Xavier: (Indestructible)

by Mortier, D. M.

  They were on the bridge driving south to the mainland before he started asking her questions. “Do you know which gang took him?”

  “Yes,” she muttered.

  Xavier glanced over at her pissed-off expression. “Look, honey, I’m not the enemy here. Usually you’re a fount of information about this town. Why are you holding back now?”

  “Keep driving south. I’ll tell you when to turn next.”

  Xavier was amused by her take-no-shit attitude. He knew he was in for a volatile night whenever they met up with whoever took her brother. He almost felt sorry for the bastards.

  “Turn at the next corner on the right.” He took the turn. “Turn on the next left.” He did a series of turns at her clipped instructions. Ten minutes later, he brought the SUV to a stop in front of a wooden-structure house. It appeared that all of the houses in the neighborhood were very close together and painted in bright colors. Although it was after ten p.m., loud music played from a speaker at a nearby house party, and there were numerous young men and women with bottles of beers in their hands on the sidewalk. Older men sat on the porch outside of the homes playing dominos and drinking alcohol. The scent of liquor permeated the air. Before he could come around to open her door, she had already exited the vehicle and was headed up the wooden steps to the house.

  “Cassandra,” he said in the stern voice.

  She stopped in her tracks, but as soon as he stood beside her, she took off again, angrily stalking toward the house, passing a few young men who watched their approach with nonchalant arrogance.

  Xavier couldn’t help but admire her fearless determination and sexy-as-hell swagger. Those jeans looked as though they were painted on her fine round ass. The mid-riff T-shirt, ending just under her pert breasts, accentuated the chiseled contours of her stomach and silky smoothness of her brown skin. He took stock of the six men watching them from the exterior of the house. They were all armed with what looked like semi-automatic weapons.

  “Hey, sweetness! Come over here. I got a big pole for you to climb,” one of the men yelled out.

  Cassandra ignored him and continued moving forward. Xavier followed closely behind her.

  Unfortunately, the idiot didn’t just talk; he came toward her. “Hey, bitch, I’m talking to you!”

  Xavier moved so fast he had slammed the bastard’s head into the doorframe of the house, bloodied his nose, and knocked him to the floor before any of the other five men could pull their guns. “No touching,” Xavier muttered to the already unconscious man.

  “Hey, mudderfucker, you have a death wish or something?” Another man approached Xavier, pointing a gun at his chest.

  Damn, I can’t take a bullet pointblank like that in front of her. She will freak when she finds out what I am.

  The young man’s dark skin gleamed with sweat, and he was visibly shaking with nervousness while pointing the gun at Xavier.

  Before Xavier could put a bullet in his forehead and end his misery, Cassandra stepped in front of him and glared at the man. “Bey, I ain’t gat time for this. Where’s Leonardo?” Cassandra hissed.

  “What you wanting with Nado?” The man now pointed his gun at her.

  Cassandra grabbed the gun and pulled it out of his hand. “Bey, don’t point a damn gun at me! You stupid, hey?” She slapped him on the side of his head. “Don’t y’all have anything better to do than point guns at people?” She turned and continued into the house, the gun still held in her hand.

  Well damn. Xavier almost grinned at her sass. Instead he turned and delivered a massive fist to the man’s face, knocking him out cold. “That’s for pointing a gun at my woman,” he muttered to yet another man who probably couldn’t hear him. Xavier followed behind Cassandra, after ensuring he would have no further opposition from the remaining four men. The men looked away, pretending not to notice his cold stare.

  “Where the hell is Cameron?”

  Xavier heard Cassandra’s angry enquiry. “Shit!” He sprinted into the house to catch up with her. He noted quickly the details of the sparsely furnished room and where everyone was located in the room. It wasn’t a large space, but it was crowded by the bodies present. There were about fifteen men sitting lazily on anything that would hold them, and they were also sprawled on the floor. Skimpily clad women were draped over most of the men, who held beer bottles or joints of marijuana in their hands. A flat-screen television featured a basketball game blasting in the background.

