by Lannah Smith
Christopher stayed silent, considering this.
It was not like he didn’t have a plan or a hundred back-up plans. He would have preferred to solve his situation with April first but it was now highly unlikely for that to happen anymore.
"Let's not make this difficult, Skull," Alec urged. "You know we can put an end to this situation if you let us handle them."
His jaw tightened before he clipped, "Do not make me unhappy, Alec."
"Sir—."
"Do not defy me."
"If it takes defiance to put an end to this mess," Alec leaned in, "to protect you, to protect her, then I'll defy you just the same."
“You do not touch them or I’ll have your fucking head,” he replied tautly.
Alec a short, contemptuous breath. “You’re too soft. And that will get them killed. But I'll trust that your judgment is sound. For now," he ended as a warning.
“I keep allowing you to speak your mind before me but you keep crossing the line, Alec,” he muttered, his voice ominously soft and swift.
“I know,” Alec said tightly. “But if things keep going the way they are right now, it’s not only your friends who’re going to be in danger. She will be too.”
And I can’t let that happen.
Those unspoken words made his gut twist, thinking about the possibility that April could be Alec’s sister. Christopher gaze up at his man, a feeling akin to remorse troubling him.
“Take a seat, Alec,” he murmured quietly.
A few seconds passed before Alec sat on the chair in front of his desk. Christopher poured him a glass of whiskey in an act of atonement. Alec eyed the golden liquid before he picked it up and drained the contents.
Christopher could see Alec contemplating before he finally spoke.
"So how did she find out exactly?"
"She saw the scar on my chest," Christopher replied, his gut tightening. The image of April broken had yet to leave his mind.
Alec's brows shot up. "She knew what it meant?"
"Apparently. I have yet to know why she recognized it when it was supposed to be a well-fucking-guarded secret in our group." Christopher rubbed his temples, his voice low with anger. "There's a mole among us. I want him disposed of."
"I will find out who it is," Alec vowed.
"I know who it is."
Alec narrowed his eyes on him. "You know?"
"Yes.”
"Then why didn't you say anything?" Alec's voice was rising.
Christopher shook his head. "Calm down, Alec."
"It's hard to stay calm when we're on the brink of war. We should be preparing."
His answer was swift and terse. "You know it doesn't have to come to war."
"We all hope for that. But nevertheless, we should be prepared knowing who we are up against. Now you're telling me you know who the mole is all along yet you didn't do anything about it. How is that for fucking sound judgment?"
"Because he's a friend," he revealed through clenched teeth.
Alec inhaled sharply.
"Who?" he breathed.
When Christopher spoke the traitor's name, Alec's eyes slowly closed, hiding the enormous pain in them.
"I'm mobilizing the men tonight," Alec spoke emotionlessly. "Do you mind if we keep him for a while to try and extract some information?"
Christopher nodded even though he couldn’t see him. "By all means, play with him if you have to."
Alec opened his eyes and there was nothing in there.
"Thank you."
Chapter 52
“So what are you going to do now?" Alec asked Christopher as he followed him out of the study.
A hand on the stair handrail, Christopher stopped and looked at Alec. “We’re leaving.”
Alec’s brows snapped together. “Now?”
Inhaling deeply, he said, “Prepare the trucks.”
Alec slightly flexed his jaw. "Are you cancelling Christmas?"
It was only then that Christopher remembered that Christmas was the day after tomorrow.
"We can't stay here anymore," he said, turning towards Alec. "We leave tomorrow."
Alec shook his head. "It's still too soon."
"She'll be safe with Leon."
"Leon won't know what to do with her," Alec argued as he got closer.
"If you think that’s true then you haven’t been paying attention," Christopher bit out, losing patience. “Don't underestimate Leon's capabilities and reach.”
Alec closed that door and tried to persuade him another way. "She might change her mind about you."
"She will."
"Then what's the problem?"
Christopher looked at his right-hand man with wretched eyes. "She thinks I'm a dead man walking. She'll try to protect me while she tries to save my soul."
Alec hesitated before saying, "I still don't see the problem—."
"Everything, Alec.” He leaned into him, his eyes narrowed, “She'll try everything to protect me and save my soul. Fear will consume her. She'll breathe it, live it. I can't have her stay next to me, wondering if any second from now, she'll see a bullet fly through my fucking skull."
