Page 56 of Destroyed

Jonathan clears his throat, causing us all to turn towards him. “After careful consideration, we all agree that Sasha going to Italy with Andre would be the best-case scenario. Andre can keep her hidden and safe there while we figure out how to handle Lockhart.”

“What!” Sasha growls out while glaring at Andre. “I can’t go to another country with him! What am I even supposed to do there?”

Jonathan smirks, "How will he keep her safe when he has to entertain his many potential wives?”

The look Andre gives Jonathan is threatening, but he quickly schools it before looking at Sasha blankly. “My cousin Liana will be there to help me. There are plenty of things to do around the estate that will not require her to leave. I also have 24-hour security.”

I grab and squeeze Sasha’s hand, causing her to look at me. “I just want you to be safe. This is the best thing we can do right now. I swear you can return as soon as we resolve everything. Your freedom will be yours.”

She looks at me, nodding her head yes. “Okay,” she says, and my heart breaks at how defeated she sounds. I want to reassure her more, but I just need her to trust me. I can’t worry about keeping her safe and worry about our uncle at the same time.

“I have a question for you, Sasha,” Sebastian says. Everyone turns to look at him in surprise. “You act like you never knew about Xavier being your brother. Why should we believe you after all the crap you put us through?”

Riley’s eyes go wide. She looks like a deer caught in headlights.

“I don’t think now is the time to bring up past shit,” I growl out. The protective brother in me comes out in full force.

“It’s okay,” Sasha says, looking at me. “It’s a valid question; you all deserve an answer.” She closes her eyes for a second, rubbing both hands on her thighs nervously before she starts. “I went to my uncle when I was young. There wasn’t much time before he was treating me like his possession instead of the niece I thought he loved so much. He took everything away from me. My freedom was completely stripped away. He made me need him for everything…and then he used me. I didn’t realize it until I was older, but by then, it was my only taste of freedom. When he offered me the opportunity to apply to Bolt Corporation, I saw it as an opportunity to escape from his other business endeavors.”

Sasha looks blankly at the floor while she speaks, too nervous to look me in our eyes, “I’m not proud of my actions, and I’m not saying they were right. In those moments, I was doing everything I could to escape my uncle's clutches for even a small fraction of time. I am truly sorry for all the hurt I caused.”

Riley looks at Sasha with sadness in her eyes. “In my heart, I always knew there was more to your story. It might not seem like it, but I am thrilled you are safe now.” She squeezes Sebastian's hand before continuing, “We both are.”

Sebastian doesn’t care. I’ve known that man for a long time, and I can still see the disdain written all over his face. He does love Riley, though, so he doesn’t say anything for her sake.

“Thank you,” Sasha whispers. “That means a lot.” She then turns to me. “Xavier, I was never told about you. I swear it. In fact, until recently, I wasn’t aware of any other blood relatives.”

“What do you mean?” I ask her.

“I was in my, I mean,ouruncle's office and I saw a file he had left open on his desk. It was a DNA test. I didn’t read it thoroughly, but I could have sworn it said biological son. I racked my brain earlier, and I just don’t think I would have confused that word.”

“Was there a name on the file?” Jamison asks from the island.

“Not besides my uncle’s. It said unknown sample, and that was it. I’m sorry. I should have looked harder,” she stutters.

“It’s okay,” I say, squeezing her hand again. “I will figure it out. In the meantime, we will keep you safe. If we have a cousin out there somewhere, we will find them.”

Chapter 41

Lockhart

“Is there a reason my nephew was seen yesterday, still breathing, when I gave you explicit instructions to get rid of him?” I practically shout the question.

Devin’s eyes go wide, and he opens his mouth. I'm sure he is about to make some stupid excuse, but I cut him off quickly.

“How about the fact that my niece is now also missing?”

“Sasha is gone?” Devin asks with a surprised look on his face.

“Yes, you idiot! You were supposed to keep an eye on her. You were also supposed to eliminate Xavier, yet here we are!” I open my hands wide to make my point clear.

He stands up straighter before replying, “I’m sorry, sir, I’ll take care of it, I swear.”

My Cellar phone rings, and I quickly grab it out of my pocket to see the name ‘T3’ coming up on the screen. I narrow my eyes and look back up at Devin. “Leave me,” I command.

He turns to exit my office.

“Oh and Devin?” I call.

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