m a little nervous,” Ruth finally said.

  “Thank God,” I breathed and then giggled in relief.

  “I suppose it’s my fault,” she added. “I shouldn’t have been so judgmental before. I came down really hard on you. In my defense I did it because you remind me so much my daughter.”

  Tears filled my eyes then. Ruth’s daughter had died in a car accident and while I never met her, I was sure it was an honor to be compared to her.

  “I wish I had known her,” I told her truthfully. “She sounds like she was an amazing woman.”

  Ruth gave me a kind smile and shook her head. “She was strong-willed and stubborn, like someone else I know.”

  “Well, that might be true,” I conceded.

  “Alyssa, you are a grown woman who is more than capable of making her own choices. Just because I don’t agree with them, doesn’t mean I won’t continue to love you as if you were my own child. I’ll just have to remember that my opinion isn’t the only opinion. My husband, Charles, used to remind me of that on a regular basis. God rest his soul.”

  “Wise man,” I murmured, feeling lighter than I had in weeks. Nothing about the way this conversation was going as expected. I thought it would be an uphill battle to get us back to a good place.

  “I didn’t like to admit it to him when he was alive, but yes, he was.” She laughed and pushed the plate of chocolate chip cookies that were in the center of the table my way. “Eat.”

  “If you insist.” Biting into the gooey cookie, I moaned. Ruth’s cooking skills were sorely missed now that I lived with Xavier.

  “So—” Ruth broke off when my phone started ringing at the same time Luke busted through the front door unannounced. He had promised he would wait in the car since Xavier insisted that I not be alone. Even though I thought it was a bit much to have him chauffeur me, I didn’t argue. Much.

  “Let’s go,” Luke barked at me.

  I looked at my phone and saw it was Xavier calling. Putting it to my ear, I barely got a hello out before he was yelling, “Go with Luke to the house. Now!” Dead air followed the command and I looked inquisitively at the device.

  “Now,” Luke bit out.

  “Young man, you’re being rude,” Ruth chastised. “And who are you?”

  “He works for Xavier. I’m so sorry, but I need to go. I’ll call you and set up a time to bring Sophie over to play with Mikey.”

  I gave her a kiss on the cheek and grabbed my purse. Luke gripped my arm to pull me along, but I was stopped by Ruth’s words.

  “What happened to the independent girl?”

  Confused momentarily, I cocked my head and answered, “I’m still here.”

  “Don’t lose yourself, Alyssa.”

  “I won’t,” I answered once I understood that she thought I was cowing to him and his demands.

  What she didn’t understand was what Xavier and I had together. What happened behind closed doors. I gave him what he needed just as he gave me what I needed. I saw the caring man. The loving man. The man who would lay down his life for me and my daughter. That was everything I needed to know.

  * * *

  Luke ushered me out of Ruth’s apartment and down to the car with a swift efficiency that told me this wasn’t his first rodeo. The whole time he used his big body to block mine from any potential threats. It was a bit overwhelming not knowing what exactly was going on, but Xavier trusted my life to Luke, so I did as well.

  He sped out of the parking lot, deftly swerving in and out of the lane, passing people along the way. I gripped the armrest on the door and took in several deep breaths in an attempt to calm my then ragged nerves. Fear was very real and coursing through my veins with each minute that ticked on.

  “Do you know why Xavier wants me back at the house? Did they find Lucien Spinelli?” Talking was a good way to get my mind off of any impending doom.

  “I didn’t get much intel; just that it was imperative we get back to the house where you’ll be safe from any threats.” Luke maneuvered through traffic with ease. Set on his mission, he didn’t speak again.

  So much for taking my mind off it, I thought wryly.

  Every time Luke’s eyes flicked to the rearview mirror and back to the windshield throughout the twenty-minute drive, I felt my anxiety go up a notch. My heart thudded in my chest and my nerves twisted in my gut.

  Thank God Candy was picking Sophie up at school for me today and keeping her. Although, maybe she’d be safer with me. The thought had me frowning and digging through my purse for my phone. I needed to know what was going on. I hated not knowing the lay of the land. Being prepared was a far better option when it came to dealing with psychopaths.

  Pulling the phone out, I shot out a quick text to Xavier asking him for more information. I considered calling Candy to make sure Sophie was okay, but I didn’t want to alert her either. By the time Luke pulled onto our road, I still hadn’t heard back from Xavier and I wasn’t sure what to think of it.

  I reminded myself that Xavier’s house was a fortress and that everything would be fine. I just hoped wherever he was and whatever he was doing, that Xavier would be, too.

  The road was quiet as we sped toward the turnoff for the house. There were no other cars or people in sight and I breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

  We had no sooner cleared the driveway, when Luke had me out of the car and on my way into the house with his body shielding mine once more. With my phone in one hand and my keys in the other, we raced the fifty feet between us and safety.

  The sound of my blood rushing echoed in my ears. We were almost to the front porch when Luke cried out, his body landing heavily against mine and forcing me to the ground.