Alec opened his mouth to retort but Christopher wasn’t done.
"I'm sending her overseas. Far away from her father until I deal with him."
"You're not."
They turned their heads to the top of the stairs where April was standing. But she only had eyes for Christopher.
"You're not sending me away."
Knowing there was going to be battle up ahead, Alec bowed his head and murmured, "I'll be out in the study if you need anything." Then he quickly left the two of them alone.
Christopher kept his eyes on her as he started up the steps.
“You can’t send me away,” she went on, a hint of panic in her voice.
He took hold of her hand and felt her shaking. He stared down at the beautiful woman trying to glare some sense into him.
"It's alright, April," he told her gently.
She shook her head. "It's not alright."
"It will be. Because I'm setting you free."
She gaped at him.
And would have slapped him again if he hadn't caught her other wrist.
“I love you, honey, but you slap real hard, it fucking hurts.”
“Do not make a fucking joke about this,” she demanded, her voice trembling with so much anger.
“You couldn’t wait to get away from me,” he reminded her. “I’m giving you the option to go.”
She tried to kick him and fuck, if her shoe didn’t land on his shin.
“Jesus Christ—.”
“We’ll have no more talks about me leaving,” she snapped, pulling her hands free from his grasp.
"Aren’t you afraid of me?" he asked her, incredulous. Because he had thought that all this time, she’d been thinking of leaving, of getting away from him, knowing the truth. He’d thought all this time she was up there, broken.
April didn't answer for a long while.
Then she looked away and let out a long exhale.
"For them, being strong meant that they have to hurt someone," she murmured and he didn't have to ask her who she was referring to. "In that world, there are those who are like the embodiments of malice and like destroying the happiness of others with no reason. And there are those who try to protect others until their last breath. I don’t know the whole story but you're not like that. You protect people. Cherish people."
She returned her gaze to him and he braced.
"Afraid? Of you?” She got closer to him and poked his chest. “Don't make me laugh, Christopher. You just need someone to knock some sense into you."
"And will you be that person?" he asked, his fingers curling around her shoulders and she let him hold her. "Will you be that person for me, April?"
She flinched. "Your friends—."
"Don't know much about this world that we live in," he cut-in, squeezing her shoulders. "They don't need to know about this wor
ld either. They're different. From us."
Her mouth got hard. There was a moment of tense silence between them.
She didn’t look at him when she asked, "Have you tortured people?"
He took a deep breath and didn't lie. "Yes."
"Killed people?"
"I didn't pull the trigger but I ordered some executions."
April sucked in a loud breath as tears swam at the brim of her lashes. Christopher couldn’t stand it no longer. He tugged her forward until she collided with his chest and then he wrapped both arms around her.
“I did those things because I must protect my family, the business and our home. My life is like a sacrifice—"
She slapped his shoulder. “A sacrifice you didn’t have to make!” she snapped to his chest.
He stared at the wall behind her, thinking how to proceed, to make her understand.
Then the words came to him and he spoke, "When I learned of the path that was decided for me, I tried to run away from all the pressure surrounding me, from the responsibilities that were crushing me. I thought I would try to go up against my own destiny. I didn't even think if I was capable of meeting everyone's expectations. I only wanted to be free. But Alec made me realize something that stopped me from freeing myself from this life."
"And what's that?"
"That the only way I could protect you is to be on the pinnacle."
Her whole body jerked in his arms.
"That the only way I could keep you is to become a powerful man."
She shoved her face in his chest, sucking in a broken breath.
"That the only way I could love and deserve you is to be someone everyone fears and respects."
April drew in another breath and pulled her face off his chest. His head dipped down to look at her. She raised her eyes in resigned anguish.
She fought back her tears and he waited for her to speak.
And when she got a handle on that, she told him, "I've never liked your grandfather."
He smiled darkly.
"That makes two of us, honey."
Chapter 53
The snow was falling heavily when I woke up in the morning.
I stared out the window at the snowfall but didn’t actually see anything. My mind was starting to fill with memories of last night. I wished I could cry but the tears wouldn't come anymore.
Death followed me everywhere I went. Blood stained the ground with every step I took.
I'd seen men tortured in front of me. I'd seen men die in front of me. I didn't want Christopher tortured in front of me. I didn't want him to die in front of me.
