“You can work through this.” He told me quietly. “You’re stronger than this, Camilla. You did it last night, you can do it today.” I shut my eyes and tried not to focus on the swirling browns and whites of his office. I focused on his words. I could work through this shit. I knew I could.
I wished Emmanuel’s house were closer because letting him fuck this heartache away would be a lot easier than actually dealing with the shit.
When Alexander broke our hug, my tears still dotted his shirt. “Hold my appointments.” He said into his phone before hanging up.
“I’m sorry I’m fucking up your schedule. I just…”
“You came here instead of driving past me to go to Emmanuel. I’d say that’s a good step in the right direction,” he smiled warmly at me. Maybe I am changing.
“Yeah. I guess so.” I sniffled and lay down on the couch that I’ve become so familiar with over the past year.
“Tell me what happened last night after I left.”
“Xavier was waiting for you to leave,” I said softly. Alexander frowned and rubbed his hand over his face. “He came in and started yelling and screaming and breaking shit. I was scared.”
“Why didn’t you call me to come back? I would have come back in a heartbeat.” His voice was pleading with me, it tugged at something inside.
“Because it would have ended up in a fight. Xavier was drunk. I texted Emmanuel when I thought Xavier was sleeping it off.” Alexander groaned and leaned back in his chair. He already knew how the rest of the story went. I wasn’t sure for how long but I knew him and Emmanuel knew each other. It was the only way he’d trust Alexander around me. Nobody had to tell me that either. It was just how Emmanuel worked.
“You know telling Manny you’re scared of someone is like calling in the damn military. Do you know what he’d do to somebody over you?” His voice was low and quiet as if Emmanuel was on the other side of the door. Shit, knowing him, it’s not outside the realm of possibility. I nodded at his question and folded my hands in my lap.
“I was really scared though. I’ve never seen Xavier like that. I didn’t like it. It wasn’t him.” All I could see in my mind were Xavier’s eyes. They were wild and angry and nothing like the deep pools of honey I loved so much. “He’s changed,” I said. “I barely recognize him.”
“How has he changed?” Alexander was back in doctor mode and watching me like he always did.
“He’s just off. Something always has him on edge.” I hated that he wasn’t my smiling Xavier anymore. I hated that I pulled him into my fucked up life and now he was warped because of it. I raked my fingers through my hair and looked at Alexander. He wasn’t tapping away taking notes, he was looking right back at me. Something lurked behind his eyes but he was a master at hiding things. I was the patient, I wasn’t supposed to know what was going on in his head but I’d give anything to find out.
Chapter Nine
Emmanuel
Dempsey dropped off two envelopes at the house since I’d been away from the office for a few days. One envelope contained information on Trevor’s parole hearing and in the other was an obituary.
First, I tore though the details concerning Trevor’s looming trial. All the odds were pointed against him but depending on how much I greased Judge Dean’s palm, I could get him off. I’d been thinking long and hard about Trevor and how he plotted against me. About how stupid and arrogant he’d been to think he could actually get away with the shit too. It made me mad all over again and I tossed the file to the side, tempted to let him rot in prison.
If it were up to me, he probably would rot in there. I don’t handle betrayal well at all. I brought my fist up to my mouth and weighed the thought of letting him go on parole. Camilla would be ecstatic to have him back and he could actually meet his granddaughter.
I wasn’t too fond of the idea of always having to watch my back though. With Trevor in prison, I had eyes on him at all times but once he got out he’d be free to scheme and plot. I couldn’t have that shit. I was the Mayor.
My mind felt swamped so I tucked the file back in its envelope and opened the obituary. A death certificate fell out. I glance over it and nodded in approval. It was authentic. Now Rashad St. James was a dead man. Killed in a drowning incident right on the beach with no surviving family members. Good. Now he could go on to become Wolf.