  I felt something wet on my back right before he rolled off me, his hand clutching at his side. I could see blood coating his hands and seeping across his shirt.

  “Luke,” I screamed. Scrambling up so I was kneeling, my hands went to his wound and began putting pressure there in an attempt to staunch the blood flow. “Shit, shit, shit.”

  “Get in the house, Aurora.” It was meant to be a demand, but his voice was weaker than I was used to hearing from him. There was no way in hell I was going to leave him there. He was losing blood much too quickly.

  “Can you walk?” I asked, instead of doing as I was told.

  Luke tried to get up, but he fell back down to the grass. The front of his shirt was completely red now.

  “Get. In. The. House.” He punctuated each word to emphasize the importance of getting me to safety. I wasn’t an idiot; I knew whoever shot him would most likely show their face sooner rather than later. I wanted nothing more than to be securely in the house before that happened. Problem was, I wanted Luke secure as well.

  I looked over his face. His brows were drawn together and sweat was beading on his upper lip. His skin was pale. God, he was in such bad shape.

  Looking for where my cell phone landed, I lung
ed for it, needing to call for help or he was going to die on me. I wasn’t about to let that happen. Just as my fingers closed around the phone, I heard heavy footsteps coming from the road.

  “Aurora… house,” Luke tried again.

  “Forgive me,” I told him. We had run out of time and I had no choice but to leave him out there—alone and at their mercy. “I’ll call for help.”

  Jumping to my feet, I sprinted toward the house. Fumbling with the key in the door, I cursed my unsteady hands. I just needed to get the damn thing open. The alarm system would activate and help would be on the way.

  I was too late.

  My keys fell to the ground as someone gripped my arm tightly, thrusting me against the door. I yelped at the shock of hitting the glass. I had no time to react before I felt the cool metal from the barrel of a gun at my temple.

  Pure adrenaline was fueling my actions. When I realized the severity of the issue, I stomped on the foot of the person holding me and tried to wrench myself from their grip.

  I was a dead person whether I fought or not. I knew deep down in my bones the only way these people would keep me alive would be to torture me, which in turn would kill Xavier. I would rather die than let that happen and I wasn’t going down without a fight.

  “Where’s your daughter, bitch?” The familiar voice sneered in my ear as the gun was pressed harder to my temple.

  Chapter Eleven

  “She’s at a friend’s house.” I gasped as Big J pushed my head further into the door.

  “Open the fucking door and turn off the alarm,” he demanded.

  “You know Xavier won’t let you live after this,” I warned him.

  Big J was lucky Xavier hadn’t killed him a few months back when he fucked up at the club and let me see clients when he had explicit instructions that I was off limits. It had taken a while for the truth behind his beating to come out and at the time I felt bad for being the cause of it. Now, with the barrel of his gun pressed to my head, I felt no remorse whatsoever.

  “Xavier won’t do shit.” Big J laughed darkly and pressed his body lewdly against mine so I could feel his hardness. His meaning was clear—he could do whatever he wanted because he thought he was untouchable. “Now open the door, bitch.”

  Knowing I had no choice, I knelt down and grabbed the keys. Once the door was unlocked, I pressed in the code to the alarm. I considered pressing the panic button, but with Big J’s body still pressed to mine, I knew there was no way he wouldn’t see me do it.

  Gripping me by my hair, he dragged me into the family room at the back of the house before throwing me down on the floor. With his gun still pointed at me, his steel toe boot landed at my hip. “That’s for the shit X laid on me because of your dirty cunt.” His next kick was to my ribs. “That’s for the time I spent in the hospital.” A third kick hit my leg when I tried to avoid the blow. “And that’s for the limp I’ll always have.” The final kick hit my ribs so hard the wind was knocked out of me. “But this… this is for Cherry.” That was when I heard the gun cock.

  Curled into a ball, I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the pain that was sure to come. Instead I heard a strange voice say, “Put the gun away.”

  “But Boss,” Big J complained and my eyes shot open.

  “Don’t Boss me. If you shoot her, we won’t be able to have any fun.” My stomach retched thinking about what their idea of fun could possibly be.

  Grumbling, Big J uncocked his gun, but kept it trained on me. The newcomer addressed me then.

  “Nice to meet you, Miss Swanson. Or maybe I should say, Miss James. I’m Lucien Spinelli. So glad to finally make your acquaintance. Why don’t you have a seat?” He gestured toward the couch before taking his own seat in a chair across from me. I struggled to sit up, knowing I probably had a few broken ribs courtesy of Big J’s rough treatment.

  Once I was sitting, I finally looked at my captor. He was older than I expected—at least fifty years of age with salt and pepper hair. He had a hardness about him that chilled me to my very bones. The way he watched me was unnerving to say the least. Everything about him told me I’d be lucky to make it out of this alive.

  I lifted my chin and stared him in his dead eyes, refusing to cow to the man who so viciously took the life of Xavier’s sister. Like I said—I wasn’t going down without a fight. My boldness only made him laugh, which in turn made me glare daggers at him.

