“Quinn!” I scold her for being so damn nosy, but I know it’s in her nature to pry. With her inquiring mind, she’s like the epitome of a gossip magazine.
I’m not even sure if Xavier is allowed to talk about what actually happened, not that I think Quinn would run off and reveal the truth about the situation to anyone. Tension has done a lot to get this incident swept under the rug, so I don’t want Xavier to say anything that might jeopardize that.
Quinn glances at me through her rearview mirror. “What? Can I not ask that? I just want to make sure that you’re safe with him, Anna. You’re my cousin, and it’s my responsibility to look out for you since you’re new to this whole living-on-your-own thing.”
I smile and place my hand on her shoulder. “Rest assured, he’s taking good care of me.”
In the rearview mirror, I spot her eyes stealing a quick glance at Xavier before turning back to the road.
“That’s good to hear. I would hate to be forced to figure out a way to kick the big guy’s ass,” she says.
Xavier turns his head, and a playful smile lights up his side profile. “Threats of violence? Really?”
Quinn shrugs. “We Cortez women stick together. If you fuck with one of us, you’d better be prepared to have your eyes clawed out because we work in packs.”
This earns her a full-on deep rumble of a laugh from him. “Remind me never to piss either one of you off then. I’m partial to my eyesight since these eyes allow me to view Anna’s beautiful body.”
“Aw,” Quinn gushes. “That’s so sweet, but you are completely avoiding my question.”
I bite my tongue to keep myself from saying anything. It’s not my place to tell Xavier’s business, so I sit back and give him time to address her.
“It’s like this, Quinn,” Xavier starts. “I’m so damn good at my job that everyone who watched my last live match is now convinced that I actually hurt Assassin.”
“But you didn’t?” she questions as she turns onto the freeway.
Xavier shakes his head. “No. He was hurt because I hit him a little too hard, but what happened in the ring had all been planned out, and it was a part of the show. I was just an idiot who’s strength hurt someone.”
She’s quiet. At first, I don’t think she buys his story, but then she nods with a thoughtful expression on her face.
“That seems plausible. It looked real though. Hell, even I bought into it because I know that you’ve had some beef with him in the past.”
“How do you know that?” he asks, clearly intrigued at how Quinn has that information.
I know he’s probably thinking that I told her about the Rex situation, but I didn’t. Quinn was always too worried about my sexual relationship with Xavier for me to even discuss his workplace drama with her.
She shrugs. “The Internet. I’ll admit that I proficiently stalked you before I granted you the okay to spend a lot of time with Anna.”
Xavier turns his head toward my cousin, and a smirk crosses his face. “I’m glad you’re looking out for her. It’s good to know that Anna’s safety is a priority for us both.”
I smile, thinking about how two of my favorite people in the world want to protect me. It’s nice to know that they love me that much.
We make small talk as Xavier directs Quinn off the freeway and through all the streets leading us to Nettie’s diner. We turn the last corner, and the restaurant comes into view. It’s standing just the same as we left it a few weeks ago with its white brick exterior and the blue sign hanging over the entrance that simply reads, Diner. This is Xavier’s comfort spot, the place that feels like home to him, which is why he leaves his motorcycle parked in the shed at the back of the building.
Nettie and Carl are two people he trusts. They are more like parents to him than friends.
Quinn parks in the diner parking lot. “I’ll wait here and then follow you to where you are staying to drop off your luggage.”
“Sounds good,” Xavier tells her before he opens the car door.
His lean frame towers over the vehicle as he steps outside. He folds the passenger seat forward, extends his hand to me, and helps me get out of Quinn’s two-door coupe.
“We to get the key to the house.” His strong arm snakes around my shoulders as he leads me inside. “We need to at least go inside and make sure that Nettie knows we’ll be in town for a while.”
I laugh. “You’d better, or Nettie might give you that spanking she threatened you with the past couple of times she saw you.”
