Page 28 of Beneath Submission
~Nineteen~
When his arms wrapped around me, I couldn’t stop crying. As he held me tightly, I held him just as tight. Our reunion, although short, was like a dream come true. “We need to go, before they catch on that I can’t pay them,” he confessed, before giving me a kiss that I had longed for.
Looking at Xavier, I said softly, wiping the tears that had fallen from my face, “How did you find me?”
Brushing away the last of my tears, Xavier placed his hand on my cheek and said, “Kyle had overheard Colin’s plan and had a pretty good idea where he was going to take you.”
“Kyle, oh my God. Is he okay?” I asked desperately.
“He is fine. They beat him up pretty good, but he is a fighter,” Xavier explained.
“Is that how you found out about the auction?” I asked
“When I found out where Colin was taking you, I did a little research and found out that the estate was owned by a Lee Sakai. He is even more ruthless than Colin. Rumor had it that he sold girls for profit. I have had my eye on this place for over a week. When one of the girls was driven off the estate, I pretended to be broke down. I took the driver out and saved the girl. She told me everything that was going to happen. She said that the two of you had become friends and she would do anything to help you,” Xavier explained
I was filled with questions, but the main one was to know that Aiko was safe. “Aiko. She is okay?”
“Yes. She is at your father’s cabin.” I couldn’t have been happier when he admitted that Aiko was safe.
“We really need to go, Tessa,” he urged.
Giving him one last hug, we headed out the door down the end of the hall to find our way out. Xavier knew exactly where to go. With all the research that he had done and with Aiko’s help, he had a pretty good idea of the layout of the house. I had never been so glad to get out of this house. Heading through the door, there was a staircase that led to at least two floors up. Even though it had been tough climbing the stairs in my long gown and high-heeled shoes, I hurried as quickly as I could.
When we reached the top of the stairs there was only one door. I knew that it had to lead to the main house and soon we would be out of here. Xavier turned the knob and pushed the door open. On the other side was the room where I was first introduced to Mr. Sakai. I never thought that there had been another door leading down to the theatre room. This house was like a maze with doors leading every which way.
Having been in this room before, I knew that we were only a matter of feet from the front door. As we rushed in that direction, I wasn’t sure what would be waiting on the other side of the main door. Looking down the hallway that led to the kitchen, we made our way to the front door where our escape would be. Pulling the door open, Xavier and I could see that the only thing that waited for us on the other side were the cars that had been lined up.
We couldn’t just hop a ride with one of the drivers, but thankfully Xavier was smart enough to have rented a car with a driver of his own. Walking past the line of cars, his car was parked closest to the gate which he knew would make for a quick escape.
Nothing could have prepared us for what happen next. We thought for sure that we had at least fifteen minutes before Mr. Sakai would suspect what was going on. Nearly making it to the car, the sound of guns being fired informed us that our time had run out. The only thing we could do was keep our heads low until we got to the car.
It was amazing that Xavier’s driver didn’t just leave when things got bad. Climbing out of the car, he carefully rounded the vehicle and opened the back door while using it as a shield as the gunfire came closer. Everything I wanted seemed to slowly disappear as we tried to make our way to the car. There was no way that we could defend ourselves and our only option was to pray that we didn’t get hit.
Lowering our bodies even more, we were able to protect ourselves and stay away from the gunfire. The closer we got to the car, the further away it seemed. If we wanted to make it out of here, I knew we needed to hurry. Taking hold of my hand, Xavier looked at me with concern as he said, “We need to make a break for it, Tessa, or we are as good as dead.”
Taking his cue, I nodded my head and rose to my feet. I had never been so scared in my life and more than anything, I was afraid that this would be the last time Xavier and I would be together. Running as fast as we could, weaving in and out of the cars, someone from above must have been looking down on us. Climbing into the car with Xavier behind me, he slammed the door and said, “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
The driver pulled away from the house only caring that he made it to the main entrance before getting shot. The back window of the car shattered, causing the glass to blanket us. Xavier placed his hand on my head, pushing it in a downward motion, while covering me with his body, I closed my eyes and prayed that the gates would be open and that we would be able to get through it safely.
When the driver said, “Hold on, I’m driving through the gate,” I knew that the gates were closed, and he was going to try and break through them.
Holding on to me as tightly as possible, Xavier braced himself as the car rammed hard against the iron gate. It was a miracle that the gates parted like the Red Sea, allowing us to continue through. I couldn’t move. I wasn’t sure what was going to become of us. I knew that the damage to the car had to be bad as the driver plowed through the gate. All I wanted was to hear that everything was okay.
There was complete silence and the gun shots that had filled the air were no longer sounding. The only noise that could be heard was the sound beneath us as the tires rolled against the pavement. Did we make it? Am I finally free?I thought to myself. My emotions began to take over and the tears that I had been holding back finally fell.
Still unable to move, I heard the driver say, “We are safe. At least for now. Is everyone okay?”
Using my hands, I pushed against Xavier’s lap to an upright position. Seeing the driver’s eyes in the rearview mirror, I acknowledged his question. “I’m okay. We are both okay.”
When the driver moved his eyes from the mirror and slowed down. I wasn’t sure what was happening. We should have been moving and not stopping. Looking behind me, the last thing I wanted was for Mr. Sakai’s men to catch up to us. In a loud voice, I demanded, “You need to keep driving. Why did you stop?”
Turning his body to face me, he placed his hand on my cheek and rubbed it gently. I didn’t think this was the time or the place for him to get affectionate with me. Slapping his hand away from my face, I cursed, “Are you crazy?”
When he pulled his hand from my face and held it up, his hand was covered in blood. I didn’t understand what was going on. Pulling the mirror down that was located in the headliner of the roof, I adjusted it enough to see that the right side of my face was covered in blood. Looking myself over, I couldn’t understand where it was coming from. Turning toward Xavier, I didn’t understand what was going on.
Swiping his hand across my face, he pulled open his tuxedo jacket to reveal that his once white shirt was no longer white but red. He had been shot. Placing my hand over the wound, I looked up to him to find that his color had changed. Before I could say anything, he whispered, “I’m sorry, Tessa.”
“NO! Xavier. Don’t you dare leave me. You promised you would never leave.” Before I could say anything else the driver stepped on the gas and drove away from the side of the road. Looking down at Xavier, his eyes fell shut.
Placing my hand on his cheek, I pleaded, “Please, don’t leave me.”