  Cassandra stood in front of a heavy-set black man, who had two women on his lap. He had on shades, even though it was in the middle of the night, he was indoors, and the room was dimly lit.

  “Hey, Cassandra, wassup? You still playin’ ball?” the smirking Nado asked.

  “Look, Nado, don’t mess with me. You may pull that shit with my brothers, but don’t try that with me,” she snarled.

  Nado slapped the asses of the women on his lap, telling them to get up. He carefully rolled his large fat frame to his feet. He stood at just over six feet and came to stand inches in front of Cassandra. Xavier grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him so he towered over Nado.

  Nado laughed. “So this is how you rollin’ dese days, Cassandra? You won’t give me the time of day, but you slumming with this Andre the Giant looking mudderfucker?”

  Cassandra stepped around Xavier, placed one hand at her waist, and poked Nado in his flabby chest with the other. “Nado, I’m not interested in your flippin’ dumb ass. If I see one bruise on my brother, I’m going to kick your fat ass.” Her voice was soft but laced with confident menace.

  Nado spread his arms and laughed. “Look, boys, dis little bitch here think she can take me on. You think that because you cute I gonna take shit from you?”

  “No, I just think that you’re a piece of shit who should have been put six feet under years ago,” Cassandra snared.

  Nado growled, drew back, and threw his meaty fist at Cassandra’s face.

  With the speed of a cobra, Xavier grabbed Nado’s fist into his palm before the other man could hit Cassandra. He grabbed Nado’s massive arm and twisted it behind his back until it snapped, bringing Nado to his knees, and slammed the base of his gun to the side of Nado’s head.

  Nado emitted a bloodcurdling scream!

  Nado’s men scrambled to their feet, and the sharp click of guns being drawn filled the room above the men shouting and women screaming.

  Cassandra stood behind Xavier with the gun she had taken from the thug outside and pointed it at the occupants of the room.

  “Leonardo? That’s your name, correct?” Xavier asked coolly.

  Nado looked terrified and started to visibly tremble with pain as Xavier continued to twist the already broken arm.

  “Don’t ever point a damn gun at her again.” Xavier tapped Nado with his gun. “Do you understand?”

  Nado glared at him with pure rage but reluctantly nodded.

  “Good, now tell your men to lower their weapons and gather in the corner over there,” Xavier instructed.

  Nado blinked away the gathering moisture from his eyes and tightened his lips. He refused to voice the instruction.

  Xavier shot him in the right foot.

  Nado howled with pain.

  “Tell them,” Xavier said with deadly cool.

  Nado waved his good hand at his men while he continued whimpering.

  Xavier watched as the men reluctantly lowered their guns to the ground. “Move over there,” he instructed with the same cold, emotionless voice.

  “X, I don’t want anybody to die tonight,” she said loudly. “But I swear, if that idiot doesn’t bring my brother out, you can shoot his dick off.”

  “Where is he?” Xavier stared steadily down at Nado, who was sniveling with tears raining down his round cheeks and dripping off his chin.

  “Hey, Nado, you want us to cap—” one of the men started, but Xavier shot him in his right knee. The man collapsed on the floor, screaming in agony.

  Xavier pulled on Nado’s in
jured arm again. Nado hollered as though he was in mortal pain. The women in the room collectively gasped.

  “We can do this all night,” Xavier advised coldly. “Where is Cameron?”

  Nado started crying in earnest. He lifted a beefy finger and pointed to a closed door.

  Xavier pointed his gun at Nado’s uninjured leg. “Tell your man to bring him out,” Xavier said coldly.

  “Linc, man, get Cameron out here,” Nado sobbed, looking at a tall man standing next to the closed door leading to another room in the house.

  Linc looked pissed and ready to explode, but he pulled open the door. He disappeared into the room and came out a few seconds later with a bounded-up Cameron in tow. It was obvious that they had beaten him; bruises and cuts were visible on his face.

  “Oh my God,” Cassandra exclaimed, and her palm covered her mouth in shock.

  “Take it easy, honey,” Xavier cautioned. “Loosen those ropes,” he instructed Linc.

