8
Xavier and I sit in the limo as we both peer out of the windows with our bags next to us. I'm wearing a sun hat that Farrah let me borrow and a cream spaghetti strap midi-dress with sandals. Xavier hasn't mentioned where he's taking me, but deep down I trust him. He hasn't given me any reason to not trust him. This time with him has been—bizarre.
“Sir, we’re here.” I hear Carl say from up ahead. When I look out the window I see the marina and I smile. My eyes gaze over to Xavier’s and I can tell he's trying hard to hold back a smile too. Carl opens the door, reaching his hand out to me and I take it.
“Thanks, Carl.” I smile as he takes my bag from me. Carl looks on high alert as his eyes bounce all over the place. Xavier steps out and surprisingly takes my hand in his as we walk towards the boats lined up at the dock. Carl follows close behind as we make our way to the nicest yacht on the dock. I see the captain and a few crew members waiting for us up ahead.
“Mr. and Mrs. Almasi, it's a pleasure to sail with you today,” he says to the both of us. I smile at him then over to Xavier before my eyes gaze back to the stunning yacht floating behind them.
“I hope this won’t be too boring for you,” Xavier casually whispers in my ear. I can’t hold back my smile as I peer up into his eyes.
“Absolutely not,” I say as my heart almost bursts.
“Good,” he says as he walks towards the dock. My eyes trail up and down his body as he confidently follows the captain. I said I wanted out of his boring house, not for him to rent an entire yacht for me. I look back at Carl holding our bags and he smirks at me. I wonder how much this cost Xavier.
“This will be good for both of you,” Carl says under his breath.
“What do you mean?” I say, slowing down and letting him catch up to me.
“The last person he killed—for some reason it really affected him.” He sighs and my face falls. I’m not sure how many people he’s killed so far because of me, but my heart shatters as I break my gaze from Carl and towards Xavier. Maybe he’s not the cocky badass I thought. Maybe deep down he thinks that because he couldn’t save Nora he has to save me. I swallow hard before I eventually catch back up to Xavier.
────
After touring the yacht, Xavier and I sit at the front of the yacht. The waves crash softly below us as we both take in the stunning 360-degree views. I should be happy that he’s done this for me, but there has been something on my mind for the past several days. Emerson . How do I tell Xavier that someone was undercover in that specific trafficking operation? Moreover, how do I tell him that I knew about it for this long and didn’t tell him? At least without sounding suspicious. For all I know he could’ve killed him already. If so, Emerson’s blood will be on my hands. I listen as the waves continue crashing against the yacht and then flashback to Emerson and I’s last conversation.
“Hi,” Xavier says, startling me.
“Hi,” I force a smile.
“Is everything okay?” He says handing me a glass of champagne. I shake my head and his face falls.
“No,” I exhale long and hard before I make my way over towards the couch. As I plop down onto the cream cushion my heart begins to flutter as I try to quickly come up with the right way to tell him. I feel the couch dip as he sits beside me. “What is it, Lina?” He asks as his eyes squint over at me.
“I should have told you sooner, but honestly—” I pause as I search his eyes.
“I didn’t know if I could trust you and now that I know I can, there’s something you need to know,” I swallow hard before I chug back the champagne that gives me courage.
“When I was in that warehouse, I met a man and he told me he was undercover and I—” I say and Xavier interrupts me.
“And you didn’t think to tell me this sooner?” I watch his nostrils flare open.
“For fucks sake Lina this changes everything.” He shakes his head as he stares off at the water.
“I’m sorry, I should have—”
“Yes, you should have.”
I watch as he walks off below deck and for the life of me I can’t hold back any of my tears. Within seconds they stream down my face. I look out at the water through blurred vision. I hope I did the right thing.
────
I spent the rest of the afternoon alone on the deck of the yacht. I buried myself in a book that Farrah packed for me. I’m thankful for her today. It’s not one I would have picked, but I force myself to read page after page. I haven’t seen Xavier in almost two hours. He disappeared below deck with Carl. My mind is on overdrive as I continue to reread the same sentence over and over again. I can’t focus.
“Miss. Almasi.” One of the crew members says from behind me. I turn around and see a blonde woman smiling at me.
“Your husband requests your presence. Lunch is ready.” She says as she turns towards the stairs that lead below. I close my book and shove it in my bag as I follow her down the stairs. As we turn the corner I see Xavier sitting down at a round table with Carl standing behind him. The table is covered with a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables.
“I’m not hungry,” I say, turning around back towards the stairs.
“Sit,” Xavier says sternly.
“I said, I’m not hungry.”
“And I said, sit. Now ," he says, pulling out the chair next to him. As I sit down next to him he tilts his head back, taking a deep breath. We sit at the table as silence fills the yacht. My eyes glance up to Carl and he gives me a friendly wink. I smile then trail my eyes back to Xavier.
“I wish you would have told me sooner,” he says.
