The Heist

by LLC Dark Hollows Press

  “We leave in sixty minutes.”

  He had no need to see the ridicule on her face — the same derisory look that he had grown up with from his father and their pack. He still felt a duty of care to her, but right now he just couldn’t face her, and so he locked his bedroom door behind him and started to pack. Shuggie’s room would be last, there was no need to wake him up just yet.

  Standing under the spray of the hot water, Alicia thought back to when Xavier had a death grip on her and the tears that were falling from his eyes. He thought she was dead and she woke up and gave him a barrage of abuse.

  “Good one Ali! The male saved your ass back there.” Mumbling to herself as she washed the stained blood from her naked form. Stepping from the shower, she wrapped herself in the towel that was placed over the screen door.

  They were leaving?

  Did this mean it was all over and she no longer needed the protection of her bodyguard? Panic started to rise in her as she quickly dried off and got herself dressed. She didn’t want to be alone! Shuggie and Xavier had become the closest she’d had to a family in centuries but whatever happened at the Belcastro…Alicia froze as her mind was brought back online and flooded with visions…Xav was going to kill her! That’s why he was so pissed and cold with her. Racing from her room, her hair still wet she went looking for Xavier. Alicia skidded to a halt when she caught sight of him, his shoulders were slumped as he stared out the window.

  “Should I take my leave now?” Alicia held her breath waiting on Xavier’s response.

  Shuggie walked up behind Alicia, and turned her to face him.

  “Youngling, he disnae want tae talk the noo - let me help ye wi’ yer packing,” he said, giving a hesitant glance towards Xavier before ushering her away. “The Commander wants tae ensure you’re safely away from harm, youngling. The way ye finished that mission? It wis tantamount tae suicide - ah dinnae ken whit ye were thinking, but ah’ve ne’er seen him like this afore.” Holding the door open for her, he allowed Alicia to walk into the room before him.

  “I don’t need anything from here, but thank you all the same Hugh.” Alicia walked over to the window in her own room, pressing her head against the cold glass, she also stared out onto the derelict landscape. “I had to avenge my family Hugh, Belcastro had to look into my eyes and know I was a Carberletti before I pulled the trigger.”

  Alicia went into a trance like state as she recounted the story of what actually went down.

  “Ye turned aff the comms unit. We hud nae sight nor sound of what the fuck was happening tae ye. Dae ye no comprehend the danger that put ye in?” Shaking his head Shuggie proceeded to pack up the room, and leaving it as though it had been unoccupied like the rest of the hotel. “The whole of the existing Mafia families will be oot fur yer blood, ye dae realise that, youngling?”

  His tone was sharp with Alicia — she had hurt his friend, his brother-in-arms — and although he knew that she couldn’t be held responsible for that, it still irked him that she was acting as though nothing out of the ordinary had taken place. After flashing out from the room to dispose of Alicia’s belongings, he returned and looked at her as she held her tiger cub. “Anywhere you want to go afore we take ye tae oor compound?” His eyes were sympathetic, but his voice wasn’t.

  Alicia knew that she had royally fucked up and hated the way that Hugh was talking to her, but she knew deep down that she deserved it...she would just never admit it, no one but Belcastro was killed for the love of the gods…another piece of information she was keeping firmly to herself.

  Alicia crouched down to place Frazzle onto all fours and looked up at Hugh.

  “I’m aware I’m marked now. Could you take me to my parents please?” Alicia lowered her eyes, she was unable to look at her best friend, and she wanted to see Xavier’s face before she flashed to Italy, but then could she look him in the eyes and see the hatred he bore her? No!

  Nodding, Shuggie took hold of Alicia’s hand and flashed them to the graveside of her family.

  “Take all the time ye need, youngling, but when ye huv finished, go straight back tae oor compound in France. Dinnae huv me havin’ tae go looking fur ye again.” He ruffled Alicia’s hair and gave her a small smile. He couldn’t stay mad at her for long even though he wanted to.

  “Thank you Hugh.”

