Ace of Hearts

by Gray, Khardine

  Even if I needed a long break, which it looked like I might.

  Jia was outside my apartment door. She stood by the floor to ceiling glass windows that connected the apartment to the one in front of me. She was crying.

  Apart from that day when Giovanni hit her I hadn’t seen her cry like this. Shoulders wracking and shaking as she sobbed.

  I knew that she wouldn’t have come to me if she didn’t need me.

  I rushed up to her and took her into my arms where she continued to cry. She just broke down and it was like part of her life force left her, taking her strength with it.

  I hated seeing someone look like they were on their last.

  I’d had enough of today but I could deal with the shit. She looked like she could no longer cope.

  “Jia, baby, what happened?” I asked, whispering into her ear.

  She clung on to my shirt and pressed her beautiful face against my chest.

  “I can’t… I can’t talk. I can bare…ly breathe.”

  “Baby tell me what happened.”

  I wouldn’t have seen her at work today because I was out for the whole day. Now I hated that I was away even more.

  She released me and stepped back.

  I moved forward and cupped her face. “Talk to me Jia.”

  “My father’s sending me away, next week… with Armand. He’s actually going to marry me off to Armand. He told me to say goodbye to you. Frankie gave me a pass so I could come and see you. So I could say goodbye… or else…” Her shoulders shook again and she covered her mouth.

  She actually didn’t need to finish that sentence.

  Giovanni must have threatened to kill me.

  It didn’t scare me but it gave me a heads up. It absolutely fucking did. It gave me a heads up. So far I’d been Mr. Average Joe. Cool and collected, not really showing my true colors so I wouldn’t blow the mission or my chances.

  So the fact that he gave her such a warning meant I was being watched. She was being watched.

  Maybe she was being watched now.

  “He’ll kill you Xander,” she stuttered. “He’ll do it. I know he will. I can’t let that happen. All day I thought of how I’d say goodbye to you… I don’t want to.”

  “Jia, listen to me…” My voice trailed off. I actually didn’t know what to say to her.

  This was… well, it was a chance for me to tell her it was best she heed her father’s warning, and I should act like I was scared of him so she’d at least think I was. More than anything, it was a chance for me to end this with her.

  End this fascination with her before it was too late and she discovered the lie I was.

  Once again I just couldn’t do it.

  I looked at her and the sight of her tugged on my heart.

  That thing I hadn’t felt in years, or ever, gripped me now at the thought of goodbye.

  I couldn’t do it.

  What I did find myself doing was moving to her lips. I kissed her and she kissed me back with the same fire she always gave me, the same want and need.

  It enticed me to take her and make her mine.

  So I did.

  I broke from her lips to open the door and that was it.

  I went straight to my bed with her and got lost in her the way I had every single time.

  Hours later she lay in my arms, cocooned like she really was mine.

  She had that exhausted look about her like that first night, fighting sleep and fighting time.

  I on the other hand was fighting time and my conscience. I was fighting that thing that told me I was selfish and this was going to blow up in my face.

  Her warm fingers fluttered over my chest and I looked down at her. The only light we had was the moonlight. It made her hair look like liquid silver and her eyes lighter. Her pale skin against the sheets like cream.

  Damn… what the hell had I allowed to happen to me?

  “This was nice,” she whispered. “You were the nice part of the craziness over the last few weeks.”

  I picked up a lock of her hair and allowed it to curl about my thumb.

  “Jia…I’m not anything special.”

  “No, don’t,” she cut in. “Don’t. This might be the last I see you. Don’t tell me you aren’t special, when you’re so much more to me. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

  And, that just made me feel worse. I had to tell her something. Something to satiate the turmoil inside me.

  “Thank you. That means a lot to me. More than you know. Look…there’s some stuff I need to tell you, but not now.”

  “It sounds serious.” She gave me a weak chuckle.

  “No, don’t worry. Don’t worry.”

  “I can’t help it. Xander I’m going to Europe to marry Armand. My life is over. I can’t live like that. I don’t want to.”

  “Don’t worry.” I nodded, sounding sure and like I had some plan.

