“Yes,” Xavier finally said, in a tone that sounded like he had just issued his own death warrant. “Yes, I’ll be the one to tell her, but who do you have in mind for this personal bodyguard? You?”
“Me Commander? Naw, I mean tae say, that would be a good idea if it were no fur the fact I’ve been assigned duties tae infiltrate the Belcastro’s computer systems and organise the soldiers so that they are placed and ready for action when you give the orders. Ah hud been thinkin’ that maybe you shud be the one tae dae it. After all, ye huv the most experience an’ she couldnae be in any better hands. Sir.” Shuggie added the last word, almost sarcastically, and although he wasn’t looking directly at Xavier, he could feel his stare on him, burning like a blowtorch.
“Dirty fucking sonofabitch, Shuggie MacAndrew. If I didn’t know you better, I’d have said you had this all fucking planned out, yeah?” Xavier was decidedly pissed off. What compounded it was that he knew that Shuggie was right. And Xavier absolutely hated it when that happened.
Shortly after being dispensed from Xavier’s quarters, Shuggie made a quick stop to see Alicia in her London home.
He had been spying on her on and off for days, since they all last met, but instead of barging in and causing a scene, he opted to leave a handwritten note slipped under her door that read ‘Youngling, please contact the Prick at your earliest convenience. Kind regards, Hugh’. Flashing back to the compound, he barricaded himself into the comms room so that he wouldn’t be hit with any of the shrapnel that was about to explode the minute Xavier and Alicia were left alone in a room together.
Chapter Forty Nine
Kicking the front door open with her foot, Alicia entered her apartment and headed straight for the kitchen, flicked the switch on the kettle and threw the bag filled with her cherry heavens on the worktop when something caught her eye. There was a piece of paper lying on the wooden flooring by the front door. Thinking it was just some door drop pamphlet she walked over and picked it up when she noticed it was a handwritten note.
Her laughter filled the air when she saw that Shuggie had started to call Commander Raige a Prick also!
So they knew where she was…part of her was relieved that she didn’t need to wait a hundred years to see her only friend again. After heading back into the kitchen, Alicia prepared herself a cup of tea. She wasn’t sure when Shuggie had come to visit and it was getting late in the evening. Grabbing the mug, she padded through to her lounge and got comfy on the oversized sofa. Reaching over to grab the cell that was sitting on the side unit, she took a deep calming breath and dialled Commander Raige’s number.
Cursing under his breath Xavier put the controller down and paused the game he’d been playing. He picked up his cell, noting the number was withheld.
“Speak!” he barked down the phone. Only six people had his number, and they only called him when he told them to. Getting unsolicited calls made him on edge.
“I see your manners have been left behind again Com-an-derr?” Alicia smirked to herself as she took a sip of her hot tea.
“You!” Xavier growled.
It was her.
“How the fuck did you get my number? No, don’t even answer that.” It must have been Shuggie, he thought to himself. That was it. That Highland bastard would be waking up to his kilt being on fire and his sporran tied round his fucking throat. “Thanks for calling, yeah?” Xavier’s attitude seemed to change in an instant, but he knew he had to tread carefully with Alicia, especially when he knew what he had to tell her.
“Oh that growl is such a turn on soldier boy, do it again?” Alicia paused for a moment then burst into a hysterical laughing episode and landed with a thud on the floor. “Ah duck!”
“Falling for me already, Sweetcheeks? As flattered as I am, that’s not what I need to talk to you about. Are you alone?” Reaching over his thumb flicked the flint of his lighter, but just in time he caught himself as he set the stick of gum on fire. “Shit fuck damn,” he said as he quickly stamped out the gum on the floor and blew on his now blistering thumb, forgetting for a moment that he was on a call.
A mischievous grin spread over Alicia lips as she spotted her tiger cub coming bounding towards her, balancing her cell between her shoulder and chin she proceeded to speak to her pet.
“Hey gorgeous, I missed you today! Why don’t you get into bed, I’ll finish this call and we can cuddle?” Keeping her laughter to herself she then turned her attention back to the call. “What’s it to you if I’m alone?”