“To be honest, I didn’t know if I could trust you just yet. Hell, you just paid twelve million dollars for me. I had no idea what your true intentions were.” I exhale and silence falls between us again.
“I can understand that,” he says, pouring two glasses of champagne. He slides one of the glasses over to me and my eyes hold his.
“Is there anything else you wish to tell me?” He asks.
“Only that he told me his name was Emerson,” I say with our eyes continuing to stay glued on one another. He nods as he exhales.
“Please tell me you haven’t killed anyone by that name,” I say with a quivering voice.
“I have not, no.”
“I’ve replayed our last conversation over and over. He said that once the transaction is complete the FBI would somehow be able to track who I was sold to,” I say, quietly. Xavier smiles as he drinks his champagne completely unfazed by my words.
“The FBI won’t be able to track shit. Do they think I’m stupid enough to use my real name?” He smiles up at Carl.
“Maybe they can track you by the account you used then.”
“I paid cash.”
“Oh.” My eyes widen as I watch his entire demeanor shift.
“Listen, Lina, no more secrets. Okay?” He lifts his champagne towards me.
“If we’re going to get through this together, no more secrets.” He adds and I nod my head.
“No more secrets,” I say as we both clink our glasses together.
“And I hate to break it to you, but Emerson or whatever the hell his name is wasn’t there to save you. If he was part of the FBI, the place would’ve been surrounded within minutes if they knew you were there. Hell, your face was plastered all over the news for days,” he says and my heart sinks because damn it, he’s right.
────
Xavier and I sit on the couch watching the sun melt into the dark water. After lunch, we came back up here and talked for hours. Hours of continuing to get to know one another. Hours of laughter and smiles. For some reason, I feel closer to him after today. Just as land begins to become in sight again, I feel Xavier’s hand on mine. Goosebumps fill my arms as I look up at him.
“You're cold, take my jacket.” He stands holding out his coat to me. I slide one arm in as I look back at Carl who is trying to hide the smile that forms on his face.
“Thank you.” I smile up at him. He brushes the hair from my face and my heart flutters hard against my chest as I stare into his light-brown eyes. I know this is an odd circumstance and I have absolutely no idea what on earth is going to happen next, but something inside of me can’t help but inch closer to him. I watch as he swallows hard holding my stare. However, our moment is interrupted by a crew member coming up the stairs.
“Mr. Almasi, we’re about to dock, sir.” He says, smiling between us. Xavier nods and looks down at me before draping his arm over me. We sit on the couch nestled close as the waves continue to crash against the yacht. I needed this today, I think deep down we both did.
────
Xavier
Lina and I walk inside the dark house. Farrah has gone home for the night. When Lina told me the truth about a man named Emerson today, I was upset. Upset that she kept it from me, but after talking to Carl, what should she have done? She didn’t trust me at first, she didn't know what my true intentions were. So I found it hard to be upset with her. I didn’t find out by mistake or from someone else, she told me. She trusts me. And now, I trust her.
She walks up the stairs in front of me and my eyes trail up and down her body for the millionth time today. As we approach her door she turns back around slowly holding my gaze.
“Thank you for today,”
“You’re quite welcome,” I say, smiling down at her. “Thank you for trusting me enough to be honest with me earlier,” I add and the corners of her mouth turn up.
“Oh, your jacket,” she turns around and begins to take it off. I help her slide her arm out and then take it from her. The moment our hands touch my eyes jolt to hers. Our gaze continues to hold and before I know it we inch closer and closer until our lips are at last pressed together. We kiss in her doorway, softly and slowly. My hand cradles her face as my world slowly blurs. I feel her petite hand trail its way up my back. As we pull away, I accidentally let out a small grunt.
I watch as her hand gradually touches her lips and it’s in that moment I know she’s felt it too. You can’t ignore a feeling like that. Her brown eyes hold mine as we both stand there silently, not knowing what to say or do next.
“Goodnight Xavier.” She shoots me a half-smile before she disappears behind her door. “Goodnight Lina,” I say softly in the empty hallway, wondering what in the absolute hell just happened.
────
The next morning, as I walk down the stairs I hear giggling coming from the kitchen. When I round the corner I see Farrah and Lina laughing while making breakfast.
“Sir,” Farrah dips her head towards me. I smile at her before my eyes make their way into Lina’s. She smiles softly holding my gaze as I make my way towards the table. The girls continue making breakfast and I open the newspaper with my eyes occasionally glancing over Lina’s way. Each time our gaze meets my heart hammers hard against my chest.
Before Nora died, I dated a lot. If I’m being honest, there was always a woman either blowing up my phone or glued to my side. However, out of the many that I’ve dated, none ever made me feel like this. I replayed our kiss over and over again last night and each time I did, the same gushing feeling overcame me.
I smile as I flip through the pages of the newspaper. Suddenly, my eyes widen in horror as I see Lina’s smiling face. It’s a photograph of her with two other girls. The headline stops me in my tracks, ‘Two local college girls found dead.’