Page 56 of Playing with Fire

Theglassshatteredagainstthe wall, sending crystal shards across the media room's polished floor. Xavier stood with his arm still extended from the throw, chest rising and falling rapidly, tension vibrating through every line of his body. The call with Algerone had gone as badly as I'd feared.

"That manipulative fucking bastard," Xavier snarled, his voice low and dangerous in a way that made my stomach tighten, but not with fear. Unlike my father's unpredictable rage, Xavier's anger was controlled even in its intensity. Deliberate. Focused like a laser cutting through steel.

"He's using this to control us," he continued, pacing. "To keep us trapped here while he plays the savior."

Annie and the others had already left, departing twenty minutes ago in armored vehicles with a security detail that looked like a presidential motorcade. Algerone had relented enough to let most of the family visit Yuri, recognizing that keeping Annie from her husband's side would only escalate an already volatile situation.

But Xavier, Xander, and Xion had been forbidden from leaving. "Too valuable," Algerone had said, his voice smooth as silk through the video call.

"Annie gets to go. River goes. Even fucking Paxton goes. But his actual children?" Xavier had argued, voice tight with barely controlled fury. "We stay locked up?"

Now Xavier looked like he might put his fist through one of the media room's expensive screens. I approached carefully, keeping my voice steady.

"X? What can I do? What do you need?"

His eyes snapped to mine, glacier green and burning with an intensity that made my breath catch. For a moment, he seemed to look straight through me, too consumed by rage to register my presence. Then his focus sharpened.

"You," he said simply, the word raw and possessive. Then, to my surprise, his expression cracked slightly, revealing something softer underneath. "Just... be here with me."

The unexpected vulnerability in his tone made something in my chest clench. These glimpses beneath his carefully constructed armor were rare, precious things I'd learned to treasure.

"I'm right here," I said, moving closer and gently reaching for his hand. "I'm not going anywhere."

He allowed the contact, his fingers curling around mine with a desperate intensity that spoke of deeper fears than he was willing to voice. He let out a long, shaky breath and pressed his forehead against mine.

"I hate feeling trapped," he said quietly, voice barely above a whisper. "Hate that he's controlling our movements, separating us from the family, treating us like possessions instead of people."

"I know," I replied, squeezing his hand. "But at least we're together."

His jaw worked silently, frustration evident in the tightness around his eyes. "I just know I can't lose you."

The quiet admission hung between us, heavier than any passionate declaration could have been. Coming from Xavier, who categorized and controlled every aspect of his existence, such raw emotion was almost shocking.

"You're not going to lose me," I promised, reaching up to touch his face. His skin was warm under my fingers, the barely perceptible stubble rasping against my palm.

His laugh was hollow, bitter. "Not like we have a choice. We're prisoners, Leo. Trapped in this fucking gilded cage while Phoenix is out there targeting my family."

The abrupt shift back to anger was jarring but not surprising. Xavier retreated to rage when vulnerability became too uncomfortable, using fury as a shield against emotions he couldn't categorize or control.

"Algerone made a tactically sound decision," I said quietly, knowing it would infuriate him but needing to say it anyway. "You know that."

"Don't." He pulled away, eyes narrowing. "Don't defend him."

"I'm not defending him," I clarified quickly. "I'm stating facts. Phoenix is clearly executing a planned sequence of attacks. You, Xander, and Xion are logical next targets."

"So I'm supposed to hide while my father might be dying? While they're all out there exposed?"

"They're protected," I pointed out. "And Yuri isn't dying. War wouldn’t have stayed if he thought that was a possibility."

Xavier's jaw tightened, the muscle there jumping visibly. He knew I was right, which only seemed to make him angrier.

"That's not the point," he growled, turning away from me.

I hesitated, then stepped around to face him again. "What is the point, Xavier? Tell me what you're really angry about."

His eyes met mine, something complicated flickering behind them. Then, unexpectedly, his shoulders slumped, the fight draining from him so suddenly I almost reached out to steady him.

"That he was right," he said quietly, voice stripped of its usual confidence. "That I'm more valuable as an 'asset' than as a son. That's all I've ever been to Algerone—an investment. And I hate that he's right about this. That I'm helpless to protect the people I—" He cut himself off, looking away.

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