  “At another time, Miss James, I would be intrigued by your spirit. Now, do you know why I’m here today?” He sat back in the chair and crossed his legs, waiting for my answer.

  “Because you’re an asshole?” The snide comment had him losing all humor.

  “Don’t test me, Miss James. You won’t like what will happen when I’ve been pushed past my limits. In answer to your question, I am an asshole. An asshole who doesn’t take well to people killing my employees.”

  I kept my face carefully blank. It wouldn’t do well for him to know I knew exactly what he was referring to—Harrison and his untimely death. Too bad it wasn’t at Xavier’s hands.

  “Nothing to say to that?” When I didn’t respond, he continued talking. “Very well then. See Miss James, the reason for today’s visit is to make sure Xavier O’Brien pays for his transgressions. He was a thorn in my side back when he worked for Diego, but I let it go after…” He trailed off and a sick smile graced his face. I fought the bile rising up my throat at the realization he was reliving what happened to Xavier’s sister. “Now though, he’s gone too far, taking out my best lieutenant.”

  “You touch me and Xavier won’t stop until you’re six feet underground,” I bit out.

  Big J snorted.

  Lucien threw his head back and laughed.

  When he sobered, he leveled his cold eyes on me. I wouldn’t be surprised if the devil himself lived inside Lucien Spinelli. “Xavier won’t live long enough for retribution. You though…” He trailed off and his eyes slithered over my body. “You’ll do well as a trophy of mine. I hear you know exactly what to do with that little body of yours. My mouth is watering in anticipation.”

  My body shivered and not in a good way.

  “Big J, why don’t you show Miss James—” The doorbell ringing interrupted Lucien mid-sentence. “Who the fuck is that?”

  Big J grabbed the tablet that controlled the security system and pulled up the feed of the front door. I frowned at how well he knew the setup of Xavier’s house and I briefly wondered how close to Xavier’s inner circle he had been. There were some rats that needed to be exterminated for sure.

  “It’s Marx,” Big J announced. Setting the tablet down, he cocked his gun and began to cross the room to the front of the house.

  “I’ll make him go away,” I said quickly.

  “He takes one look at you and he’ll know. You think I’m stupid?” Big J countered.

  “There’s an intercom. He can’t see me.” I gestured to the tablet again.

  “Very well then,” Lucien said. He gestured for Big J to come back and then turned back to me. “I still have a use for Marx. As long as he doesn’t cross me, I’ll allow him to live.”

  Big J pressed the gun to my temple again as encouragement for me to stay in line. With a deep breath, I engaged the intercom.

  “Hey, Marx. I’m not feeling well. Can you maybe come back tomorrow?” A slight tremor came through my voice and I hoped the two men in the room with me didn’t notice it.

  “I think it’s imperative that I see you today, Aurora,” Marx answered.

  “That just isn’t possible. We can discuss that thing we were going to talk about tomorrow.” In truth, we had nothing to discuss. I sent up a silent prayer that Marx would catch on after that random lie.

  “Okay, I’ll leave you to rest, but only if you come to the door so I can ascertain you aren’t too sick to be left alone.”

  My heart lurched at his request and Big J nudged my head with his gun. It was a warning; one I would do well to heed if I didn’t want my brains spl
attered across the couch.

  “That really isn’t necessary.”

  “Humor me, Aurora. You know I’ll worry.”

  I muted the microphone and looked at Lucien.

  “If you cross me, you’ll both die,” was his warning.

  I nodded and Big J moved the gun to the back of my head so he was out of the camera’s line of sight. I took a deep breath and mustered up a breezy smile before turning the camera on.

  Marx’s masculine face filled the screen. His jaw was tense and his mouth was set in a thin line.

  “Better?” I asked Marx, well aware of the eyes that were on me.

  “Much. You sure you don’t want company?” Any other time, I would be glad he worried. Now, I just wanted him to leave so he would be safe. And hopefully call in some reinforcements.

  “Positive.”

  “Okay.”

  “And thanks, Marx.” I gave him a smile as tears pricked the back of my eyes. Willing them away, I disconnected the feed and handed Big J the tablet. He engaged the security cameras at the front of the house before turning it toward where Lucien sat. The sight of Marx walking away from the house and to his car had my stomach dropping in despair.

  “Well done, Aurora. Now, where were we?” Lucien’s evil smile sent a chill up my spine.

  Chapter Twelve

  Marx

  Marx knew something was wrong. He could still see the look of terror on Aurora’s face—the one that she tried to hide but failed miserably in doing so—and felt her fear deep in his gut.

  When Marx had caught wind of Lucien Spinelli’s plan to strike against Xavier and The Den, he raced over to where he knew Aurora would most likely be in order to assure she was safe.

  It didn’t matter that he shouldn’t be there. Shouldn’t be anywhere near the woman he couldn’t get out of his head. The woman who against his better wishes was slowly beginning to own him. The woman who he wanted to lose himself inside of. The woman he knew would ease the ache he felt every second of every day.