Page 54 of Xavier

The attempted kidnapping the night of said dumping.

The car chase and almost accident.

Witnessing a murder.

The storm and losing power.

Being shot at.

And now stuck in a tiny safe house in the middle of God knows where with nothing to do.

Nothing but imagining

How can life get any worse?

Movement out of the corner of my eye drags me out of my misery. Xavier is staring right at me. Or is he staring through me?

When he doesn’t blink, I say, “Stop staring at me.”

He blinks several times. “What?”

“I said stop staring at me. I’m not a basket case. I will be just fine if you leave me alone.”

Maybe if he steers clear of me, my thoughts won’t be about undressing him, or having him undress me.

Or how good it felt to rest my head against his chest as he comforted me.

No, I’m definitely not going to think about that.

He smirks as if he knows what I was truly thinking. “Sorry, Princess, but I can’t leave you alone. Now that the killers know who you are, you’re at risk.”

I clench my jaw and take a deep breath before saying, “I already told you once I’m not a fucking princess.”

“Oh, I know that. You’d have to be sweet to be a princess.”

My heart pounds and my breathing races.

Before I can come up with a retort, Xavier’s phone rings.

With a quick glance at his caller ID, he says, “It’s your dad.”

I roll my eyes and stand. “This can’t be good. Or he’s checking to see if we made it here safely.”

He gives me a sympathetic glance before answering Dad’s call. I head into the bedroom while he’s distracted on the phone.

Sure, I might want to know what they are talking about, but I’m pissed at Dad.

How could he have a secret past that Mom and I didn’t know?

How could he lie to us for two and a half decades?

Does Xavier know about dad’s past? Would he keep it a secret if he did know?

I plop down on the hard mattress and stare up at the ceiling. As soon as I get an opportunity, I’m going to sneak out and get a cab back home. If I can make it to my car, I can go anywhere.

Maybe I’ll start a new life somewhere.

Maybe I’ll meet a guy worth getting to know and fall in love.

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