Chapter 38
Finnicky Luck
Jade
The early-morning sun was bright and joyful, illuminating the dirty and gray motel room. We didn’t get anything on video last night, but we did spend most of the night in each other’s arms.
Alex held me, cleaned me up, found a bottle of water somewhere, and somehow ordered food to the door, all while keeping me in a hug. Like if he loosened his grip, I’d disappear.
The sunlight caught in his dark irises, and I marveled at the color. “You have beautiful eyes,” I whispered, brushing a strand of hair away from his brow. He smiled, soft and slow, still heavy with sleep.
“That’s because my eyes only see you.” He moved closer, pulling me underneath him.
How did I get so lucky?
But luck…was a finicky little thing.
A shadow moved at the window, and Alex shot his gaze to the front door right as it burst open, almost flying off the hinges.
The dark silhouette stepped in quickly, blocking out all light.
Before I could make out the person, Alex was already lifting me off the bed and pressing me to him, a gun pointing to the man.
But it wasn’t just one.
Big, strong, and so many—the men filed into the room, rushing toward us, and that’s when the dark shadow revealed himself.
My biggest misfortune.
Battered from yesterday’s assault, Xavier took a slow step inside with a smile on his face.
I stared at him, urgently trying to understand. Understand how he found us. How he had the upper hand.
“Mon ange,” he said softly. “I told you I’d find you.”
A strong hand grabbed my arm just as a gunshot exploded beside me. It all happened so fast! Alex took the shot, and the man touching me slumped down on the floor, but it was too late.
Our luck ran out.
They were everywhere—their hands, bodies, their smell. Alex held onto me with inhumane strength and raised the gun once more, but I was snatched right out of his grasp.
“Don’t touch h—”
Someone pushed me onto the bed, and someone else was already pulling me across it, but I saw—I saw the group of men jump on Alex, wrestling him to the ground!
And then that snake voice sounded in my ear, his fingers digging into my neck like barbed wire. “Don’t be scared, Jade. I won’t hurt him. Bring him here!”
“Xav-Xavier,” I choked out his name, my eyes glued to the way Alex was dragged across the floor toward us, his hands already bound behind his back.
There were five of them and just one of him. Just one.
“Xavier, please let him go,” I hyperventilated, my world turning upside down right in front of my eyes.
"No, baby." Xavier snaked his arm around my ribcage, trapping me against him. "Never again. I won't ever let you go again."
"Just don't hurt her, Knox. We both don't want that," Alex spoke loudly, his gaze pinned to the filth who held me in his claws.
"I won't." Xavier chuckled easily. "I don't want to hurt her. She's my future wife."
I twisted back to him at those words, the declaration sounding asinine. What the hell was he talking about? His wife?
But a blood-stopping crunch sounded behind me at that moment, and I whirled back toward Alex, witnessing the way a large man was drawing his arm back from Alex’s face. The punch was loud and hard.
“No, don’t touch him!” I writhed in Xavier’s grasp, horrified at the blood immediately dripping from Alex’s nose. “Don’t touch him!”
Another fist flew into Alex’s face instead, and another muffled crunch echoed in the room, startling me into a violent shake. Alex grunted in pain, his body whipping to the side only to receive another fist into his cheek.
“Stop!” I shrieked into the void, panic rising in my bones. "Stop! Please don't hurt him! Xavier! Please make it stop!” The sound of my voice zinged in my ears, and hot tears burst from my eyes, but Xavier was calm.
"It's actually up to you to stop this, Jade,” he breathed in my ear, just as a giant man stepped back, bringing Alex into view.
My love. Blood gushed out of his nostrils and into his mouth, past his broken bottom lip, and dripped off his chin. His hands behind his back, he breathed heavily, the image of his pain cutting me open. I looked into his eyes—his beautiful brown eyes—and there was only love. Only his love.
This must be a bad dream. Just a nightmare. I'm going to wake up soon.
"Come back to me, and I promise I won't have him killed, baby.” Xavier slid his fingers into my hair and gripped hard. “You refuse? And I promise I’ll kill him."
Crack!
The sound was louder and the hit was harder.
“Stop it! Stop!” I pushed against Xavier, focused on only one man—on his knees, his face bloodied, his chest splashed in crimson. He swayed with his eyes closed, unable to respond in any way. "I'll do whatever you want, Xavier, just stop! Please!”
But it didn’t stop. A boot flew into Alex’s stomach, and he keeled over, struggling to cough and take a breath in. I lunged forward, wanting only to stop this, stop time, stop reality! But the sharp pain in my scalp rendered me motionless.
“Tsk, tsk, mon amour.” Xavier yanked on my hair, forcing my knees to hit the floor. He turned me toward him, keeping me at his feet. “Say it. Say you’ll come back.”
“I’ll c-come back!” I croaked, afraid to make him wait. “Just please don’t kill him, Xavier,” I cried quietly, searching his eyes for any hint of compassion. “Please make it stop. Please.”
Xavier looked toward Alex, still holding my hair, keeping me on my knees.