Xavier’s eyes narrowed as he listened to Alicia talking to the person who was in the room with her. Another name to his ‘Dead just don’t know it yet’ list. He cleared his throat and put on his business voice. The hell was he going to let on that she got to him on any level. “Means fuck all. I have shit to tell you, so if you would shut up for five minutes, I’ll take questions when I’ve finished. Uunderstand?” He was riled by the fact she was going to be in bed with ‘gorgeous’ no doubt some fucking meathead with shit for brains. His wolf was jealous.
Yeah, it was his wolf. Abso-fucking-lutely not him.
Alicia was in the mood for a fight and oh how Xavier Raige was just the mortal to fight with.
“What could be so important that you have to deliver news to me Com-an-derr? I’m not one of your men, so you can’t boss me about, are we clear?”
He wanted to deliver the news that her boy toy was going to be garrotted and hung over a tank of flesh eating sharks while he sat drinking a bottle of Scotch and laughing his ass off. That’s the message he really wanted to deliver. Instead he said, “Damn fucking straight you’re not one of my men. They are disciplined and know when to shut the fuck up, yeah? I have information pertaining to you personally, and so it would be in your interests to listen.” While he was talking, Xavier was straining to hear the male that was sharing her room with her. All he needed was to hear the bastard, and he could start tracking his ass down.
“Are you still in Mexico?” Alicia wasn’t about to admit that she was slightly rattled by his words, no one knew anything personal about her and it could be a trap. You never knew with this mortal as his tone was always the same. One thing Alicia was sure of…she needed to see his eyes…she could read his shades of green.
Deciding that he’d entered into enough small talk, Xavier kicked the controller across the room with his foot and leaned back in his chair.
“No easy way to put this Sweetcheeks, and I think you’re the type of female to appreciate the facts, yeah. Last time you met with Shug and me, we managed to extract a small amount of your blood. We had it tested in our labs and I am now in possession of the results. Now, I’m sure you want to know why we took these measures…”
Just as Xavier was about to explain himself, Alicia cut him short.
“You have twenty minutes to get your fucking ass to the park across from the restaurant where you went on your date.”
Anger consuming her, Alicia ended the call and launched her cell at the wall, watching it splinter and smash into pieces. She hadn’t disarmed her weapons from earlier so she was ready to go. Letting out a whistle, Frazzle came bounding through and leapt into her arms.
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, otherwise she would end up god knows where, Alicia flashed herself with her cub still in her hold to the location in Mexico where she waited for the Prick’s arrival.
Chapter Fifty
Shuggie heard the front door of their base slam shut, and watched as Xavier jumped on his bike, heading off at speed.
“Take it the conversation with the little vampire didn’t go down too well then? Sucks to be the Commander,” Shuggie laughed as he got back to work.
Taking fucking orders from a civilian? When the fuck did that start? Speeding down the road, the thought suddenly struck Xavier just as he was approaching the gates of the downtrodden park Alicia had arranged to meet.
How the buggering hell did she know I’d been on a — no, not a fucking date — it was more like ‘Care in
the Community’, or ‘Help the Aged’, but definitely not a date. Had she been spying on him? Parking the bike, Xavier took off his helmet and marched into the park, his eyes scanning for Alicia. She was standing with her back to him, talking to something. It was only when she turned around he seen that she was holding a tiger cub.
That decided it for him. She was absolutely out of her head, bonkers!
And by the way she was cooing at it, he gave an educated guess that the cub was the ‘gorgeous’ from Alicia’s bedroom. So, he could stand-down on his addition to the hit-list for now.
“Sweetcheeks?”
“How fucking dare you take my blood and run some freaky tests on me, who the hell do you think you are?” Alicia was shaking in anger as she spun around her cub being held tightly in her arms where she stood still, glaring up at Xavier.
Xavier kept his features unreadable as he answered her. “Look, Sweetcheeks. Shuggie came to me and told me that there was something…” he struggled to find the right word, “...unusual, about you, so we took some blood to test it. Now, we didn’t want to tell you in case it was nothing and we had worried you unnecessarily. However, turns out you do have cause to worry, and that’s why I’m talking to you now, yeah?”