  Once Cameron was free and the gag removed from his mouth, Cameron slammed his fist into Linc’s stomach. “Don’t ever touch me again, sissy mudderfucker,” he muttered fiercely.

  Linc doubled over, gasping to regain his breath.

  “You good?” Xavier asked Cameron.

  “Yeah, man, let’s bounce.” Cameron glared at Nado.

  “Cameron, gather the guns from the floor and follow Cassandra to the car out front,” Xavier instructed as he put Nado in a headlock and started dragging him toward the exit.

  “You’re going to be sorry for this, Cameron. Tell your brothers we coming for all a y’all,” Linc promised.

  Xavier shot him in both knees. Linc dropped hard to the floor, screaming in outrage. “Anyone else feel the need to issue threats?” No one said a word. Xavier dragged Nado outside the little house. A crowd had gathered outside.

  “Man, Nado, you can’t let dis American come up in here and do us like dat?” The young man speaking couldn’t be more than eighteen years old, and he was also wildly waving his gun around.

  “Put that gun down before you lose both legs,” Xavier advised him calmly.

  Cassandra and Cameron climbed into the SUV parked on the curb.

  In the young man’s panic, he shot Xavier in the stomach.

  Cassandra screamed and turned to climb out of the car.

  Xavier barely flinched from the slight pinch of the bullet piercing his outer skin. I really hate being shot.

  “Get back in that damn car,” Xavier muttered as Cassandra started toward him. Xavier dragged Nado behind him and advanced on the stunned young shooter.

  “What the hell…” the young man started, his eyes opened wide in fright. A bullet to the stomach should have brought Xavier to the ground. The young man turned to run.

  Xavier shot him in the hand that held the gun and then in both legs. The young man crashed to the cobblestoned ground.

  Three other gunmen raised their guns. Xavier pivoted swiftly and disarmed them with rapid, precision shots to their gun arms. Damn the lengths I would go to not kill anyone in front of her. These bastards are lucky Cass is here and I can’t afford to show her what a barbarian I am.

  Xavier bent his head and spoke directly into Nado’s ear. “Leonardo, if I even smell your fat ass near Cassandra or her family, I’m going to come back here. And I wouldn’t stop with a few harmless wounds. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

  Nado nodded vigorously.

  Xavier dragged Nado toward the SUV again. Before climbing into the driver’s seat, Xavier pushed Nado hard to the ground. He climbed in, turned the ignition, and sped out of the neighborhood.

  “I thought that guy shot at you?” Cassandra asked him.

  “He did, but he missed,” Xavier lied smoothly. It’s fortunate that I’m wearing a black shirt. She can’t see the blood splattered over the front of it and even now pouring from my wound.

  Cassandra turned and looked to the back seat of the vehicle at her battered brother and wanted to weep for him. He looked shell-shocked, as if he’d lost something tonight. Cassandra was pissed because she had done everything she could to spare him this.

  Xavier drove the SUV silently.

  The atmosphere in the car was part shock, part relief, and many parts anger. Well, I’m angry dammit! Cameron shouldn’t have been in that situation. Those bastard brothers of mine need their asses kicked.

  “Cameron, what the hell were you thinking?” Cassandra asked through clenched teeth.

  “I just wanted to see how the guys did their business,” Cameron said softly, gazing out the window at the passing scenery instead of looking at her.

  “So you want to become a drug dealer? Wow, never thought you would take the lazy way out.”

  “Man, it wasn’t supposed to go down like that. It was a simple drop. Nothing major or dangerous, only a few ounces,” Cameron complained. “They said Nado is usually an easy mark; he never checks his purchase from them. So Duane thought we could give him some not so authentic coke. But Linc, with his suspicious ass, checked the quality before they left. Nado got pissed and said that they would hold onto me until the guys came back with decent shit. The guys don’t have anything at home. They’re expecting a major shipment in next week though. Nado decided to keep me anyway and said that the longer the guys took to come back, the more injuries they would inflict on me.” Cameron slumped back in his seat, his eyes wet and red as if he was on the verge of crying.

