by Sam Crescent
“Why’d you bring your housekeeper to a firefight? She’s going to ruin our element of surprise and get herself killed.”
“Shit, she must have tailed me. I’m going in,” said Xavier, drawing his Glock and barreling forward. Bain put a palm to his chest to hold him back.
“A lot is at stake,” said Bain. “I don’t want an innocent woman to get hurt because of me.”
Should he confide in these men, tell them Alesha was his woman, tell them he was a lovesick fool? They were all married hitmen, so maybe they’d be able to understand the turbulent emotions boiling inside him right now.
Why did he have to mention this to Alesha? She thought she was Nancy Drew or some shit, not realizing all his assignments were life and death reality.
“Don’t worry, she’ll be fine,” said Killian. “We’ll deal with it.”
“How?”
“We’ve done this before. We improvise.” Killian paced in the confined space. “Maybe if I shoot her in the leg, it’ll get her to the ground before they start firing.”
“No, no, no. Back to the drawing board,” said Xavier.
“Maybe a distraction is a good idea. I can blow up one of the containers.” Bain pulled out an explosive device from his jacket.
Killian scowled. “Boss wants this off the radar. No explosions.”
“Two of us go in firing, the other shields the girl and gets her out safely. Does that work?” asked Bain.
“Okay. Let’s do it,” said Xavier.
Every minute waiting and stalling was taking a year off his life. She was up in that room alone with all those pigs. The human trafficking kingpins who wouldn’t think twice before hurting Alesha.
She had no clue what she was doing. Had she overheard his conversations last night with Boss and Killian? His little spitfire was going to get herself killed. If they got out of this alive, he’d give her the spanking of her life.
The three of them made their way closer to the building, keeping low, the colored containers as their shields. It was early, no ground crew around yet. The seagulls gathered by the water, their cawing filling the morning air. He held his breath, focusing, knowing he couldn’t lose Alesha.
The stairs were grated metal, and the windows in the tower gave a full view of everything from the yard and docks to the stairs they three of them were climbing. It was time for El Diablo to come out and play.
Chapter Ten
Ten hours later
“You actually told her to come help you?” Boss said.
Blood leaked out of Xavier’s side, but he didn’t care about that. He’d been through worse. It was the woman lying in the bed that matted to him most. Everything that could have gone wrong today, had. He’d never known such a clusterfuck.
He was so tired. Bain and Killian were at his back.
Everything had gone from bad to worse.
Alesha had followed him to his hit, and now she lay unconscious, her body hooked up to a bunch of machines.
“Obviously not. What do you think I am?” Xavier said. Not once had he ever regretted a decision. No mistake had ever been made on his watch because he knew what the fuck he was doing. He always knew what he was doing.
From the time he could remember, dealing with what happens when the shit hits the fan was his thing.
Pressing a hand to the glass, he saw lights and heard the machines beeping.
She’d gotten hurt, shot, and it was all his fault. If he hadn’t mentioned his assignment, she still be home safe and sound.
He didn’t want her involved. Why did she have to show up?
Boss grabbed him around the throat and pressed the side of his face up against the glass. “You think I didn’t know what was happening? That I didn’t know how you mouthed off about being part of Killer of Kings? You can’t fuck, take a piss, or even shit without me knowing about it. You know why, because I’ve got enemies that would scare you to fucking death. I know what darkness is. I’ve looked it in the face too many times. I know my men, and I know the women they stick their dicks into. You fucked this up. You think because you’re El Diablo that it makes you invincible? Today you let everyone fucking down, and if she dies in there, it’s on your head, not on mine.”
“Fuck you.” He pulled away, attempting to slam his fist against Boss’s face. “I didn’t do shit.”
Boss didn’t even care.
He simply grabbed Xavier’s wrist, twisted it, and he had no choice but to drop to his knees or his wrist would have been snapped.
“You’re a little boy, Xavier. A little boy looking for his sister. You’re nothing. You had one job to do, and you couldn’t even do that.” Boss looked at him with disgust, letting him go. “Get him the fuck out of here.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I’m not leaving Alesha. You owe me, Boss. I’ve been working for you almost a year, and I still don’t have my sister back.”
“I owe you shit.”
“What do you want from me?” Xavier got to his feet, slapping his chest. He didn’t care about the pain in his side. He’d had much worse injuries. “I’ve done everything you’ve ever asked.”
The love of his life was in a coma, and he’d been the one to help put her there.
“Tell me what you need me to do.”
Silence fell in the corridor. They weren’t in a hospital but in a special ward that Boss owned.
“You need to leave this building right now.”
“I’m not leaving her.”
“You don’t have a choice. You’ve done enough damage. Learn to keep your mouth shut.”
“You’re a fucking monster. You think I’m going to leave her with you?”
Boss slammed his fist against Xavier’s nose, and he covered his face as blood started to spurt out of it. It was broken, no doubt about it.
“You think I’m the monster here?”
“You should have left her alone,” said Xavier.