As if on cue, he walked into my office carrying Chloe. Those two hit if off and never looked back. She was always attached to him now. Even when Camilla tried to pry her away, she whined to go back. I’m sure she’d have the same bond with Trevor. Stupid fucking conscience of mine. I shook the thoughts from my head and grabbed Chloe in my arms. “Well, looks like Rashad is dead and gone.” I smiled and handed him his death certificate and obituary. He eyed it all in disbelief.
“Shit. I can’t believe you pulled it off Manny.”
“I gave you my word, didn’t I?”
“That you did, hermano.” I patted him on the back and chuckled. “When do I start living like a Wolf?” He smirked.
“Let me finish some things up and in a few weeks you can start living your new life as Oscar Wolfe.” He smiled at his new name and poked Chloe’s tummy.
“Can you say uncle Oscar?” He asked her. She just smiled and pulled at his hair. “Ouch.” He winced. “I thought we were cool. I give you all my snacks and this is how you repay me?” He picked her up and swung her in a circle making her squeal. “Hey Manny, Xavier is getting discharged in twenty minutes. You want me to pick him up?”
“Yeah. Take him to New Grace. I’ll meet him there.” I said placing everything back in its proper envelope.
**
Being back in my old office at the church felt familiar. My desk still sat in the same place but it was emptied. I had Mary bring me Xavier’s notes on all the new pastors he was looking at. “It’s so good seeing you in that chair again. We miss you, Mayor.” Mary winked at me and I let out a laugh. “How’s Camilla? She hasn’t been around for a few days.” Her smile faded into concern.
“She’s fine. Just needed some down time, that’s all.”
“I miss my little pal Chloe.”
“She’ll be back…” A thought popped into my head and I looked up at Mary who could see my wheels turning. “Can you send in Miss Pearson?” I needed to get a feel for her and I had yet to meet her. She was at the root of most of the shit that happened over the past few days so I wanted to see what the fuss was about.
Just like I thought. She was all curves and a cute face, typical, and definitely run of the mill. For some reason I expected something magical from this girl. I expected to see a spark, wit, and fire something to justify the stupid shit Xavier was pulling.
None of that was present in her. She was sexy and I could smell from a mile away that she was manipulative. She wasn’t even making power moves, just bed hopping in hopes of finding someone that would stick. I could read her entire story just by the way she said hi. She crossed her legs in front of me and batted her long lashes with a smile.
“It’s an honor to meet you Mayor Scott.” I reached my hand out to her but she swatted it away and asked for a hug. Typical bed hopper. I obliged her and she pressed her entire body against me, lingering much longer than she needed to. She needed to be taught that not every man was willing to fall prey to her shape. “I hope I’m not in trouble.” She frowned.
“Not yet,” I told her. My tone was neutral but Jada tried to twist it into flirting.
“Not yet? Well what’s taking so long?” She laughed and I didn’t. She cleared her throat and straightened her back quickly. “I’m sorry. I’m being a flirt. I should know better, being in the presence of the Mayor and all.”
“You should. If you can’t be professional, how am I supposed to keep you on board as director of Angels of Grace? You’re around children daily and so far your attitude is leading me to believe you’re not a fit example.” Color rose to the tops of her cheeks and she avoided my gaze. “Miss Pearson, your
resume is superb but so far I’m not impressed by your attitude. Ultimately I, along with Miss White, have the last say about who stays employed here. You’re a very new staff member and I won’t hesitate to find a replacement if you don’t start acting like you want to keep your job.”
“Yes, sir. I was just…it was just some harmless flirting. You’re so handsome…” I cut her off sharply before she could even finish. She was relentless and it was grating on my nerves.
“Do you hear yourself, Miss Pearson? In what world is it okay to throw yourself shamelessly at your superior? I may be Mayor but I am still part owner of this church and therefore someone you should respect.” She responded with a curt nod. Maybe letting her know her job hung in the balance would give her a kick in the ass.
“I’m so sorry Mayor Scott. Now I’m embarrassed.” She laughed softly, still passively probing to see if I would bite. I didn’t.