  “It’s hard not to.”

  “I know, but things have a way of working out. How am I supposed to allow Armand to take you away…from me?” I meant that.

  Craziness took over my ass again. The crazy passion that made me want her and I realized I didn’t want to let her go. I didn’t know what that meant for me or what the fuck I planned to do, but that much was sure. I didn’t want her to go be with Armand. Someone else who wasn’t me. Just the thought of her going with him and being forced to marry him enraged me.

  How could I be okay with that?

  How could I be okay with that, and with all that I felt for her.

  “Oh God, Xander. You have no idea what it means to hear you say that but I can’t allow you to get in that kind of trouble.”

  I cupped her face again. “Don’t worry baby.” Jesus… I had lost my mind. This was the proverbial ants nest I thought of when it came to mobsters. Stepping in the nest and disturbing what they had, let alone their plans meant war. She was worth it to me, I just didn’t know what I would do, if I could do anything, or how I would do it.

  Or, fuck… if I should…

  That was logic coming back to me, reminding me of responsibility.

  She cupped my face too with her warm fingers and another tear ran down her cheek.

  “Where is Frankie?” I thought I’d lessen the tension of our angst-filled conversation.

  “He’s at my place. Pa thinks I’m there too. He’ll be there for the night and most of tomorrow morning until I go to work.”

  “Then sleep, sleep baby.” She needed to.

  I thanked my lucky stars that Frankie seemed like he was on my side for the most part.

  “Sleep…”

  I leaned forward and planted a kiss on her forehead. It lulled her to sleep.

  I watched her sleep for another hour. Then Wes called. I was half expecting to hear from him, once he got going he usually sailed through his ideas until he came up with a plan.

  I slipped off the bed and stood in the passage between the kitchen and my bedroom.

  I answered and glanced back to Jia to make sure she was still asleep.

  “Hey,” I said to Wes.

  “Hey dude, I found the tunnels. Can you come back quickly just to run through some ideas with me? I think I have an idea.”

  I glanced back to Jia. There was classic me, being torn between emotion and responsibility.

  “Sure, I’ll come back,” I answered. That was the correct answer. What I didn’t have was time. Without knowing what was really going on we didn’t have the luxury of time. I had to move fast with the time I had. If Wes had come up with ideas then that was where I needed to be. So the right answer was to go back. Jia would be safe here for a few minutes.

  “Bro… is she okay?” Wes asked.

  “No.”

  “You okay?” That was probably the better question.

  “No,” I replied. “I hate this. I just… need to get everything over and done with. I hate playing double agent. Pretending to be someone I’m not. This is the first time it’s really affected me.�
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  “I get it. I can see that it’s affecting you. But please tread softly. We won’t be here forever. I can’t see that you’ll be able to be with her the way you want. So… please Xander, be sensible.”

  “I’m trying. Maybe leaving is best. Leave like I was never here, just like a shadow.”

  “See you in a bit bro.” Wes hung up and I glanced back to Jia, asleep on my bed.

  Leaving was indeed best. How could I though? Not even an hour ago I’d told her I couldn’t stand by and watch Armand take her.

  So what were my options?

  Get the prints and take her?

  The mafia princess.

  Take her and have the mob on my ass. Me the secret agent or whatever it was I was trying to be.

  Take her with me wherever I went? I couldn’t see that going down well. Fuck, I may be able to avoid Giovanni to some extent but it wouldn’t work.

  Then there were my secrets.

  My past…my present.

  I liked her and I knew it was moving beyond that.

  Moving fast beyond that in so little time.

  One last look and I left her.

  Baby steps and one thing at a time.

  Even if every step seemed harder than the last.

  What the hell was I really going to do?

  Chapter 25

  Jia

  * * *

  The door closed and I opened my eyes.

  I wasn’t sleeping.

  I hadn’t been.

  I heard him…

  Heard when the phone buzzed and it woke me up instantly. It came from having to listen out at my house for people coming in and out, more so in the last few days with Pa on his tirade to destroy my life.

  So, I heard him.

  Xander.