“You thought you were the one in charge. You could make all the decisions because what did I know? Huh? I don’t know how to keep people safe?”
“You can’t keep me from her, Boss. That’s not your place.”
“You fucked up this entire mission, Xavier. I can do whatever the hell I want, and as far as I’m concerned, you risked her life.”
“You’re just going to kill her. I won’t let that happen.”
“I’m not going to kill her, asshole. I’m going to protect her from herself. Keep her safe and that is far the fuck away from you. Get him out of my sight now. I don’t want to see him here or anywhere else.”
In the next second, he was being pulled down the long corridor. “Fuck this. No. Let me go. I swear, Boss, you do this and you make an enemy out of me.”
“I’ll add you to my long list.”
Boss saluted him and walked back into the room with Alesha.
“No! Let me go.”
It was no use. They had him in the elevator, a knife at his throat and he was traveling down toward the parking lot.
No.
He couldn’t leave her.
Alesha.
He never intended for her to help with the hit. This was all a big fuck-up. Boss already knew Xavier loved Alesha. Did he want him to come right out and say it?
The memory of the blood pooling around her, of her being unresponsive on the floor filled his head.
“You need to keep your cool right now,” Killian said.
“I need to go to her.”
“What you need to do is cool off, and you’re not going to do that shit up there, you understand?” Bain said.
“If you don’t let me go I’ll make your wives widows, do you understand me?” He’d done his research on all of the Killer of Kings. If he was going to give his life to Boss, he intended to know who he was getting into bed with.
“You do that and you’ll be dead within five minutes of leaving this building,” Killian said. “I’d be careful who you threaten and take my advice.”
The elevator doors opened up
, and he was tossed out. There was no one to be seen.
“So that’s it? You just let Boss win? He can’t blame me for what happened.” Xavier couldn’t walk away.
“You think Boss wants this? You shouldn’t have told her your plans. You should have done your job. The moment you signed on with Killer of Kings you agreed to this. Why do you think we follow him?” Killian shook his head. “He’s a monster. We get that. He’s a fucking bully and a bastard, but you know what, he has our best interests at heart. You put her life in danger today, not Boss.” With that, Killian slammed his hand against the elevator button. “Get your shit together.”
“What about the information on my sister?”
“Boss told me to tell you to get fucked,” Bain said.
The elevator doors closed and Xavier stared at them, and couldn’t believe he’d been kicked out of the Killer of Kings tower. This shit shouldn’t have happened. He wasn’t the kind of bastard to be pushed aside.
Alesha could have died tonight because of him.
Running a hand down his face, he crouched down on the floor, feeling the pain strike him quick and fierce.
What the hell would he have done if she’d been killed?
Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, he dialed Maurice’s number.
It rang several times before it went to an answering machine. That had never happened. He didn’t stop as he walked out of the building’s parking lot onto the street. He dialed again and again until Maurice finally answered.
“I shouldn’t be talking to you,” Maurice said.
“Is that any way to talk to me?” Xavier asked.
“You’re on the biggest shit list known to man. I’m thinking I should hang up.”
“Wait. I need to know what Boss does in situations like this.” He rubbed the back of his head, checking everyone he passed.
He was a known assassin that had just pissed off the boss of Killer of Kings. He wondered if Boss would order a hit on him.
“Look, I can’t give you any of that information.”
“I don’t want trouble,” Xavier said. “I need to know that she’s going to be okay.”
There was silence on the other end of the phone.
Patience wasn’t exactly his strong suit right now, and it pissed him off that Maurice was being such a pain in the ass.
Mistakes like this never happened to him.
“Maurice, for fuck’s sake, you know I’m good.”
“Xavier, this has never happened before.”
This made him pause. “Excuse me?”
“Look, everyone deals with their women differently. Boss has never had to invade a play like this, nor has he had to take care of a woman. She’s a civilian and was at risk of being killed. She’s been exposed to the traffickers you needed to bring down. Boss is taking care of her because he doesn’t trust anyone else. This was supposed to be a clean mission. You should have kept her out of the loop. I don’t know what Boss is going to do because it has never happened before. I’m sorry, Xavier, you really fucked this up, and everyone is pissed off.”
With that, Maurice ended the call.
He stopped near a bench and lowered himself down on it with a groan.
Rubbing at his eyes, he couldn’t think. Hitting his head repeatedly, he let out a scream, aware of the fact he was drawing attention. He didn’t care. He needed to get the image of her out of his mind to know what to do next.
No matter what Boss said, he wasn’t going to give up nor would he ever give in.
****
Alesha’s mouth was dry, and something was stuck down her throat. She grabbed hold of the tube as a large man came into focus. She heard him trying to get her to stop, but she couldn’t.
Xavier!
Where the hell was he?
She didn’t have a clue where she was or what to do.
Her heart raced, and she heard machines beeping, letting her know that she had to be in some kind of hospital.
“Shit, she’s a tough one, isn’t she?”
“Boss, stop, you’re going to freak her out.”
