Chapter 14 Xavier
I want to die. I want the earth to open up and swallow me whole.
First, the movers pack up my toy drawer.
Not only does Declan know about them, but so does Ronan.
It’s only sex toys, but I feel ripped open.
These men are strangers to me. I’m sure they wouldn’t like it if someone just uprooted their lives.
Yet my life has been put in a blender on high.
“Keep your comments to yourself,” Declan growls at him. Ronan holds up his hands.
“Touchy, touchy. Look, you asked me to come over, so here I am. It’s not my fault that I overheard.
” He walks to the table by the door, grabs a medium-sized box, and sets it on the coffee table directly across from me.
Opening it, he takes out a small box and offers it to me.
“This is the latest iPhone. All of your information has been switched over, so it’s good to go. ”
I take it from him. I feel heat bloom on my cheeks. Did he look through my information? My pictures? Oh dear God, my pictures.
He pulls a laptop from the box next to it.
“This is your new laptop. I’m surprised that it still works.
I transferred your files from your old one.
All the files,” he winks at me. All the files.
ALL the files. Fuck me, my porn stash. My chest feels tight.
I’m not sure how much more of this I can take.
He gives me a smartwatch. The whole time Ronan is going through everything, I don’t utter a sound. I keep my eyes locked on the items that Ronan is handing me. I’m overwhelmed all over again. “You got any questions?” Ronan asks me. I shake my head. I still can’t look at either of them.
What could I possibly say that would help this situation?
My life is being hijacked right in front of me.
And here I sit letting it happen. I have no apartment, less than $330 to my name, and I don’t know where my car is.
I’m underwater, and I just took in a lung full of water instead of much-needed air.
“That’s number three. You are really racking up the favors you owe me,” Ronan says to Declan.
“No, that is only one. You didn’t find him before I did, so I don’t owe you for that.”
“He’s here, isn’t he? You owe me for that,” Ronan says. His voice is flat, matter-of-fact. “He wouldn’t be here this soon if not for me. Well, with Finn’s suggestion and my actions.”
I look up so fast that I’m afraid I just gave myself whiplash. “What did you just say? What do you mean, I’m here because of you?” I have a million things going through my head. What did he do? Why does Declan owe him for it? Ronan looks at me again, without any expression.
“I said I got you here sooner than Declan could have. Finn mentioned that if you lost your apartment, then you would have to take this one. You got your eviction notice, right?”
Declan told me he had nothing to do with it.
I stupidly believed him. I remember the feeling of relief when he denied it.
If my past taught me anything, it’s not to trust. And here I am, going against that hard-learned lesson.
I jump to my feet, all the new electronics falling to the floor, and round on Declan.
Suddenly, I’m done with all of this. I don’t care if I have to sleep on the street.
“You fucking lied straight to my face! You can’t stand that I dared to tell you no.
This is why I told you no.” I point at Ronan, “I don’t need someone else fucking up my life.
But like the entitled fucking bastard that you are, you decided to do it anyway.
” I am so angry that my entire body is vibrating.
I no longer care how rich and powerful he and his family are.
He has no right to corner me like this. A sick feeling washes over me. I can’t let this go on.
“I didn’t lie to you at any time, nor did I have anything to do with the eviction.
Apparently, Ronan and Finn did it. You were going to get here eventually, so it sped up the timeline.
” He says this so calmly that I am taken aback for a minute.
My mouth hangs open at the sheer audacity of the man standing in front of me. For a second, I can’t even speak.
“And you think that justifies it?” I ask when I finally find my voice.
“It solved a problem.”
“You’re fucking crazy, you know that. Solved a problem for whom?
You? Cause it sure as fuck didn’t solve anything for me.
You got me evicted from my home!” I’m yelling at this point.
His jaw tightens. “You know what, never mind. I can see that no matter what I say, you either can’t or won’t see how what you did is wrong. Ronan, where’s my old phone?”
“Recycled,” he says so casually. It’s like he just told me about the weather.
I grab the box containing the new phone.
“I’ll take it as payment for the clusterfuck that you’ve caused.
” Taking the phone from the packaging, I slip it into my pocket and, without saying another word, I start walking to the door.
I’ll be damned if I stay in this place one more second.
It’s filled with lies and half-truths. It stinks of manipulation and coercion, so much so that I’m choking on it.
“Xavier, where do you think you are going?” Declan calls out to me. I don’t answer him. I don’t look his way or acknowledge him. I don’t owe him anything.
Before I can reach the door, he grabs my arm and pulls me around to face him.
I can tell by the look in his eyes and the set of his jaw that I’m in for a fight.
I try to pull away from him, but he only tightens his grip on my arm.
His fingers wrap around me, somehow both gentle and firm.
I stand firm, facing him. There was something in his eyes that wasn’t there before.
Not anger, not irritation, something I can’t read.
His hand on me gentles a little more. The otherworldly green eyes that I had admired the first time I saw him are searching my face.
“You’re not walking out on me,” his voice low and steady.
“Watch me.”