by A. L Long
~Nineteen~
When his arms wrapped around me, I couldn’t stop crying. As he held me tightly, I held him just as tight. Our reunion, although short, was like a dream come true. “We need to go, before they catch on that I can’t pay them,” he confessed, before giving me a kiss that I had longed for.
Looking at Xavier, I said softly, wiping the tears that had fallen from my face, “How did you find me?”
Brushing away the last of my tears, Xavier placed his hand on my cheek and said, “Kyle had overheard Colin’s plan and had a pretty good idea where he was going to take you.”
“Kyle, oh my God. Is he okay?” I asked desperately.
“He is fine. They beat him up pretty good, but he is a fighter,” Xavier explained.
“Is that how you found out about the auction?” I asked
“When I found out where Colin was taking you, I did a little research and found out that the estate was owned by a Lee Sakai. He is even more ruthless than Colin. Rumor had it that he sold girls for profit. I have had my eye on this place for over a week. When one of the girls was driven off the estate, I pretended to be broke down. I took the driver out and saved the girl. She told me everything that was going to happen. She said that the two of you had become friends and she would do anything to help you,” Xavier explained
I was filled with questions, but the main one was to know that Aiko was safe. “Aiko. She is okay?”
“Yes. She is at your father’s cabin.” I couldn’t have been happier when he admitted that Aiko was safe.
“We really need to go, Tessa,” he urged.
Giving him one last hug, we headed out the door down the end of the hall to find our way out. Xavier knew exactly where to go. With all the research that he had done and with Aiko’s help, he had a pretty good idea of the layout of the house. I had never been so glad to get out of this house. Heading through the door, there was a staircase that led to at least two floors up. Even though it had been tough climbing the stairs in my long gown and high-heeled shoes, I hurried as quickly as I could.
When we reached the top of the stairs there was only one door. I knew that it had to lead to the main house and soon we would be out of here. Xavier turned the knob and pushed the door open. On the other side was the room where I was first introduced to Mr. Sakai. I never thought that there had been another door leading down to the theatre room. This house was like a maze with doors leading every which way.
Having been in this room before, I knew that we were only a matter of feet from the front door. As we rushed in that direction, I wasn’t sure what would be waiting on the other side of the main door. Looking down the hallway that led to the kitchen, we made our way to the front door where our escape would be. Pulling the door open, Xavier and I could see that the only thing that waited for us on the other side were the cars that had been lined up.
We couldn’t just hop a ride with one of the drivers, but thankfully Xavier was smart enough to have rented a car with a driver of his own. Walking past the line of cars, his car was parked closest to the gate which he knew would make for a quick escape.
Nothing could have prepared us for what happen next. We thought for sure that we had at least fifteen minutes before Mr. Sakai would suspect what was going on. Nearly making it to the car, the sound of guns being fired informed us that our time had run out. The only thing we could do was keep our heads low until we got to the car.
It was amazing that Xavier’s driver didn’t just leave when things got bad. Climbing out of the car, he carefully rounded the vehicle and opened the back door while using it as a shield as the gunfire came closer. Everything I wanted seemed to slowly disappear as we tried to make our way to the car. There was no way that we could defend ourselves and our only option was to pray that we didn’t get hit.
Lowering our bodies even more, we were able to protect ourselves and stay away from the gunfire. The closer we got to the car, the further away it seemed. If we wanted to make it out of here, I knew we needed to hurry. Taking hold of my hand, Xavier looked at me with concern as he said, “We need to make a break for it, Tessa, or we are as good as dead.”
Taking his cue, I nodded my head and rose to my feet. I had never been so scared in my life and more than anything, I was afraid that this would be the last time Xavier and I would be together. Running as fast as we could, weaving in and out of the cars, someone from above must have been looking down on us. Climbing into the car with Xavier behind me, he slammed the door and said, “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
The driver pulled away from the house only caring that he made it to the main entrance before getting shot. The back window of the car shattered, causing the glass to blanket us. Xavier placed his hand on my head, pushing it in a downward motion, while covering me with his body, I closed my eyes and prayed that the gates would be open and that we would be able to get through it safely.
When the driver said, “Hold on, I’m driving through the gate,” I knew that the gates were closed, and he was going to try and break through them.
Holding on to me as tightly as possible, Xavier braced himself as the car rammed hard against the iron gate. It was a miracle that the gates parted like the Red Sea, allowing us to continue through. I couldn’t move. I wasn’t sure what was going to become of us. I knew that the damage to the car had to be bad as the driver plowed through the gate. All I wanted was to hear that everything was okay.
There was complete silence and the gun shots that had filled the air were no longer sounding. The only noise that could be heard was the sound beneath us as the tires rolled against the pavement. Did we make it? Am I finally free? I thought to myself. My emotions began to take over and the tears that I had been holding back finally fell.