  I heard him answer the phone and I heard what he said to— whoever that was he was speaking to.

  I hate playing double agent. Pretending to be someone I’m not.

  Those words stood out in my mind.

  Agent and pretending.

  Then he said something about leaving.

  I hated listening in on a conversation because you didn’t get the full picture of what was being discussed.

  On this occasion however I couldn’t help it.

  It was the result of being so distressed and needing to cling on for hope wherever I could find it.

  And damn did I ever think I’d found it when he told me he wouldn’t let Armand take me. Found it and lost it as I listened in on his conversation and my heart squeezed.

  What did it mean?

  I hated this and hated that Pa’s words came back to me, telling me I didn’t really know Xander. The words came tumbling into my mind as I’d heard him talking on the phone.

  I hate playing double agent. Pretending to be someone I’m not…

  That was what he’d said right?

  So, was he an agent?

  Pretending?

  My breath hitched and curiosity got the better of me. I got up and dressed as quickly as I could. He was going somewhere to meet someone.

  I could follow him. Just take a peek and push my fears aside.

  I could do that. Maybe I’d heard wrong.

  It must have been that.

  I left as quickly as I could. He was probably a minute or two ahead of me.

  Once I got outside the building I saw him. He was quite a distance ahead but I saw him turn the corner down the alley.

  Rushing forward, I watched him go into an old warehouse facility. It was more of a storage place, like the kind Pa used to keep his old stuff.

  As quietly and stealthily as I could I went inside and saw it was practically out of use. The kind of place people used as and when, like you had an event and needed the space.

  Voices echoed from upstairs. It was a muffle with everyone talking at once.

  It helped to give me cover to get closer.

  I took the stairs up one flight and saw a man in a leather jacket. I found a good hiding spot behind some stacks of boxes. There I saw Xander, a man with a patch over his eye and another blond guy.

  The man with the patch seemed to be some sort of authority figure.

  He looked annoyed with Xander.

  “Look, Xander I get that you have to have a life but there was a reason why I found you. You’re our best hope at getting these things back. It’s fucking selfish of you to put your dick first before the country,” the man balked.

  Xander squared off with him looking like he was going to hit him. “Ethan, don’t fucking piss me off. I agreed to this mission.” He shot back. “The few hours I’ve been away didn’t jeopardize anything. I’m here aren’t I?”

  “Are you? Listen, I need you a hundred percent.” The man roared. “You have some difficult choices ahead and I need to know you can make them no matter who’s in the way. She’s the fucking mob boss’s daughter, Xander. You don’t know what could happen. You think she’ll choose you over her father if it comes down to it.”

  The blond man came forward and stepped in front of them.

  “Ethan cool off man. Cool off.”

  “We’re close, and I can’t jeopardize this mission. Xander was called in to stop Giovanni in his tracks.” Ethan threw back at the blond guy and my heart actually stopped beating in my chest.

  The feeling in my soul told me I’d just stumbled in on an answer I wasn’t prepared for. Something I wasn’t supposed to hear.

  “I need to know you’re with us Xander. That means you kill anybody who stands in your way. Anybody.”

  “I will do what I need to do,” Xander answered and a gasp slipped from my lips.

  My heart…

  My heart that had stopped beating only started up again to leap into my throat. It squeezed and my soul shivered, shrieking away from what I’d just heard. Not wanting to believe it.

  It couldn’t be true. What Xander said couldn’t be what I’d heard.

  Yet… I did.

  I’d heard him loud and clear.

  Xander said he’d do what he needed to do. That was in response to being asked if he’d kill anyone who stood in his way. Anybody.

  There was no mistake about that.

  He meant it.

  So he’d kill me…

  He’d kill me.

  I shouldn’t have come out. I should have stayed. Stayed away. Stayed away completely.

  From him.

  I needed to get out of here. I was in danger this whole time and never realized I was sleeping with the devil.

  I left as quickly and quietly as I’d come in. My heart now a shattered mess.

  Sleeping with the devil was a big mistake.

  Falling for him was another.

  * * *

  To be continued …