The corner of his mouth turns up into a grin. “She’s been threatening me with that for years, and she’s yet to make good on it.”
“She might just surprise you one day.”
He gazes down at me with what can only be described as a you-can’t-be-serious-right-now expression. “I’m pretty sure I can take her if she comes at me.”
“I don’t know,” I say in a singsong voice. “According to Carl, he can take you. If you mess with Nettie, he might just step in.”
Xavier throws his head back and laughs as he pushes open the door to the diner. “I’d like to see him try.”
The sound of his laugh catches Nettie’s attention, and her face lights up when her eyes land on Xavier. She races out from behind the counter and bear-hugs him. His impressive arms make Nettie appear so tiny as he squeezes her against his chest in a loving embrace.
It’s sweet how she treats him like a son. I’m glad that he’s had Nettie and Carl looking out for him all these years.
Nettie pulls back, but she’s still holding Xavier in front of her by gripping his arms. “You’re back already? Not that I’m complaining. You know I always love to see you. I’m surprised because I didn’t expect to see you again for a while since your vacation just ended.” Her gaze flicks over to me, and her grin widens when she notices me standing next to Xavier. “Anna, honey, it’s good to see you, too.”
I grin. “How have you been, Nettie?”
“Oh, can’t complain too much, sugar. Business has picked up a little, so Carl and I have been busy, which is great. We could use our busboy back to help out around here.” Nettie winks at Xavier.
“The way things have been going, Nettie, I might take you up on that offer.”
She tilts her head and studies his face. Xavier sighs under the weight of her stare.
He and Nettie have such a connection that she’s able to read the hesitation on his face, and she instantly knows that something is wrong.
Nettie clucks her tongue. “I know that expression. You going to tell me what’s wrong, or am I gonna have to pry it out of ya?”
“It’s work,” he admits. “I fucked up, Nettie.”
Her face softens. “Well, we all do from time to time, honey. Come on in here and let me fix you something to eat while you tell me all about it.”
“No, Nettie. We really can’t—”
“Of course you can,” she completely cuts off Xavier’s attempt to explain that Quinn’s waiting out front for us.
She jerks her head toward the cooking area on the other side of the counter so fast that her braids whip around her face. “Carl, get your butt out here.”
“Hold your damn horses, woman. I’m coming,” Carl calls from the other side of the door that leads back into what I’ve learned is the stockroom /office/break room.
The gray-headed cook swings open the heavy wooden door that separates the front of the restaurant from the back. Carl’s eyes light up as soon as he spots us. “What up, X? You back already? Did you get canned over that match going south the other night? I saw that on TV. Man, you really fu—”
“Hush, Carl. Don’t be jumping to conclusions like that. He’s done told us over and over that everything is scripted. None of them boys really fight.”
“Actually, Nettie, Carl’s right,” Xavier admits. “I got suspended for losing my shit and attacking Rex in the ring.”
Nettie’s mouth gapes open while Carl shouts, “Told ya!” behind her.
&nbs
p; “What?” She’s shocked by the news. “I thought you was done with all that fighting bullshit when you turned legit. You know the trouble that comes with laying your hands on another man. You should know better.”
“I know. The guy has been giving me shit for months, and I let it all go, but he crossed the line when he started fucking with Anna. I wasn’t going to allow him to hurt her or take her away from me.”
It stings, hearing him admit out loud that I’m the reason he lost his head in the ring, and it’s all the more reason I need to do everything I can to get him reinstated as quickly as possible. I won’t be able to live with myself, knowing I ruined his career.
Nettie’s gaze drifts over to me for a split second before returning to Xavier. There was uneasiness in her expression that makes me wonder what she’s so worried about. “So, the two of you will be in town for a while?”
He nods. “Yeah, and that’s why I’m here. I need my bike. Anna’s cousin picked us up from the airport and is waiting out front. She’s going to follow us over to my house on Sycamore to drop off our luggage.”