  As Alicia turned to look over her shoulder, he was gone. Taking a deep breath, she took her usual position on the grass, sitting with her legs crossed over one another, her fingers instantly sought the label to the back of her boot. “Madre, papa, Alessandro…”

  When Shuggie returned back to the base in Mexico, he told Xavier where she was. He was eerily quiet and Shuggie knew that his old defences had been raised up. The wall he had when he had first met him — impenetrable and uncompromising.

  Xavier was shutting himself off from the outside world again.

  Chapter Sixty Six

  Xavier crouched down, watching Alicia paying her respects to her beloved, dead family.

  When he and Shuggie had finished clearing the base, Xavier had ordered him to flash him to Alicia’s location. Even though he had failed her, he didn’t want her alone and vulnerable.

  Especially now.

  That being said, he didn’t want her to know he was there, and so kept well back from her, hidden in the shadows.

  Xavier’s fingers subconsciously dug in the dirt as he played a game of mental chess with himself and was losing. Although he sat watching her in silence, his internal monologue was screaming in his head.

  I could have lost her today. I thought that I had every angle covered but I hadn’t factored in the ‘Alicia Angle’. She was too used to being on her own, dealing with things her own damn way. I just couldn’t get it through to her how dangerous a situation she was in - not the Belcastro shit. Christ, she had been reckless and stubborn, and now every Mafia family would hunt her down. Another reason she needed constant protection was that she just didn’t comprehend how special she was and how other Supernatural’s would be after her for her blood.

  Without realising it Xavier’s fingers were knuckles deep in the dirt, his fingers bleeding, but still the torment of his thoughts continued.

  I’m a fucking professional - I’m supposed to be the best at what I do. But as good as I am - how am I meant to protect an immortal vampire? It’s a joke to think that me, a mortal, could ever keep her safe and out of harm’s way. And that’s the problem. Because as much as I know how futile my attempts would be to protect her, I can’t switch off the part of me that wants her.

  My wolf was awoken by her and is threatening to rise and push through. How do I explain that one to her? “Hey, Sweetcheeks - meant to tell you, but I have werewolf DNA...no, I’ve never shifted or felt my wolf before, well, until I met you that is. Oh, and you’re going to fucking laugh, but my wolf recognises you as His, yeah? No, I didn’t think to tell you because…” Xavier’s thoughts went dark. Why didn’t I ever tell her? Would she have ridiculed me like my father and the pack had done? I’ve never been a coward but if I’m being honest with myself then yeah, if I had been honest with her and she turned on me, I just couldn’t have dealt with that. Not her. Not Sweetcheeks.

  Xavier’s blood was mixing with the dirt, his eyes glazing over as he half listened to Alicia talking to her dead father as though she was having a normal, everyday conversation. He could see that she doted on him, even now, and realised that the love she had for her family was completely unconditional, enduring. He envied that. He had never experienced it and never would. She was so open and honest, and there’s my other problem, he thought wryly.

  Honesty.

  Cos if Alicia ever found out just what and who he was — the runt son of a psychopathic werewolf father, who made him watch his own mother being torn to shreds in front of his own eyes, unable to do anything to stop it, too scared to even try. He knew that he couldn’t bear to see the hatred or disappointment in those beautiful big brown eyes of hers when she found out the tr
uth about him.

  The truth was staring Xavier in the face, and he knew it. She didn’t need him, and he couldn’t protect her. But he also knew that he couldn’t be around her and know that he wouldn’t be able to do a damn thing to help her when, not if, she was hunted down. But she also had to learn that her reckless actions had consequences.

  It would be the one thing that he could do for her. His parting gift.

  Cleaning his fingers on the side of his jeans, his hand went up to his dog tags that were permanently around his neck. Pushing his wolf back, he stood up, exhaling slowly.

  “It’s all over Papa! You can all rest in peace now knowing that I avenged our name. I watched the last living Belcastro take his final breath tonight, they can’t hurt our family any more. It was all for you, Madre and Alessandro.” Alicia sniffed as the crimson red tears flowed freely down her cheeks, the sound of the droplets hitting off the marble of hearth to the headstone. “I got injured, but I’m okay. Hey I’ve had worse wounds but nothing was going to stop me tonight. I hope you and Madre will be proud of me…and Lessi? I can see your grin from here! Your big sister doesn’t need wrapped in cotton wool after all, does she?”

