Page 29 of Out of the Darkness

That was one thing that he didn’t miss about his time with the Cortez Family. Rumors and things always spread like wildfire. He was willing to bet that everyone in the family knew what he was now, which could potentially be problematic.

Cursing himself and his lack of forethought, he turned onto the gravel drive that led to his place. “He found out because I shifted in front of him.”

“And why would you do that?” Rodrigo asked, a hint of irritation in his voice. “You always said that no one was supposed to know.”

“And they’re not,” he replied shortly. “I just didn’t have a choice.”

“I don’t understand.”

Xavier put the car in Park and killed the engine before heading inside. After closing the door behind him, he dropped his keys and his wallet into the small bowl on the entry table. He was now facing the same dilemma he had faced when Isabelle had shown up at the bistro.

Both he and Isabelle were ruthless and damn good killers. They could torture a person to the brink of death and yet keep them alive for days. They were talented, skilled, experts in their field, and yet, Rodrigo was so much worse than either one of them. He hadn’t wanted anyone from his old life to know about Madelyn, and it was bad enough that Colby had found out. The thought of informing Rodrigo as well rattled him.

Because of this, Xavier headed into the office and flipped on the light. All at once, fourteen monitors flicked to life on the far wall. He made his way over to the desk and hit a few keys, bringing up the security cameras for Iggy’s bar. Like the police station, the security protocols at Iggy’s were way too easy for him to get around. He found Madelyn immediately.

She was still sitting at the same table with her friends. She was laughing and having a good time, which made him smile as he brushed his fingers against the screen. She had pulled her sweater up to hide his mark, but he understood the reason behind that. He just wished he could see it on her again as he didn’t have enough time to admire it before she went back inside.

“Xavier.”

He shook his head, focusing once again on the call. “What?”

“Are you going to tell me why you lost control and revealed yourself to Colby?”

There was no getting around this, he knew that. Rodrigo was going to keep pushing him until he got his answers, and he always did know what buttons to push to get them. In order to avoid all that, he was going to have to tell him. It would be better if Rodrigo found out from him instead of someone else.

“Colby threatened someone important to me,” he stated simply. “And you know I don’t take too kindly to people threatening what’s mine.”

There was a thick pause on the other end of the phone while Rodrigo processed what he had told him. While he waited, Xavier watched as Madelyn and her friends got up from the table, clearly ready to leave the bar. He hit a few more keys on the keyboard and brought up a cell phone tracking app before typing in her number. Since Melanie had picked her up, he couldn’t track her car.

“She must be important if you revealed your deepest secret to Colby to protect her,” Rodrigo stated after a while.

“Yes, sir,” he replied. “If you don’t mind my asking, how did you find out about Colby discovering what I am?”

“Well, therein lies the problem. Colby started running his mouth to the rest of the family,” Rodrigo explained, further confirming his suspicions. “Most didn’t care because they knew you and were just grateful that you were on our side. However, there are a few who are angry. They feel betrayed that I allowed someone like you among our ranks. Those who feel that way have disappeared, no doubt making their way to meet up with Colby so they can help him take you out.”

Xavier ground his teeth together in irritation, pinching the bridge of his nose. He wasn’t worried about Colby; the guy was an ass but nowhere near Xavier’s level. He could handle him easily. He could probably handle the others as well. It just made things way more complicated than they needed to be. And if Colby told them about Madelyn, which was highly likely, then she, too, would be in danger, and he couldn’t have that.

“I’ve sent some of the guys and Isabelle to help. They have orders to kill the traitors on sight, and I wanted to give you a heads up,” Rodrigo continued when Xavier didn’t respond.

“No!” he snapped, sitting up straighter. “I can handle this myself, Rodrigo.”

The thought of so many trained killers so close to Madelyn sent him into a panic. It was a feeling he wasn’t used to but one he was not going to ignore. There was bound to be some collateral damage, and he would be damned if he was going to let that be his mate.

“No offense, Xavier,” Rodrigo said calmly, “but this isn’t your call. These guys disobeyed a direct order. They disrespected me. This is my problem now, and I intend to clean it up.”

“Then you should know, sir, I will destroy anyone who puts my mate in danger. Whether they are part of the family or not.”

Rodrigo clicked his tongue. “You know we do not harm innocents.”

Xavier chuckled darkly. “No, but there is always collateral damage. And Colby was willing to shoot her so that she wasn’t a witness to his killing me. There are flaws in the rules, Rodrigo. Flaws that guys like Colby can exploit to get away with whatever they want. I won’t let her get caught in the middle of your war.”

He could practically hear Rodrigo grinding his teeth through the phone. He had never spoken so brashly to the guy before; he had only ever been respectful. Rodrigo hated not having control because he felt it lessened his power, but he needed to know that he was not as in control as he believed he was.

“They will only be after the traitors and Colby, who I’ve deemed a traitor as well. You can help if you wish, but make sure you keep your mate out of the way. Just to be safe.”

“That sounds an awful lot like a threat,” he pointed out, watching the little dot on the screen that was Madelyn pulling into her house. He quickly switched to the camera feeds inside her place to make sure it was clear for her.

“It’s not a threat, Xavier,” Rodrigo spat. “It’s just fact. I need to keep my family in line, a family that you no longer wanted to be a part of. If you don’t want anything to happen to your precious mate, then you’d do well to stay out of our way. Is that going to be a problem?”

---