“Understandable.” I shrugged. I could tell by her reactions that she wasn’t used to getting rejected at all. I could see why, she was definitely fuckable but learning how to control yourself around women is something that comes with age. So far there’s only been one woman that has made me lose control and I had no plans on letting her ass go anywhere. A woman with that much power over me needed to be by my side at all times for more reasons than one.
Just as Jada stood to leave, I saw Oscar Wolfe, escorting a bruised Xavier into my office. Jada recoiled upon looking at him. She softened after a few seconds and then reached out to caress his face with concern.
Xavier snatched away from her touch like she had the plague. Hurt flashed in her eyes as she pulled her hand away. “What happened?” She whispered.
“Don’t worry about it. It won’t happen again.” His gaze was fixed on mine and I nodded at him.
“Meet me at the coffee house for lunch later. We need to talk,” She told him quietly. I pretended not to hear though.
“You really risked your life over her?” I laughed once the door was closed. “Come on Xavier, what the fuck are you thinking?” My expression hardened as I looked over his bruises. In my opinion, the motherfucker needed more. “Really, I want to know what the fuck you were thinking, especially the other night. Did you think trying to intimidate Camilla would really go over well? Did you think she wouldn’t come to me?” Xavier tensed visibly and shifted in the chair. He was treading on thin ice so I knew he was watching what he said very carefully.
“She shouldn’t have come to you. It was an incident between us. Not you, not Rashad.”
“Well when you start pretending to be her husband and acting like she belongs to you, frightening her and Chloe then…”
“Don’t bring her into this, Emmanuel.” He snapped angrily and I laughed at it.
“Don’t bring Chloe into it? You did that when you woke her up out of her sleep, breaking glasses and yelling at her mother. Fuck your papa-bear act, Xavier.” He stood up chest puffed out and marched over to me like I was supposed to be scared. He knew he was gambling with his fucking life though.
“Camilla and Chloe are mine Emmanuel. You can stop all this shit. Clearly I’m not scared of you or Rashad. Just stay out of shit that involves me and Camilla.” I stood up and eyed him sternly.
“I tried to stay out of it. But as usual, you fucked that up. You keep coming at me like you don’t value life but the person you really need to be pissed at is yourself.” I ran a hand over my face and chuckled dryly. “You’re smart though, Xavier. I will give you that. You know why you’re still alive right now, don’t you?” I let my words sink into him.
“Yeah. I do.” He smiled but I could tell it hurt him to do so. “You know good and fucking well you’ll never kill me. You’ll never lock me away. You need me.”
“I don’t need you for shit and if it were up to me you’d rot next to Dana. I love Chloe though and I love Camilla.” I knew it stabbed at him to hear me say that. “That’s why I need you to get your shit together. Chloe needs her father.” It still burned that she really wasn’t mine. Xavier looked annoyed hearing me talk about Chloe but I didn’t give a shit. He needed to get over himself and fix things with Camilla at least enough for her to talk to him so he could be around his daughter.
“Are you out of the family stealing business now?” Xavier’s mouth was always flapping and saying shit that he wasn’t prepared to back up. Now was one of those times.
“I don’t have to be. Chloe’s young enough to forget all about you. It would be nothing for me to make the transition to being her real father. You and I both know that Camilla is already mine, why not take you out of the picture and make Chloe mine too?” We were seconds off of coming to blows. I was relaxed though it was Xavier who was tense and ready to pounce like a young lion cub.
“I don’t give a fuck who you think you are, you need to watch your mouth talking about my family.”
“You need to act like you have a family then because making them mine is starting to sound a lot more appealing the more shit you talk, boy.” Xavier’s jaw moved up and down each time he breathed. Something other than Jada had him wound up this tight. I had no idea what it was though. I knew it had something to do with Chloe judging by the way he flared up any time she was brought up.
“Fuck you Emmanuel.”
“That’s what I have Camilla for.” I stood in front of him daring him to hit me like I knew he wanted to. He didn’t though. He was smarter than Trevor at least. “And stop fucking Jada. She’s a goddamn whore. I could have bent her over this desk in a bout five minutes if I wanted to,” I told him.