“Why would you fucking care if I was normal or not? You know I’m a vampire so it’s not exactly a news flash now is it?” A small twisted smirk pried on her lips.
Xavier smirked. “Now, Sweetcheeks, I don’t think anyone ever accused you of being normal, yeah?” He approached the bench behind Alicia, and sat down, arms stretched out on the back and leaning his head back to look up at the night sky. “But there’s things you need to know, so you can either ask me nicely to tell you, or I’ll take my fuck handsome self out of here. S’up to you, Sweetcheeks.”
“Handsome? Who the fuck told you that one?” Alicia kept her face straight, her pulse was doing that racing thing again and she hated it — never had it went so fast in all her one hundred and fourteen years, but she wasn't about to let ‘Mr. Cadburys’ know she found him attractive. Instead she pulled out a lolly, held it to Frazzle’s mouth and sat at the opposite side of the bench.
“Spill the beans, Com-an-derrr. Or should I say, blood stealer?”
Raising his head to look over at Alicia, Xavier’s jaw ticked.
“I didn’t steal anything. It was Shuggie, actually, so get your fucking facts right before accusing me.” Xavier didn’t know why he kept taking things so damn personally with this female, but she kept hitting raw nerves and playing them like a bloody xylophone.
“Seems that Shuggie had noticed certain qualities that you had, that he’d never witnessed before in a vampire. Especially in one so young. He came to me with his concerns and I agreed to the tests he wanted to take out on your blood. Our Doc is the best in the fucking business, and she reported back that you seem to be a species of vampire never before seen. Your existence was only thought to be in myths and fairy stories, yeah? You are a Sanguis-solis, Alicia. A vampire that can live in the daylight.”
Seeing the confusion in her face, Xavier continued, “Sweetcheeks, every other vampire in existence past and present, fry in the sunlight. It’s their one major disadvantage. But you? You swan about like you haven’t a care in the world — fucksakes you even sunbathe!”
Xavier was sitting upright now, and his palms were upturned and open as he tried to emphasise the significance of this to her.
Shaking her head at Xavier’s words, Alicia sat in what could only be described as a state of shock, not at what he was telling her about herself.
“Do you know what I despise in my life Xav?” her words were said hoarsely, struggling to keep her emotions in check.
“I'll take an educated guess that you despise liars and cheats? Of which I am neither. You gotta focus on the big picture here Sweetcheeks. The Doc says you are vampire born. The Sanguis-solis genes you have were not modified, they are organic, yeah? You are like vampire gold. Which means that puts you in a great big barrel of shit. Word gets out about a Sanguis-solis actually existing? Every supernatural hunter will be after your blood, figuratively and literally. There are twisted bastards out there, Alicia, of which you can’t even imagine.” Xavier knew, because he had to save his best friend from one such psychopath many years ago, and he knew it still haunted them both to this day.
“Ha! See that’s where your Doctor is wrong! I was dragged to my death, well drowned actually, and when I woke up? I was this.” Alicia had risen to her full height and was pacing back and forth in front of Xavier. “It’s all wrong — my parents were mortal! You have all made a grave mistake, and for your information I sunbathe because I can, not because I’m some sort of freak!” She was steadily going into denial.
Xavier’s tone softened as he reached over to put his hand gently on her arm to stop her pacing.
“Sweetcheeks, there’s no mistake. You’re not listening to me, yeah? Vampires burst into flames with the merest hint of sunlight. You don’t. Look, you need time to process all of this, I get that but…Shuggie and I agree that you need a full time bodyguard. It’s a wonder you’ve not been exposed before now, but you need our protection — whether you like it or not.”
He knew she wouldn’t like it. In the least. But the wolf in him was howling to protect her, and he was in full agreement, for once. “I vow to protect you with my life, Alicia Carberletti.”
