Page 30 of Xavier

I’ve seen several people do this over the years, but the gesture seems so out of place for a man like him.

He’s hard and mean, whereas that gesture is caring and empathetic.

How can he be soft and caring toward the dead, but crass and arrogant toward me?

Two different sides of the same coin, I’d wager.

When he stands and turns back to face me, he looks like a totally different man.

A man that’s seen the ins and outs of war. A man that’s seen his fair share of death and destruction.

Gone is his cocky smirk, replaced with a somber frown.

The anger that has been building leaves my body. The argument is long forgotten.

He pulls out a stool and collapses on it, like he’s carrying the weight of the world and it suddenly became too heavy for him to bear.

My expression softens as I walk behind the bar, grab two glasses, and pour us each a stiff drink.

Xavier doesn’t grab his drink.

“You need this as much as I do.” I pick up my glass and down the liquid in one shot.

I was never one for day drinking, especially on a weekday, but here I am drinking in my uncle’s restaurant.

I never imagined I’d witness a murder either, so there’s that.

Xavier downs his drink before placing his glass back on the bar. “I’ll pay for those when your uncle gets here.”

I shake my head. “There’s no need.”

“I’m not going to steal from him.”

“One, it’s not stealing. He can file an insurance claim because the intruders already broke one bottle. Two, I’m his favorite, so he won’t mind that we took a couple of shots. Especially after the fucked up shit I witnessed today.”

“Which is why you need to head home. I’ll drive you there myself if I have to.”

I sit down on a nearby stool. “Come on, we’re not going over this again. I’m not leaving until the police or my uncle tell me to.”

His expression hardens as his jaw clenches.

He’s about to speak, but I cut him off. “I’m changing the subject now. Since you seem so invested in me and what’s happening around me, I should tell you about what happened earlier today.”

He turns his entire body toward me. “What happened earlier today?”

His gaze wanders over my body, searching for any clue as to what I could be talking about.

I’d revel in this feeling if it wasn’t serious. “Someone followed me and tried to crash my car.”

He sits up straighter and plasters a strictly all work expression on his face. “What did they look like?”

“I don’t know. Their tint was too dark to see inside. Besides, I was too preoccupied trying to lose them.”

He raises an eyebrow. “And did you lose them?”

I roll my eyes. “Of course. I’m here now, am I not?”

I don’t tell him the reason I lost the tail is because the police intervened. I know I could have lost him if I really tried.

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