“Who said I was fucking her?” He settled back down into his chair and I did the same.
“You’re not the only smart person in the world Xavier. You’re honestly not even as smart as Jada. She’s got your ass wrapped around her little finger.”
“I’m good,” He huffed.
“If you’d stop being arrogant long enough to listen, you’d get that I’m trying to help you not war with you. After the shit you pulled though, I’m not doing another motherfucking thing to help you. I’m just gonna watch you push your family right over to me.” I leaned back in my chair and watched him.
“You’re not getting my family.”
“I don’t know, they’ve been living with me for days now. I think they’re pretty happy.” I stood up and walked out of my office. If I had to stay in there with Xavier any longer he was going to be sporting a broken jaw to go with his bruised face.
Since I was at New Grace already I decided to walk around and show my face. I was greeted warmly as expected. Everyone except for Jada was smiling in my face and slapping me on the back. Since I’d become Mayor I never really came back to visit my old staff. I was always so busy signing things, meeting with committees and pushing new city initiatives that the city office building was like my second home. I’d forgotten how it felt to roam New Grace.
“Am I free to go boss? Or am I stuck here waiting for you?” Xavier stood behind me looking tired and ready to leave. I walked over to him and looked him over. He’d been sufficiently fucked up but he still needed one last warning. We walked out to the parking lot where Wolf was waiting in the car.
“Look, this was just a warning.” I smiled gesturing to his face. “It was friendly. But if you ever get crazy enough to put your hands on Camilla…” I laughed, cold and calculating just thinking about what I would do to him if I ever got a phone call that she’d been hit. “You already know.”
“I don’t plan to put my hands on her. I also don’t plan on her being at your house anymore so tell your goon to take me back to your place so I can get my family back.”
I swallowed to keep the anger from surfacing. I’d never let Xavier see me be visibly pissed at him. He was too cocky. I’d gotten used to waking up to Camilla and seeing Chloe’s face for the past few days. I knew eventually Xavier would come around making promises and trying to act like he’d been changed in an attempt to get Camilla back.
I would only abide by what s
he wished though. If she wanted to stay with me, then I would gladly escort Xavier out. I sent Xavier to my house with Wolf to see if Camilla really wanted to go back home with him. I didn’t need to be there because I knew she’d still be waiting for me by the time I got back.
**
Chapter Ten
Alexander
Sitting in Manny’s office had my nerves on edge. Seeing MAYOR SCOTT emblazoned on his desk and everywhere else was making me uneasy. I knew him all too well and having him in the position of Mayor let me know exactly how fucking corrupt this city was.
“Sorry to keep you waiting Dr. Epps.” He laughed and slapped my back.
“You always got jokes, Manny.”
“I’m just messing with you. It’s just crazy how far we’ve both come. I still remember you losing your mind over your dissertation. Now look at you. Dr. Epps.” It unnerved me how someone like him could be so warm and charismatic. “So let me just get right to it. How’s Camilla?”
“She’s improving a lot. I just can’t get her to take her Prozac. She hates it so much. It’s a losing battle.” I frown thinking about how stubborn the girl is.
“Has she talked to you about Xavier?” He asked quietly. I could see from the storm churning in his eyes that Xavier was not his favorite person. To be honest, he wasn’t mine either. I hated the way he scared her and had her relapsing.
“Manny, I can’t talk to you about our sessions. You know that. She’s doing well, she had a couple near setbacks but I like the pace she moving at.” He flitted his eyes over my face, reading me, like he always does. The man would have made a brilliant psychologist the way he can break a person down.
“Okay, well let me ask you this: why were you at her house, bringing her dinner and wine?” The warmth evaporated from his tone and his gaze hardened. I felt like I was under a damn microscope.
“Because I was making a nice gesture after running into her at the store. I made dinner for her and Xavier actually. Don’t turn this into something it’s not.” I warned him. I could sense his jealousy flaring up and I did not need it pointed at me. I could tell that him and Camilla were sleeping together again just based off of his actions.
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