Still unable to move, I heard the driver say, “We are safe. At least for now. Is everyone okay?”
Using my hands, I pushed against Xavier’s lap to an upright position. Seeing the driver’s eyes in the rearview mirror, I acknowledged his question. “I’m okay. We are both okay.”
When the driver moved his eyes from the mirror and slowed down. I wasn’t sure what was happening. We should have been moving and not stopping. Looking behind me, the last thing I wanted was for Mr. Sakai’s men to catch up to us. In a loud voice, I demanded, “You need to keep driving. Why did you stop?”
Turning his body to face me, he placed his hand on my cheek and rubbed it gently. I didn’t think this was the time or the place for him to get affectionate with me. Slapping his hand away from my face, I cursed, “Are you crazy?”
When he pulled his hand from my face and held it up, his hand was covered in blood. I didn’t understand what was going on. Pulling the mirror down that was located in the headliner of the roof, I adjusted it enough to see that the right side of my face was covered in blood. Looking myself over, I couldn’t understand where it was coming from. Turning toward Xavier, I didn’t understand what was going on.
Swiping his hand across my face, he pulled open his tuxedo jacket to reveal that his once white shirt was no longer white but red. He had been shot. Placing my hand over the wound, I looked up to him to find that his color had changed. Before I could say anything, he whispered, “I’m sorry, Tessa.”
“NO! Xavier. Don’t you dare leave me. You promised you would never leave.” Before I could say anything else the driver stepped on the gas and drove away from the side of the road. Looking down at Xavier, his eyes fell shut.
Placing my hand on his cheek, I pleaded, “Please, don’t leave me.”
~Twenty~
The only sound that filled the room was the “beep, beep, beep,” of the heart monitor. My eyes only focused on the lines, which indicated that his heartbeat was strong. The doctor said it was a good sign. It had only been an hour since they had removed the ventilator; another indication that he was getting stronger.
One week, two hours, and twenty minutes, Xavier had been in intensive care. Every day my father came to check up on me, worried that I might be
exerting myself by not getting enough sleep. I told him that this was the only place that I wanted to be. There was no way I would ever leave Xavier’s side and I wasn’t about to go home to rest. The hospital had been very accommodating and provided a room where I could rest and shower while Xavier was in intensive care, and with the change of clothes that my father had brought me, there was no reason to leave him.
With the police protection outside the door and at the staircase and elevator, Mr. Sakai or any of his men would need to be invisible to get on this floor. For once in a long time, I felt safe. There were even two detectives milling around waiting to talk to Xavier about what had happened. I had already told Detective Wallace and Detective Sloan what had happened, but they seemed to think that there was more to what had happened than just my interpretation.
I began to get worried when the detectives began to question me about Xavier and how well I knew him. I didn’t feel comfortable telling them the intimate details of our relationship. I may have been a little rude when I told them that it was none of their business, but I really felt that it had nothing to do with what happened at Mr. Sakai’s mansion.
Wandering down the hall to stretch my legs, I immediately turned around when the nurse flew from her chair and headed to Xavier’s room. My heart fell to my stomach fearing that something bad had happened. Running in the direction of his room, I entered the room to find that he was trying to get out of bed and the nurse was trying desperately to stop him from standing.
“Mr. London, please, you need to remain in the bed. Any movement could cause your sutures to open,” she demanded as she willfully tried to get him back to bed.
I was surprised that he was awake and trying to get out of bed. He was stubborn, and that part didn’t surprise me when he tried to get the nurse away from him. Feeling like she needed some reinforcement, I walked up beside her and gave Xavier a stern look. “Xavier, listen to the nurse. You need to remain in bed.”
I had never seen a look like the one he was giving me. He scooted back onto the bed, holding his hand to his side as his teeth gritted together. He was in pain, but he really shouldn’t have tried to get up. Giving me a smile, the nurse left the room, leaving us alone.
“How long have I been here?” he asked, concerned.
“One week,” I answered, unsure of what to say next.
I could feel his eyes penetrate mine as though he could see the exhaustion beneath them. “Have you been here the whole time?”
“There’s no way I could ever leave you, Xavier. I was so worried about you,” I replied, trying to justify my presence.
“Well, well… Looks like Sleeping Beauty finally decided to wake up.” I knew the minute his voice sounded that Detective Wallace had entered the room.
Turning to face him. I stepped over to where he had rested his body against the door and asked in a low voice. “Can you please wait to talk to him tomorrow? He has really been through a lot.
Looking over my head, he acknowledged my request by saying, “I’ll let you rest, but I will be back tomorrow. There are a lot of questions that need to be answered.”
