Page 43 of The Loathing

I inhale deeply knowing deep down she would be fine, it was me that wasn’t fine. I couldn’t let go. I still saw her as a young child, but she was growing into a beautiful young woman, just like Amora, and yet it seems me and Xavier have a little more in common when it comes to our parenting skills.

We both fucking suck.

“I’ve got to go, just about to get into bed.”

“No worries sweetie, I’ll speak to you soon yeah?”

“Yeah,” she yawns.

“Night sweetness.”

“Night Dad, love you.”

“Love you more.”

Pulling the phone from my ear, I inhale deeply and push my phone back into my suit pocket.

I pace back down the hallway and into Xavier’s office. I don’t knock, just push through the door.

He turns to face me, his expression stone cold, his brows furrow and I see his jaw clench and I can’t help but smirk.

“Well, decided to return, did we?”

“Seems that way.” I give him a sarcastic wink and step closer to him, closing the door behind me.

“Are we going to have a problem? Me and you?” He asks, walking over to his crystal decanter and pouring himself a whiskey. I raise my brows just as he narrows his eyes on me and I just shake my head from side to side. “Good.”

I furrow my brows and then I raise them, lifting my chin slightly.

“Oh, sorry, I was saying no to the drink you were offering me, not your previous question.”

“Don’t get smart with me.” Xavier stands tall, his steady eyes on mine as he lifts his tumbler to his lips.

“You can’t keep her prisoner. Give her a little free reign; nothing is going to happen while I am with her.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I can.” I grit, my own jaw clenching.

“I have no idea what these brothers are planning, all it would take is for one of us to drop the ball…”

“The ball isn’t going to be dropped Xavier, I can promise you that. I have the team back home ready to hack into their phones, track our every move… but until then, let her be.” I still, pulling out the chair opposite his desk and slumping into it. I feel exhausted, jet lag is kicking my ass but I’m not about to let it win.

His eyes pull from mine and they settle onto the file on his desk. He looks uneasy, as if he has the weight of the world on his shoulders, his mind racing at a million miles an hour.

It unnerves me.

“Do you have a plan? Has anything changed since I’ve been here?” I ask, not sure if I am overstepping but my priority is Amora, and if anything has changed then I have the right to know about it.

“A plan?” one of his brows raise and I don’t miss the downturn of his lips, before he rubs them together and gives me a curt nod.

“Care to share?”

“You’re a poet and you didn’t know it…” he smirks, taking another mouthful of his drink and wincing at the burn. “I’ve made a deal with the Knight brothers…” he pauses, pulling his own seat out and slumping down into it. This has piqued my interest, I sit taller, shuffling to the edge of my seat, my legs open as I let my hands hang between them.

“What kind of deal?”

“It’s on a need-to-know basis…”

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