Page 158 of The Keeper

Xavier’s head snapped up at the insistent banging on my door. He jogged over to answer it. At first, all I heard were hushed voices. Then he and Bennet emerged.

I’ve seen the two of them side by side many times but this revealed how different they truly are. Xavier stood shirtless and barefoot in jeans, his hair wild, his eyes flaring, his tattooed torso heaving with every breath.

This is definitely the first time I’ve seen Bennet so casual. He looked younger than his years in a long-sleeved cotton shirt and jeans but still exuded control and power.

I stood up. “Hey Bennet.”

He walked over and wrapped me in a warm hug. Totally did not expect this at all. His embrace was strong and comforting and familiar.

“Are you alright?” he asked, gently holding my arms.

“I’m fine. I’m more worried about him.” I tilted my head in Xavier’s direction.

“Me too,” he muttered. “What happened?”

The three of us sat down. I don’t know how much Xavier told Bennet so I started at the beginning, with the entry in my sister’s diary about meeting Adam. Bennet didn’t appear overly surprised at the information so I moved on to the party and the fight.

“May I read it?” he asked.

Xavier started prowling the room again when I handed the diary to Bennet. I watched his expression as he read and re-read my sister’s words. He didn’t go pale but his mouth formed a hard, angry line.

“It’s him,” Xavier grumbled. “I always thought he was behind it.”

“We don’t know for sure,” Bennet responded. “He covers his tracks very well and has powerful people clean up after him. You know this. Even if we could prove it, he’d walk away unscathed.”

“No he fucking won’t.” Xavier clenched his fists. “I’ll make sure of it.”

“Maddox,” Bennet sighed, rubbing his eyes. “You can’t beat the shit out of people every time they wrong you.”

“The hell I can’t,” he roared. “He deserved it then and he deserves it now. He orchestrated what happened to me to shut me up for walking in on him that night. What he did to—“ Xavier stopped speaking and looked at me. “Victoria, I don’t think you should hear this.”

I hadn’t moved the entire time they spoke. Trying to process what this is all about and how it relates to my sister gave me a headache. What did she get herself into?

I glanced up at him and over to Bennet. Both had the same flashes of concern in their eyes, although Xavier’s mixed with pure rage.

“I want to hear it,” I told him.

Bennet stepped in front of Xavier to address me. “How much did he tell you about the night he was attacked?”

“Not much.” I watched Xavier while I answered. “Just that he got jumped and ended up with a scar.”

“Okay.” Bennet scrubbed his face with his hands. “It happened at my family’s estate.”

My jaw dropped.

“We all lived there one summer together,” he continued. “Royal City announced a new youth training program. Xavier and Cade were chosen along with several other teens. We had a party to celebrate.”

I started pacing around my living room because at this point, what else am I supposed to do? Why the hell was my sister at a party for a bunch of soccer players?

I stopped and looked at Bennet and Xavier.

“Was Adam chosen as well?”

“No,” Bennet answered. “The party wasn’t exclusive to the program so if your sister was dating him that’s probably why she was there.”

I tilted my head to look at Xavier. “What did you walk in on?”

“At the party? Nothing,” he told me.

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