Nettie’s mouth drops open. “You’re going to stay on the Block? You sure you want to go down there?”
“I don’t have any other option. Tension is fining me a hundred fifty thousand dollars. I have to pay in order to keep my ass out of jail.”
“You have to pay that man? I wouldn’t do that. That’s too much damn money.”
“I have to. Giving that asshole money to go along with the explanation Tension created about the situation is far better than sitting in some cell or serving community service. If I don’t pay him, he won’t go along with the story that me beating his ass was a stunt gone too far.”
“So, you’re going to stay in your grandmother’s house? Are you sure you can handle that? You couldn’t even handle coming to her funeral when she passed away last year. How are you going to deal with living in a place surrounded by her things and all the memories they hold?”
It’s the first bit of information that I’ve learned about the house Xavier owns. It’s obvious that something about his grandmother strikes a nerve with him, which explains why he never wants to discuss the house that’s in his name.
“Paying all this money plus getting no pay during the suspension will nearly break my bank account. I won’t have the extra money to live in a hotel. There’s no other option.”
Nettie’s lips roll down into a frown. “If staying at that house overwhelms you, come back and stay in your old bed in the stockroom.”
Xavier gives her a small smile. “Thanks, but I don’t think both of us will fit on a twin mattress in a broom closet.”
“You come to us if you need anything.” Nettie reaches over and takes my hand. Her smooth brown skin is warm as it connects with mine. “That goes for you, too, Anna. Things get out of control, you let me and Carl know.”
“I will. Thank you,” I tell her.
Nettie pulls back and sighs. “Be careful down there, Xavier. Things have changed a lot. Bishop’s running things around the Block now, and when word gets back to him that you’re staying down there, he’s going to come looking for you. I don’t want to hear one peep about you getting mixed up with him again.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve learned my lesson on messing around with those guys. I don’t plan on going back to that life anytime soon.”
She slightly narrows one eye. “Better not. You’ve pulled yourself out of that gutter, and if you mess around and get tangled up with Bishop, old Nettie here is going to whip your butt.”
“Trust me, Nettie. As soon as this suspension is lifted in three months, I’m out of there, and you can go back to checking on the house while I’m gone.”
That answer seems to satisfy her. She lifts her hand and pats his cheek. “Don’t be strangers while you two are in town. Come in and eat whenever you want—on us.”
He lays his hand on top of hers while it rests on his face. “Thank you.”
Nettie takes in a long breath. “Let me go grab your keys from the office. I’ll be right back.”
Xavier reaches down and threads his fingers through mine. It sounds like going back to his old stomping grounds is going to be rough for Xavier. I’m not exactly sure who this Bishop person is, but from the worried expression on Nettie’s face when she was warning Xavier to stay away from him, I’d say he’s bad news.
Chapter 5
Xavier
The rumble of my bike’s engine echoes off the tightly knit houses in the run-down neighborhood that I once called home. Everything is just how I remembered it, except most of the tiny two-story houses now have boarded up windows. I never thought I would be back on this street—never wanted to either—but here I am, moving back into the one house I swore I would never set foot in again.
If it weren’t for my mother making me promise her to always be here at this house so that she could find me, I would not have bought the shithole my grandmother had owned. I felt obligated to buy it when the church she’d left it to put it up for sale. I never had any intention of living in the place that’s the center of most of my nightmares, but it’s where I figured Mom would find her way back to if she were an angel. Mom always came back here when she was fucked up on drugs. It was like she could find it even if she were out of her mind.
Every time I think about my mother, my mind always wonders about how things would’ve been different for me if she weren’t an addict. When I was young, I knew I wasn’t like the other kids at school. In my neighborhood, having a junkie as a parent was common, but most didn’t have to contend with a lunatic grandmother who was hell-bent on beating the demon out of them.