He waited.
One second.
Two.
Three.
And then he nodded.
Alex groaned loudly, just as another hit flew into him, but I couldn’t see. I shuddered, all the words stuck inside me. The monster stood over me, watching me with that indifference in his eyes. Enjoying it.
“Say it again,” he commanded, lifting his hand to signal for the men to pause. Pause their beating of the love of my life! “Say you’ll come back to me.”
My lips trembling, I swallowed my tears, realizing that this was just a show for him. Just entertainment!
“I’ll come b-back to you,” I sobbed, struggling to pronounce the words. “I’ll c-come back. Please just don’t kill him!”
Xavier melted into a small smile. “You hear that, Martinov? She said she’ll come back to me if I don’t kill you.” He chuckled and opened his mouth to say something else, but another voice sounded. Deep and caring. One that I’d grown to love. One that I was petrified I’d lose forever.
"No."
The word slashed through the air, and everyone paused. Slowly, Xavier allowed me to turn back to the horrific sight. Alex was slumped down on the dirty carpet, his hands bound behind him, working overtime to catch his breath, but even like this, even now…he was on my side.
“She won’t come back to you.” His words were muffled, but loud enough for all to hear. “Keep your promise. Kill me…and let her go.”
“Alex!” I screamed, the whole world shattering into a million pieces. “Don’t say that, baby, don’t!”
I was lost. My mind was mush. My eyes couldn’t process reality, but Xavier reminded me who was in charge. He tugged on my hair again, as if it was a leash, turning me toward him once more and relishing the sight of me begging on my knees.
“Please, Xavier,” I spoke as calmly as I could, doing my all to convince him. “I’ll come back, please don't hurt him. I'm begging you. I'll do what you tell me—I'll do whatever you want, just let him g-go!"
I shook in Xavier’s arms, giving him everything I could; myself, my freedom, my life—just make it stop!
Xavier crouched down in front of me, tilting his head in amusement. “Okay. I won't kill him,” he murmured, flooding me with relief only to rip it all away. “But I didn't say I wouldn’t…break him.”
Xavier’s eyes widened and another punch sounded behind me. "Ruin him.” He pulled my hair back and turned me toward Alex—allowing me to get a good look. "Cripple him.”
A man stomped his boot into Alex’s face, the crunch of bone exploding between us. “Destroy him."
“P-please,” I wailed on my knees, addressing the men who watched my suffering and pummeled Alex. “Please stop! Please!”
And they did. They stopped and gave me a moment to look at him. Blood pooled underneath his crimson face, seeping into the carpet. I blinked through my tears, desperately waiting for him to move.
But he lay still.
Xavier let me go only to step in front of me and grip my jaw, slowly bending down to my eye level. I panted, ready to do whatever was asked, but Xavier withdrew something from behind his back instead. His index and middle fingers.
Crossed.
"Oops,” he snickered. “I lied."
It was like a switch. The men began to kick. Loudly, violently, grunting with every swing of their legs. Their boots flew into Alex’s face, his chest, his neck, his legs.
“Watch.” Xavier dug his fingers into my cheeks, keeping me on my knees and my face turned toward Alex. “Watch what happens when you disobey me, Jade.”
I shuddered with every kick into Alex’s body, but he didn’t move.
“Xavier, please,” I whispered, broken and subdued, forced to watch the death of the love of my life. “I’ll do whatever you tell me. I’ll do anything you want! I’ll come back to you—I’m all yours…please…just make it stop.”
I no longer had a voice.
I’d given it all up, promised myself to him, but it wasn’t enough. My shouts bounced off the walls, and then my whispers fell on deaf ears. My knees were raw from carpet burn, but Xavier didn’t want any of that.
He just wanted to break me.
I struggled against him—tried to crawl toward Alex, through my tears, through his blood, through my nightmare. But Alex could no longer respond. Alex could no longer see or hear reality. He lay on the floor, soaked in blood, his face broken and cut, his body jerking with every hit.
“You think you’ve learned your lesson, baby?” Xavier asked, but I couldn’t understand his words. Except that he lifted me up and was already pulling me toward the door. “Finish him.”
“No! Please! Stop! Xavier! Stop!”
My naked feet scraped the sidewalk as Xavier dragged me out of the room and toward a car, his grip never loosening.
I’d wake up soon. I’d wake up soon.
“Get in.”
Violently, he shoved me into the backseat, my face hitting the cool leather. I turned around to see him climb in right after me, swiftly catching my kicking legs and collecting me in his arms.
“Shh…shh, mon amour,” he muttered in my ear and yanked on my hair again, threatening to rip it all out. “It’s almost done, baby. We’ll go home soon. Look.”
Xavier pointed to our room—where my Alex was on the floor, bleeding, dying, but as if on cue, all the men exited slowly, shutting the door behind them. Casually, like this was a regular day, one of them climbed into the front seat of our car and turned the ignition on.
I screamed.
I hit.
I fought.
I scratched, bit, kicked, and thrashed.
But Xavier was stronger.
And now…I was his.