  “What did they do to you?”

  “Nothing, sis. Nothing I can’t handle,” he mumbled. “They didn’t have time to do much. You came before they could do what they wanted to.”

  “I saw how Linc was looking at you. Did he hurt you?”

  “That sissy mudderfucker didn’t have time.”

  Cassandra let out the breath that she had been holding. “I really hate sissies. I like gays just fine, but sissies, I can’t stand them.”

  “What the hell is the difference?” Xavier asked in surprise.

  Cassandra grinned at his confusion. “Gays own their shit. They like members of the same sex, and they are up front with that. They live their truth. I can respect that. However, sissies are a brunch of deceitful bastards. They live a lie, pretending to be heterosexual while secretly having a homosexual lifestyle behind closed doors.”

  Xavier roared with laughter.

  Cassandra smiled.

  Cameron shook his head at her. “Only you would come up with some idiotic difference like that, but they all the same to me.”

  Cassandra sobered, the momentarily levity forgotten. “Cameron, you have to make up your mind what you want to do. It’s time for you to make a decision about what kind of man you want to be. Are you going to be a man of integrity? A man who works hard and garners respect? That door is still open for you. Are you going to walk through it?” She tried to show him how much she loved him, softening her gaze as she spoke to him. “I pray you make the right decision.”

  “Cass, I’m not like you. I can’t work like that. Besides, why should I? We make enough money to support all us. Niggas respect us, respect what we bring.” Cameron’s voice was hoarse with emotion. “Yeah, the guys got played tonight, but when I tell Anton what that punk Linc did, Anton will pump some lead in him.”

  “Do you hear yourself?” Cassandra yelled. “You are talking about killing someone like you’re ordering a pizza. Is this what—”

  “Cassandra, stop. We talked about this already,” Xavier cautioned.

  “Who the fuck are you anyway?” Cameron asked, glaring at Xavier.

  “You ungrateful prick! “Cassandra gasped.

  Xavier brought the SUV to a stop at the side of the road and jumped out of the car. He pulled opened the back passenger door and pulled Cameron out of the car by the collar of his shirt. Xavier dragged him to the back of the vehicle.

  Cameron struggled to no avail. Xavier’s grip and strength were unyielding.

  Xavier pushed Cameron against the car, lifting him so that his feet dangled
in the wind.

  “Hey? What the hell? Put me down, mudderfucker!” Cameron yelled.

  “Ever since I’ve met your sister she has been trying to save your ungrateful ass. It’s obvious that she loves you.” Xavier spoke calmly, tightening his grip at Cameron’s collar. “If she hadn’t come for you tonight, you would have been under some of those boys back there, maybe even Nado.” Xavier pulled him off the car and slammed him against it again. He opened his jacket, showing Cameron his arsenal of knives and guns. “Because she is mine, I will always have her back. Think really hard about what you want to say to her next. Otherwise, the cut-ass those gangbangers gave you will pale in comparison to what I’ll do to you.”

  “Bey, I heard you,” Cameron struggled anew to get out of Xavier’s hold. “Man, put me down, you freak!”

  I’m really beginning to hate that word. For Cass’ sake, I hope she doesn’t think I’m a freak when she finds out what I am.

  Cassandra came around to stand beside them.

  “Go back in the car,” Xavier muttered. He didn’t bother looking at her.

  “I—”

  “Go back in the car,” Xavier repeated without raising his voice, but he turned his head and held her gaze. He knew she usually didn’t listen worth a damn, but...

  “You and me are going to have a conversation after this.” She narrowed her eyes and pointed at him. “No one tells me what to do,” she muttered before turning and going back in the car.

  Xavier returned his gaze to Cameron. “Are we settled, Cameron? Do you need more convincing to take your punk ass to school and make my girl happy?”

  Cameron hung his head and refused to meet his gaze. “Anton says that I’ll be a pussy if I listen to Cass, that I have no guts.”

  “After they left you tonight in the hands of those bastards, are you still dumb enough to follow in their footsteps?”