Because I was who I was. The daughter and pawn of a drug lord.
And he was who he was. The son and heir to a criminal enterprise thrice the size of my father's.
I ran away from my fate.
He embraced his fate.
For me, he said. But that was only going to get him killed.
The door opened and Alec stepped in. He was holding a breakfast tray which he set on the table.
“Eat,” he ordered.
Then he walked towards the wall and leaned against it, crossing his arms. From the looks of it, he was going to make sure I ate.
“Where’s Christopher?” I asked him.
“In the study. Shouldn’t you be packing?”
I shook my head and gave him a glower. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Do you want to stay here all by yourself then?” he lifted a brow.
My brows furrowed together. “What do you mean?”
“We’re leaving, Miss Locke.” I opened my mouth but he wasn’t finished. “We’re all leaving. We’re going back home.”
Alarm bells rang inside my head. “It’s not safe.”
“You’ll be safe. Don’t worry.”
“I’m not concerned about me,” I snapped. “It’s not safe for Christopher”
“You’re insulting me, Miss Locke,” his voice was wry, “I’ll never let anything happen to him. Ever.”
Alec might think that but, in the underworld, nothing was set in stone. He couldn’t be with Christopher 24/7. He wouldn’t be able to protect him all the time.
“My shield.”
That was what Christopher had called Alec.
I didn’t doubt Alec was. But I didn’t want any harm to come to him either.
Alec was staring at me when he said, “Your face tells me you don’t believe in me.”
Looking away, I sighed. He was offended. I shouldn’t say anything more to make him feel insulted even more.
“May I use a phone?” I asked quietly to the table.
A pause, then, “Who are you going to call?”
“Nick Fuentes.”
I didn’t have to look his way to know that I have stunned him.
“I’ll have to check with Mr. Lawrence first,” he said after long moments of silence.
“You do that,” I murmured.
The door opened and closed. It didn’t take him long to return and with him was a burner phone. On his face was an expression of disapproval.
“Make it short,” he said. After saying that, he returned to his position by the wall.
He wasn’t going anywhere and wasn’t going to give me privacy. I didn’t mind. He should have known by now I wasn’t going to anything that could jeopardize us all.
Nick Fuentes was a man of habit.
So I knew he’d be alone when I made the call.
“Hello?” his voice was exhausted and grumpy from sleep. “Who is this?”
I smiled a little. Nick never woke up before noon during the holidays. And he still kept the same number to his private phone all these years.
“Are you alone?” I still asked to be certain. He might be sleeping next to somebody.
I was answered by silence.
“Hello?”
“April? Is that you?”
Tears brimmed my eyes. “I guess you are alone,” I whispered.
“shit, April,” his voice was choking with emotion. “We thought… I thought you were dead. You disappeared… to Europe they said but you didn’t call… you didn’t come back… and I…” His voice broke off.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I know, Nick. I’m sorry for disappearing like that. But I don’t have much time so I want you to listen to me carefully, alright? And please keep this call a secret.”
“Tell me you’re safe,” he demanded.
“I’m safe.” I wiped the tear that fell from my cheek. “I promise you I’m safe.”
“Right,” he breathed. “Damn, but it’s good to hear your voice again.”
Nick was another of the secrets that I managed to keep from my father. He had almost become a victim of my displeasure before we became friendly to each other. I had thought that he was bullying Emilia when I saw him hitting her back with his tennis racket, not knowing it was just a soft, playful pat. They’d been actually childhood friends but I didn’t know that since I had just transferred to North High Academy.
I knew, however, of his secret.
He was gay.
And I knew that his old-fashioned, Christian family would disown him in a blink of an eye if they knew.
But I couldn’t execute this plan of revealing his secret. I had come to school the next day, my body aching all over from the beating my father gave me the night before. Almost fainting from the pain, he found me and brought me to the infirmary. He took care of me and even brought Emilia to me. How he knew about Emilia and I, I didn’t know. Emilia swore up and down that she didn’t tell him and later, I would find out exactly how he knew.
Nick and I didn’t become friends after that. Until now, I wouldn’t call him a friend because we were merely acquaintances with a common goal, and that was taking care of sweet, reckless Emilia. But after Dan, he was someone I could only on.