  Taking a moment to re-arrange the flowers for the fifth time, Alicia resumed her conversation with her family.

  “I know this isn’t the life you wanted for me but it’s the life I choose and I’m good at it. I have a family, Xavier and Hugh, two males that protect me and look out for me. You’d approve of both. So no worrying about me okay? I’ve got a feeling after tonight I’m not going to be allowed out in a while. I fu…. messed things up, put myself in danger when a plan of action was put in place, what is it you always called me papa? You’re little mischief maker wasn’t it? I can’t follow rules, I’ve been alone for so long but tonight? I hurt the two living people that matter most me. Just know that I love the three of you, I miss you every waking moment of my day.”

  Xavier was standing behind Alicia as she rearranged flowers on the graves, his voice was low, and his accent thick like molasses.

  “Sweetcheeks, we need to talk.”

  Chapter Sixty Seven

  Her back was turned to him and for once, Alicia was thankful that her eyes couldn’t see those of Xavier Raige’s.

  His words were freaking her out and she could never show weakness to him. But she knew her features were that of a scared female.

  He was going to leave her!

  Never had any being been allowed to accompany her this private sanctuary until now. The graveyard in Italy was where she came to think and talk to her parents. But they had been getting on better, even more so since they tortured Belcastro Jr. Xavier’s voice was telling her otherwise though.

  Their relationship wasn’t an easy one and although she never actually thanked Xavier, Alicia was thankful for everything he had done for her but even she knew when a mortal said the ‘we need to talk’ line, it meant bad news was coming.

  Why did she care though? The pint sized brunette was used to being on her own.

  Slowly rising to her feet, she was thankful it was dark, her vision letting her see everything crystal clear in the darkness but Xavier unable to see the dread all over her face. Trying to lighten up the mood a little as Xavier looked ill. He was also bleeding, and the smell of fresh blood mixed with the scent of earth making her mouth water, now was not the time to be thinking how his blood would taste in her mouth.

  “What, no roaring for me Commander Prick — or are you being respectful to my parents and brother?”

  In silence, Xavier held out his hand to Alicia and led her away from the graves of her family. What he had to say to her shouldn’t tarnish the place that she cherished the most in the world. His mind was made up, however, and what he had to say couldn’t wait.

  “Alicia, I need to tell you something, and I want you to listen — not interrupt, yeah?” Xavier placed his forefinger on her soft, full lips as he looked down at her. “Understand?”

  Her brown eyes were full remorse for her actions as she looked up at Xavier’s green ones. With a slight nod of her head, Alicia stood still, just looking into the Commander's eyes.

  Taking a deep breath, Xavier let go of Alicia’s hand and stood, facing forward but unable or unwilling to make eye contact. His wolf was fighting him, knowing already what he was going to say and do…and he was trying everything in his power to stop him. Xavier, however, had the upper hand over his wolf...for now. He would not be dissuaded from his decision. There was no other outcome.

  It had to be this way.

  “Alicia, it would be fucking true to say that we’ve not had the easiest of times with each other. The fact is, you probably have spent more time resenting me than liking me. It’s not been like that for me, though. I’ve never met anyone like you before. Fact. And from the moment you ran into me, literally, I have been falling for you.”

  “You have burned your way into my soul, and whether I’m awake or sleeping, I’m constantly thinking about you. I am a soldier, Sweetcheeks. I don’t do failure. Ever. And yet, when I finally find someone whom I care about…love…I let them down at the first sign of trouble. When I lost contact with you in the Belcastro mansion, I felt helpless for the first time in my life. Finding you in his office, when you froze and couldn’t move from being overwhelmed at completing your revenge? When all his guards were gunning for your blood? Sweetcheeks, part of me died right there and then. I am no coward, but I’m no fool either.”