My bike bounces a bit when I turn into the driveway. The concrete is cracked and riddled with holes from years of neglect. If it weren’t for Nettie and Carl maintaining the place, I’m sure the rest of the place would be in bad shape, too.
I stare up at the brown house, and I zero in on the rusted wrought iron railing caging in the front porch like a prison. Quinn’s Honda parks directly behind me, and the girls get out of the car.
Quinn shields her eyes from the evening sun as she tilts her head up to examine the house. “You sure the two of you will be safe staying here? The neighborhood isn’t known to be a beacon of safety. Every shooting on the local news comes from this part of town.”
“He was raised here, Quinn. I’m sure Xavier wouldn’t bring us here if he thought we’d run into trouble.”
Anna’s sweet for saying that, but she’s aware this isn’t the safest place after the conversation we had with Nettie earlier.
I think the pep-talk is more to ease Quinn’s mind than her trying to get me to admit how horrible this place is.
Quinn turns to Anna, and her lips pull into a frown. “I don’t like the idea of you being down here. This place is the epitome of concrete jungle. The whole kill-or-be-killed mentality is very real in this neighborhood. It just doesn’t feel right, leaving you somewhere like this.”
Anna places her hand on Quinn’s forearm in an attempt to reassure her again. “Please, don’t worry. Xavier will be here with me. He’ll protect me.”
Warmth spreads through my chest as confidence rings in her voice.
I place my hand over my heart. “I’ll guard her with my life.”
“You’d better,” Quinn says. “I know where you live now.”
“This isn’t exactly home,” I reply coolly as my eyes narrow at the house in front of me.
Quinn glances over at Anna and raises her eyebrows. It’s clear that she wants to know the story about me and this house, but Anna doesn’t say a word. She just simply shakes her head.
“Okay then, maybe we should get your bags unloaded.” Quinn walks around to the back of the Honda.
After gathering Anna’s and my luggage, I head for the front door to face the demons of my past.
Chapter 6
Anna
Xavier sets the bags down and then fishes a set of keys from the pocket of his jeans.
>
My breath actually catches when he twists the knob and pushes open the front door. I don’t know what I’m about to walk into, but the tension floating in the air is so thick that I can feel it pushing down on my shoulders.
From what I can tell, Xavier is dreading going inside.
When Quinn steps up onto the porch, Xavier turns his head in her direction. “Thanks for the ride and for bringing our bags, but I think we’ve got it from here.”
Xavier turns to head inside, leaving Quinn and me alone on the front porch. The second he’s out of sight, Quinn grabs my arm and drags me back down the steps toward her car.
“What are you doing?” I question.
“I don’t like this. He’s being weird, and this house . . . it’s scary, Anna. The neighborhood isn’t exactly the kind of place you want to be when it gets dark. I think you need to leave him here, and you come and stay at my place. We can share my room, and if you need something to take your mind off of X, you can help me and Brock with the wedding.”
I pull back, halting Quinn in her tracks and she releases me. “I’m not leaving him, Quinn. He needs me.”
Her lips pull into a tight line as she studies my face. “Are you sure? It feels wrong to leave you here.”
“I’ve never been more certain about anything in my life,” I honestly tell her.
That earns me a small smile from her. “You love him.”
It’s not a question but a statement. I should’ve known that Quinn would be able to figure out how deeply I care for Xavier before I even had a chance to tell her. She’s excellent at reading me.
“I do,” I admit. “I love him so much that it scares me—like, it’s hard to breathe when I think about not being with him.”
“Damn, cuz. You’ve got it bad. I understand though. We Cortez women tend to do crazy, irrational things when it comes to the men we love, so I know there’s no dragging you away from this place, no matter how much I don’t want you to be here.”
I nod. “Thank you for understanding. I promise, I’ll be safe.”
She reaches out and grabs my hand, giving it a little squeeze. “I meant what I said earlier. Things get rough, you call me. I don’t want you over here, stressed or in a dangerous situation.”