“Fuck off! You are delusional if you think I’m letting you guard me! Listen to me Commander Prick and listen well! I can look after myself, have done since I was changed and will continue to do so. Anymore bombshells to drop on me? That I’m really a wolf in disguise? I’ve heard enough of your crap! I hope not to see you around!” Alicia shrugged Xavier’s arm away from hers, mumbled “Let’s go Frazzle” and disappeared from Xavier’s sight.
Xavier shook his head and punched his fist against the trunk of the nearest tree, then rolled his eyes as the tree started to fall. Sitting back down on the bench, he muttered under his breath.
“Stubborn assed, bull headed, dementing female.” She had disappeared in her hissy fit before he had time to explain how perilous her health situation could be.
How close her parting comments had been to the truth. Sure, he wanted her to know that she was a special, unique vampire that would be hunted down for that alone — but if she had only sat down and listened calmly and rationally, then he could have told her that the Doc had not only discovered that she was a Sanguis-solis, vampire, but that she seemed to have something similar to his ‘LWS’ condition. What was potentially dangerous to Alicia’s health, according to both Teodora and Shuggie, was the fact that no matter how lazy Alicia’s wolf genes were, the combination of vampire and shifter DNA could mean that her own biology might be a ticking time bomb inside of her. In more ways than one she could be her own worst enemy.
Xavier shouted into thin air, even although he knew Alicia couldn’t hear him.
“I made a fucking vow, and tough shit for you Sweetcheeks, but I intend to keep it!” Taking his cell out from his jacket pocket, he dialled his Lieutenant. “Shuggie, take me to Sweetcheeks. I’m bringing her stubborn ass back here right fucking now!”
Chapter Fifty One
“How the duck did my life do a four ninety and end up like this?!”
Alicia was bored beyond belief in her new room. Four months ago Shuggie had traced her to her London dwellings and the mortal with the green eyes she so lovingly referred to as Commander Prick took her off guard, slung her over his shoulder and kidnapped her. Final destination was his compound in France. Now also known as home!
Shuggie had the brainwave that Alicia needed protection and in his wisdom decided that a bodyguard would be the best course of action. Of course the pint sized brunette thought he meant himself and although she wasn’t happy at having to be baby sat, tolerating it would have been a little easier knowing it was her friend, but then this wasn’t a fairy-tale was it?
Hell to the ducking no it’s wasn’t, because Xa
vier Fucking Raige was her bodyguard!
It was noon, Shuggie was shut up for the day as he couldn’t go out in the daylight or he would burst into flames and die.
Alicia could though…she was a freak after all.
Commander Prick had lowered the steel shutters on the floor where her quarters were situated. He had “important shit to deal with yeah” and as she was only allowed out when accompanied with him, the prick had ensured that she was stuck in the house by encasing the whole compound in steel.
****
Fifteen weeks, five days, seventeen hours, forty three minutes and six seconds.
Seven seconds.
Eight seconds.
Xavier was counting in his head the amount of time that had elapsed since Shuggie had the ridiculous idea he should become Alicia’s bodyguard whilst the plan to overthrow Belcastro was put into place.
He was counting, because if he didn’t then he would go stark raving mad. She was chipping away at him day by day and to be honest, he was glad when he had the excuse to go and execute a few of Belcastro’s guards who had been overseeing the latest shipment of females into the dockside, just to get out of the fucking house.
He had taken the executive decision not to tell her about the wolf shifter DNA in her system just yet. She had more than enough reasons to hate him, plus she would most likely do something incredibly reckless if she went into meltdown about her situation. No, he needed her focused if he was going to help her bring down their mutual enemy.
There was time enough for her finding out the truth afterwards.
For now, keeping her safe, and making her as mentally and physically strong as he could was his priority.
Shuggie was dividing his time into organising their foot soldiers, and gathering Intel on the Belcastros — which left Alicia to his own private care. Smart fucking move on Shuggie’s part, Xavier thought as he chewed on the nicotine gum, still unused to the taste. On hindsight, giving up smoking just prior to having Alicia Carberletti in his life twenty four seven was probably not the best idea.
The Heist Page 15