Closing the door to the room after Detective Wallace left, I pulled a chair beside Xavier’s bed and placed my hands on my lap. I wasn’t sure if this was the right time to ask, but I knew sooner or later it would come out. “What do you think he wants?”
Taking a deep breath, Xavier leaned his head against the pillow and then slowly blew out the breath he was holding in. Staring at the ceiling, he said, “He probably wants to know what I was doing at Sakai’s home and what my affiliation is with him.” Moving his head toward me, his eyes began to close as though what he was about to say next would tear him apart. “I’m so tired of hiding from people. I’m so tired of keeping secrets. It’s time that the truth came out. I need to take responsibility for what I’ve done.”
My eyes fell to my lap to hide the tears that were beginning to form. In a hushed voiced I said, “Xavier, if you tell him everything, it would tear me apart. I can’t lose you again.” Standing to my feet, I walked over to the bed and took his hand in mine. “Please, Xavier. Don’t tell him what you did, at least not the truth about who you are and what you did that led you to LA.”
~*~*~*~
Xavier insisted that I go home for the night with my father where I could get a good night’s rest and return in the morning. I think it was his way to tell me nicely that he wanted some time to himself. He had a lot on his mind and with me being there, it would just get in the way of what he had to do. As much as I protested about leaving, he finally convinced me that I needed to go. When my father showed up and mentioned that Aiko wanted to see me, there was nothing I could do to change his mind.
As we left the hospital, I realized that I was being selfish, and that Xavier had to do the right thing. I was being a hypocrite telling him not to tell the truth and it was wrong for me to ask him. It was his decision. In my heart, I could see that telling the truth was the only way he would be able to move on, even if it meant that he would be spending his time away from me.
Sitting back, I tried to enjoy the ride back to my father’s home. Aiko would be waiting for me and I was excited to see her again. Gazing out the window, my father took hold of my hand and squeezed it gently. Looking over to him, sadness filled my heart and I was pretty sure by the expression on my face, he could see it.
“Tessa. Please don’t worry. Everything will be okay with Xavier,” he said reassuringly.
“How can it be, Papa? Xavier is going to tell the detectives everything. There is no way that he won’t go to jail for a long time,” I cried.
“I’m sure that the detectives don’t want Xavier. I’m pretty sure they want Colin Gates and Lee Sakai. If they can stop their operation, it would give them more satisfaction than putting Xavier behind bars. I bet after this is all done Xavier will only have community service to contend with,” my father countered.
“I hope that you are right, Papa. No matter what bad things that he did, he is a good man.”
When we got to the house, Aiko was already waiting by the front door for us. Jumping to her feet, she headed toward the car before it came to a stop. I had never seen her this excited before. She was happy, another thing that I had never seen before.
My father stopped the car and before I could open the door, she had a hold of the handle opening it for me. I wasn’t even out of the car when she leaned in and gave me the most heartfelt hug I had ever received from her. Feeling like she was cutting off my air supply, I finally got out, “Aiko, I can’t breathe.”
Her arms released their grip around my neck which allowed me to get out of the car. As I reached my feet, Aiko backed away from me a couple of feet so that I could close the door. Grabbing hold of my hand, we walked together to the house with my father following close behind with the small bag I had kept at the hospital.
I was so happy to see Aiko, but when the front door opened, tears fell as I ran to Agnes and gave her a big hug which was comparable to the one Aiko had given me. Patting me gently on the back, she said, “It’s okay, Tessa. No need for tears.”
I guess my emotions had finally caught up with me. I was so overwhelmed with being safe that I could no longer hold back the tears. Releasing my grip on her, I took a step back and said, “It is so good to be home.”
“We were so worried about you,” Agnes confessed as she looked me over to make sure I was okay. Moving her eyes back to mine, I could tell there was a hint of worry in them. “How is Xavier? I heard what happened to him.”
“He is good. I was so afraid that I was going to lose him,” I replied.
“I don’t think you could get rid of him that easily. If I know Xavier, he would never leave you. There is no doubt that he loves you very much,” she admitted, wiping away a tear that she was unable to hold back. “Come on, let's think happy thoughts. I’ve made a wonderful dinner. I bet you’re starving after eating hospital food for a week.”
There was no way that I wou
ld ever pass up Agnes’ cooking even if the hospital food really wasn’t that bad. Heading to the dining room where everything was set for dinner, Agnes went back to the kitchen to get the meal. As we entered the dining room, my father was already seated. There was something about the way he looked that concerned me. I knew that look all too well. Something had happened.
Walking over to him, I stared down at him and asked, “Papa, what is it?”
“There was a break-in at Criss Cross. Everything was destroyed,” he confessed.
“Oh, my God, Papa. Did anyone get hurt?” I asked concerned.
“No, no. Thank God that everyone had gone for the day. There is something else,” he added before handing me a note.
