15. Xander
Xander
Andrie was avoiding me. I knew I’d been pushing too hard.
But I couldn’t seem to help myself. Still, I’d expected her to kick me out for a day or two when she needed space, not outright vanish for almost a week.
I knew she saw the rescued women, meeting with them one on one and in groups until, one by one, they’d moved on—either back to their homes or to other places for a fresh start.
She likely needed time to recover from taking care of them as best she could and listening to their shared trauma.
Plus, she was working on getting her new office at Accardi Tactical ready for clients, moving patient files, making sure each of her clients knew where they were going and if they even felt comfortable moving offices or wanted to remain at the current location.
But when she started turning off her lights before eight, well before I got home from helping Vik, I knew I wasn’t imagining things, and I could no longer use the excuse that she was simply busy.
It was almost comical how she waited until the last possible minute in the morning to leave, bolting out the door, waving when I tried to intercept her and citing patient appointments.
I couldn’t go to her office—I’d stick out like a sore thumb—and breaking into her house wouldn’t win me any points. Not to mention, I had no doubt she’d call the cops on me just to reiterate her unspoken statement to leave her be.
Regardless, not seeing her for so long made me restless.
I missed her. Grimm had pointed my energy to good use, letting me have my way with a few street thugs who’d thought they could grab territory after the main chapter of the Iron Wraiths had moved out of the city.
And it had taken some time for us to find each and every person who’d known—or sampled—the women from the truck.
Some people just didn’t deserve the life they were given.
Others needed to be taught their place in it.
It was just as well I didn’t see Andrie some of those nights after taking part in things she’d no doubt disapprove of, despite her words the other day.
Even though I cleaned up before returning home, I still felt covered in filth, the encounters too close to my past life.
Not that I’d opt out—those women deserved to know everyone who was involved or could have done something to help and decided not to had paid for their crimes.
What made everything different was that it had been my choice to participate.
Demi would have faced severe consequences, if not outright death, if he hadn’t done as ordered.
Here, Grimm and the others had made sure I’d known I had the option of participating as much or as little as I wanted.
And I had brother-in-arms who supported that decision and gathered as a group after each of our “outings” to decompress.
As odd as it would sound to an outsider, securing—and enforcing—Grimm’s rule over the streets had brought me closer to these men than I’d been to anyone besides Vik.
I learned Savage and Shade were the jokers of the group, but while Savage was happy to participate in any sort of devious behavior, Shade was more apt to sit back and watch.
I knew the blood and other bodily fluids didn’t bother him—the man owned a crime scene and industrial cleaning franchise and was the go-to guy for any cleanup necessary.
Whisp didn’t have an issue when it came to killing or torture, but he wasn’t one to play either, preferring to get right to the point.
Wyck was happy to provide the muscle but stayed out of anything other than punching and the odd bone-break.
Jasper, who was the MC’s medic and an actual doctor, didn’t go on these runs of ours.
I wasn’t sure if that was because he worked nights or if it was too many steps past his Hippocratic oath.
I knew there were a few more men who made up the MC, but their whereabouts hadn’t been mentioned, and I wasn’t about to ask.
Vik had taken to the assignment with more gusto than I’d remembered him having in our past lives. But one questioning glance from me only had him shaking his head, muttering about having seen horrors worse than what we’d seen the other night and exorcising memories.
Thinking of Andrie and what she might have experienced had me only too happy to help Vik work through his demons.
Anyone who thought forcing themselves on another person or forcing someone to perform sexual acts against their will was okay deserved that mental and physical anguish turned back onto them.
“What are you going to do about her?” Vik asked, handing me a beer as we sat in his living room. It was after seven in the morning, the sun was just starting to rise in the sky, but to us, it wasn’t even time for bed yet.
Taking a swig of my beer, I gave into the urge to look at the darkened house next door. To anyone else, I would’ve bluffed my way through it. But this was my brother. “Not a damned clue.”
“You know she’s running from you? Metaphorically, speaking, of course. She’s really hung up on an old boyfriend,” he said wryly. “Swore to love him forever. He was her one and only. The sentimental fucker was just as wrapped up in her.”
I grunted. “A childish fantasy, thinking you’ll always get your happily ever after.” But one I still clung to, just as hard as Andrie was.
“Instead, you damn near mirrored Romeo and Juliet. Except for the suicide.” Vik cocked his head. “Well, you’re not entirely far off from the suicide, orchestrating your own death and all.”