“Alesha, listen to me. You have to be careful. You’ve been out of it for a few days. Take it easy. You’re in safe hands. We’re friends of Xavier’s.”
Hearing his name calmed her down enough for a nurse to come into the room. In the next few minutes, she finally had the tube out of her mouth and water placed in front of her. She sucked on the straw, drinking down the liquid as if it was a lifeline.
The man she vaguely recognized stayed in the room as the nurse asked her some really irritating questions.
She was asked her name, her age, what her favorite pet was. Stuff she didn’t want to talk about.
“Where’s Xavier?” she asked, turning to the man who stayed by her bed even as the nurse left the room.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“You heard how I’m feeling from the nurse and her twenty questions.”
“You’re rather prickly. I imagined El Diablo going for someone more timid, with a little less fire.”
She stared at him. “Who are you?”
“Ah, I see you don’t recognize me. I’m Boss.”
She tried to think but could only think of Xavier talking about him. “You’re Xavier’s boss?”
“Something like that.”
She rubbed at her head.
She already had a headache, and she’d been in this man’s company less than five minutes.
So much had happened, and all the details were incredibly fuzzy.
“Where’s Xavier?” she asked again.
The only person she wanted to see was the man who’d been by her side for some time now. The man she’d quickly grown to love.
“He’s gone.”
She stared at the man.
He had to be one of the largest men she’d ever seen. He looked so damn scary it sent a shiver up her spine.
“What do you mean he’s gone?” she asked, trying to keep the tears in. Had he abandoned her? Was she damaged goods?
She didn’t appear to be in a normal hospital even with all the machines. The man beside her was a stranger, Xavier nowhere in sight, everything was just too much.
“You need to calm down otherwise you’re going to have a heart attack.” Boss grabbed her wrist, feeling her pulse.
That didn’t help to calm her down and only served to make her even more afraid.
“Please, I want to find Xavier.”
“That won’t be happening. For your safety and that of my investment.”
“Investment?”
“Xavier is known as El Diablo. I have spent a long time trying to acquire him because he doesn’t get attached. He has one focus in life, finding his sister. I can work with that. Use it to my advantage. I’ve got enough information to keep him working for me.”
“You can’t hold information of his sister over his head. That’s not fair.”
Boss tutted. “Why do women have to be so damn hormonal? I’ll do whatever the hell I please. He was fierce, followed orders, and executed with an efficiency that impressed me. Then of course, you came along, didn’t you? Messed with his fucking head and jeopardized our mission. You jumped in over your head and nearly got yourself killed.”
She stared at the monster beside her.
How could Xavier work for him?
“I want to go to him.”
“I’m a lot of things, Alesha, but I’m not a man who trusts easily. I’d like to keep my eye on you while you recover.” Boss checked his watch. “How is the pain?”
She wouldn’t talk to him.
Staring straight ahead of her, she tried to think of how to get out of here.
“You want to be stubborn? That’s fine. I’ve dealt with many women in a worse state than you. I’m going to grab a cup of coffee. Don’t even think to run. You won’t get very far, and I don’t like my patience tested.”
Boss got up, and in the next second, she was alone.
She exhaled, her b
ody slumping.
The only sound in the room was that of the beeping machine.
She swiped at her tears, finding them useless.
The only person she wanted was Xavier.
Sitting up in the bed, she started to pull out the wires that were hooked up to her. She cried out as she tore the needle that was stuck in her hand.
She didn’t look forward to pain, but she’d rather deal with it than allow herself to cave to that bastard.
Pushing aside the blanket that covered her, she cursed. She wore a hospital gown and a quick glance at the back showed it was open. She wasn’t wearing any underwear either.
Escape was her only solution. Putting her feet over the edge of the bed, she lifted herself off, and cried out at the pain. Her thigh was bandaged up, and as she lifted the gown, she saw there was also a bandage across her abdomen. The pain was intense.
“This is a really bad idea,” she said.
She’d been shot in the thigh. Alesha recalled the panic in Xavier’s voice as he screamed that she’d been hit. She’d also taken a bullet in her stomach. It had been much different than the luncheon. She should have minded her own damn business and let Xavier do his thing.
“Great, Alesha. You know how to mess things up.” She’d gone to that dock to try to help Xavier, but ended up making everything worse.
She wasn’t going to sit back and allow her injuries to keep her trapped. Using the bed for support, she took a step, trying to contain her whimpers. When she got to the edge of the bed, there wasn’t anything for her to hold onto.
Alesha took another step, but her leg couldn’t handle the pain and she dropped to the floor.
She felt dizzy and kept her head against the floor, hoping the cold tile would help her to focus.
She took several deep breaths.
In and out.
“Come on, Alesha, you can do this.”
Eyes closed, she started to move her body toward the door, crawling, determined to win this. Dragging herself along the floor, the pain grew more intense, but she kept on going. The instant she was there, she knelt up and unlocked it. The door swung open, and she collapsed out.
“Have to keep going.”
She dragged herself across the floor, hyperaware of the pain. When she looked down at her thigh, she saw the bandage covered in blood.