Page 87 of Twisted
Leo scoffs.“Don’t give me that.You hardly know him and you’re siding with him.That’s not you, Wren.You’re not dumb.”
“Seriously?Xavier has been more honest with me in the few days that I’ve known him than my own family—if I can even call you guys that anymore—has been my whole life!”
“That’s not true,” he counters.
“It is!”I push off the side of the building.“Vivian and Marco didn’t save me from the aftermath of a demon attack.They fucking kidnapped me!”The words come out of my mouth on their own accord.
“That’s not true,” Leo says, but I can see the doubt in his eyes.
“I saw the files myself.They ran tests on me, used me like a lab rat to try and replicate my powers to create more perfect little super-soldiers.If you don’t believe me, look into it yourself.”
Antonio comes over, getting between us.“Stop it.This isn’t solving anything.”He shakes his head.“We need to focus on the matter at hand and how we’re going to deal with it.An Order member got hurt because of a vampire and is on his way to the hospital.That creates a paper trail, which is exactly something the Order doesn’t want.”He looks at me.“You’ll need to figure out how to handle this when the Order wants to hold that vampire accountable.”
“Buck was shot by his own friend.How is that Xavier’s fault?”I push my brows together and shake my head.
“He used him as a shield!”Leo interjects.
“That’s a tad dramatic.Buck got shot in the shoulder.He’ll be fine.And again, he wouldn't have gotten shot if Gavin hadn’t fired.”
“Guys!”Gia says, clapping her hands together to get our attention.“Are you forgetting the whole thing was caught on the security cameras?Stick to the facts, right?That’s what Mom and Dad say.”Her eyes meet mine and it hits me that she overheard what I said about Vivian and Marco.I don’t have the time nor the mental capacity right now to figure out what’s worse: telling her the truth or keeping it from her.
“Right,” I agree.“Xavier acted out of self defense.We all know a vampire as old as him could have done a lot worse and he didn’t even draw blood.”
“Or go like crazy when Buck started bleeding,” Gia notes, and I can see the wheels inside her head turning.She has been told vampires lack control and will go full-on psycho at the sight of blood, unable to control themselves.“But what about the cops?”
“We’ll get someone to handle it,” Antonio assures her.“The Order is well connected.”
“Not as well connected as the Malus family,” I tell them and let out a breath, dropping my anger.“Look, guys…there’s a reason the Order has everyone staying away from them.They’re much more powerful than you know.Those cops are friends with Xavier,” I say, and then feel like I shared a secret I shouldn’t have.“I think most of the cops around here are.”
“Well, damn,” Antonio breathes.“Good to know.”
“Don’t say anything, okay?Please?”
“I won’t.What happened tonight…it’s best we only talk about it if questioned.”He looks at each one of us and we nod.“The footage will show that we were all peacefully sitting down and four drunk guys with crossbows came in and attacked.Enough witnesses were there to confirm it was a hate crime.”
“That is what happened,” I say but it’s like my brothers don’t want to believe it.
“We’ll get you out, Wren,” Antonio promises, talking quietly.He gives my hand a squeeze and gives me a curt nod.“Don’t let them fool you into thinking they’re anything but the bad guys.”
The restaurant doors open behind us and we turn to see Xavier walking out with the officers.Dale and Randall are in front of them, but not handcuffed.
“They’re free to go?”Leo asks.
“I’m not pressing charges,” Xavier tells him and comes over to me, putting his hand on the small of my back.“No one was harmed except for themselves.I’m hoping they’ve learned a valuable lesson.”
“You boys got lucky,” one of the officers tells Dale and Randall.“You better be grateful to Mr.Malus and his generosity.And if we catch wind of anything, the state of North Carolina won’t be so easy on you.”
They grumble something in response, watching the officers tell Xavier to have a good night and that they hope to see him at the next poker night, which I know was done on purpose.It’s Xavier’s way of letting my brothers know what I had just told them: the cops are in his pocket.
Dale and Randall trudge toward their truck, and a couple cars drive by really slow.I don’t need to look inside to know it’s Order members, watching what’s going on.
“You guys should go.”
“I don’t want to,” Gia says.
“I know,” I tell her.“I meant it when I said I’ll figure something out.Maybe you can come to Charlotte next time.”I give her a hug and then say goodbye to my brothers.Thankfully, they know how important it is to get the hell out of here so there’s no extended goodbye.
Xavier puts his suit jacket around my shoulders and kisses my forehead.When he does things like this, it’s hard to see him as a bad guy at all.He’s not innocent, but he’s not full of blind hate.