I flipped him off, causing him to grin. “How did you get her to fall in love with you the first time?” he asked curiously. “If it worked once …”
Shrugging, I took another sip. “Honestly, I’m not sure. I was a cold bastard; that’s for certain. She was all sweetness and light. I didn’t want to sully that sort of innocence by having her anywhere near me.”
“Not for long. You two were gone on each other faster than I could blink. After one look, she claimed you as hers,” he remembered. “She just put herself into your life, and you welcomed her as your personal angel. One you tried to keep safe from the world we lived in.”
“I took care of her the best I could in private. I hated going out, having to pretend she didn’t matter when we were in public.
” It had never bothered her, staying in.
I’d cooked her favorite meals, we’d watched American movies, and we’d just talked.
I’d shown Alex the parts of me I’d kept hidden, even from myself.
I loved taking care of her, showing her how much she meant to me.
But Vik had me thinking. Setting down my beer, I ignored his confused expression as I got up and headed for the door.
By the time I was down the porch steps I had moved into a jog toward her house.
Pausing at her door just long enough to take a steadying breath, I didn’t let myself think too hard about what I was doing as I raised a hand to knock.
I heard the faint sound of shuffling inside and, half-afraid she was going to pretend she didn’t hear me, I pounded again, harder that time.
The sound of locks being thrown finally had me stopping, and I resisted the urge to smile at Andrie’s exasperated expression as she yanked open the door, toothbrush dangling from her mouth.
“Good morning, su-sunshine,” I quickly caught myself from using her old nickname.
Without waiting for an invitation that might never come to pass, I sidled by her, heading straight to her kitchen as if I owned it.
“I know we’ve been missing each other the last few days, so I figured I’d at least make you breakfast while you finish getting ready. ”
Andrie went to try to speak around the toothbrush, but I casually looked at my wrist. “Though, I guess I’d better hurry. It looks like you’re already running late.”
Rolling her eyes, she rushed back to her bedroom while I took stock of her kitchen pantry.
I’d learned that first day that Andrie’s style was ultra-modern—European in its design and very minimalistic.
The ceiling, one wall of upper cabinets, and the counters were stark white.
All the lower cabinets and an accent wall that contained a double oven and microwave were painted matte dark blue.
Not a single item was on the counter or could be found in the sink.
The orderly nature didn’t bother me because it mirrored my own style.
But living with Alex had been like living in the middle of a tornado—she’d never put anything back in its place.
I’d more than once tripped over clothing left all on the floor or shoes in front of the door, and dishes from dinner were always left until the next day, which inevitably was right before she needed them again.
Now, while beautiful and peaceful, her kitchen—and the rest of the house—didn’t feel like Alex at all. Honestly, it didn’t fit Andrie either. The order and cleanliness, absolutely, but the small touches of personality were missing. Where were the flowers, the small knick-knacks, photos on the wall?
One step at a time, I reminded myself before refocusing on the task at hand and opening the refrigerator.
No time for anything fancy, which was fortunate, because she didn’t have a whole lot to choose from.
Still, by the time she returned, I was assembling an egg, cheese, and thin slice of tomato between a toasted bagel and had a thermos of coffee ready to go.
“Here, darling,” I said as she opened her mouth, shoving the coffee cup in one hand and the bagel in the other. “I put your purse and briefcase in your car and started it so the air conditioning could start cooling things down. It’s going to be a hot one today.”
Ushering her out the door, I pulled her house keys from their proper place on a hook and locked the door behind us both.
She looked adorable, a mixture of confusion and aggravation on her face as I steamrolled her.
Opening her car door, I had to wink when she stared up at me, not getting in for a long moment.
“You’re going to be late,” I prompted softly.
Cursing under her breath, she ducked into her little sedan. “We’re going to talk about this later,” she threatened, pulling on her seatbelt.
“Absolutely,” I agreed mildly, resisting the urge to grin. “What time are you home from work tonight?”
Seeing my trap too late, she narrowed her eyes at me. “Late.”
“Great! Me, too. Text me when you’re getting ready to leave the office.
I’ll get Vik to hand over your spare key and pick up something for dinner.
We can talk while we eat.” Not giving her a chance to tell me no, I shut her car door, stepping back to give her a little wave.
“See you tonight!” I called, letting my grin free now that I’d gotten my way.
I was pretty sure she flicked me off as she pulled away, but I had to be seeing things.
While Alex would have without hesitation, demure Andrie likely wouldn’t stoop to such behavior.
I hustled back into Vik’s, surprised that, while I’d been gone, Savage had arrived. He and Vik were playing some sort of video game that was paused the second I walked in.
“Well?” Vik asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I might be in late to the bar tonight,” I told him smugly. “I have a date.”