  “I know you don’t feel anything for me, why would you? I would never ask for that, all I wanted to do was protect you, and I couldn’t even do that. I am mortal. I can’t protect an immortal — it was arrogant of me to even think that I could. There are others who are like you, who will be better at looking out for you.” Xavier exhaled a heavy sigh, “and that’s the crux of my problem. Sweetcheeks, I can’t live knowing that I can’t protect you. I can’t stand by and watch you be hunted and hurt and I sure as fuck won’t be able to withstand the headfuck of watching another male do what I can’t. You have been alone so long, you’ve forgotten that your actions have consequences. Today, in that mansion? You brought Hell on Earth to me and my Unit. So the only parting gift that I can give you, is that you have to live with the consequences of your actions.” Ripping the dog tags from his neck, Xavier placed them into Alicia’s hand, looking at her for the first time since he started talking to her. His eyes were searching hers as he lowered his voice

  “I order you to kill me, Sweetcheeks. Right now. I don’t trust anyone else to do it, and it’s the only solution for me. I would die a slow torturous death watching you from the side-lines and unable to protect you. Kill me.”

  It wasn’t a request, it was a direct order — the last one Xavier would give, and it was to her, Alicia Carberletti. His Sweetcheeks.

  As the truth fell from Xavier’s lips and hit Alicia like a freight train cruising at full speed, her fingers gripped around the dog tags that were placed in her hand. Opening her palm up, her hands raised so she could slip the metal link chain over head as she let them fall and settle into place around her neck. Alicia bent down and with shaking fingers, unlaced her boot until she had freed her pink Glock. Xavier knew this was her favourite gun but she couldn’t do it, so she threw it to the side and drew the purple one from her right boot. She wanted him to see that, it was important to her.

  Rising to her full her height, both hands were gripping the handle for dear life as she stood and stared at Xavier.

  He had given a direct order for her to end his life which in Xavier’s terms meant no fucking about and just do it. She wanted to tell him she didn’t hate him, it was quite the opposite actually, her heart raced whenever he was near her, her insides done a double loop when her gave that wink followed by his crooked grin. She loved how he referred to her as Sweetcheeks, he was her High and Mighty and she wanted to be his Short and Sweet. She wanted to tell him to shut the fuck up, come here and kiss her until she saw stars. She wanted his strong arms wrappe
d around her until they both fell asleep but what she wanted to tell him most was that she had also fallen hard for her Commander Prick.

  Clearing her throat as her hands raised upwards.

  “Xavier look at me…”

  Jutting his square jaw in her direction, he looked at Alicia. He didn’t want a conversation, or debate. He needed her to listen to him at least once in his sorry fucking life, and yet here she was about to defy him. Arching a brow, he was about to bollock her about disobeying a direct order, but instead just growled. “Yeah?”

  “I love you.”

  Alicia squeezed the trigger of her gun and watched as the bullet penetrated between his eyes, his perfect body slumped to the ground with a loud thud as she watched him die, her trademark shot killing him instantly.

  Something happened that she had never felt before. Instinct took her over and the overwhelming urge to Change Xavier consumed her.

  Alicia raced over to where his lifeless body lay, adrenaline had kicked in as she gently sat beside him and took his head into her lap, raising her wrist to her mouth. Alicia’s fangs descended then she bit into her skin, practically shoving it to Xavier’s mouth.

  “I killed you as ordered, now you come fucking back to me, I demand it!”

  She was sobbing hard as she waited to feel the tug on her wrist.

  Shuggie’s feet would not move. He had flashed back to Italy to take Xavier to their compound, after figuring he’d had enough time to spy on Alicia. The two of them should have had their heads banged together!

  When he got there, though, his eyes were not comprehending what he was seeing! Alicia had just shot and killed his Commander, his oldest and most trusted friend.

  As she tore at her wrist and put her bloodied flesh to his lips, he lunged forward screaming, “Noooooooo!” and throwing Alicia away from Xavier’s lifeless body. “Ye cannae mix yer blood wi’ his - ye dinnae understand youngling! He’s a werewolf. If any of his blood mixed wi’ yours, ye’d be deid!”