The Chase II (2 page)

“What the fuck is it to you about what me and my lady do?” I started to walk towards him. “Why you always worried about Xena. She ain’t shit to you, except a future sister-in-law.”

Matt scoffed. “Yeah, okay.”

“Really, Matt?” I put my hands in my pocket, with my legs shoulder width apart. “What does that mean?”

He said, “It means, good fucking luck. At the rate you are going, you’ll be in somebody’s jail and try to control that. Xena works with at-risk students, she not trying to be hooked up with an at-risk man.”

Slowly, I pulled my hands out of my pocket. Over twenty years ago, those were fighting words but all those years later, they still were. Pulling my right fist back, I swung hard and connected with Matt’s cheek. After the initial shock, he turned around and tackled me on the sofa that I was just stood from. We scuffled around as I tried to get on top of him, but a door slammed, causing us both to stop and turn.

“Sir.” Lee stood in the middle of the room with black pants, white shirt and a black dress jacket concealing his weapon. “I think you need to see this.”

He held up a package as I pushed Matt off of me. Snatching the envelope from Lee, I tore it open to see pictures. Matt was close by me, so he saw them when I did.

“Son of a bitch.” He muttered.

They were pictures of Xena in the same outfit she had on today. There was a pictures of her crying in the car, walking into her old apartment and leaving again in a different outfit. I dumped the pictures on the table and a note dropped out that read:
What you don’t take care of, I will
.

Fuck!

Xavier is full of shit and I knew it. As much as I want to believe the man, I know he’s keeping something from me. I won’t cry anymore, because wheat is the point. I’m not visiting his silly ass in jail. I’ll just need to adopt several cats or something representing an old maid.

Kidnapping.

The man was out of his mind and the crazy part was that I did not even know how to stop him or that I didn’t see the signs before. He’s always been crazy, but I rationalized it as ‘crazy about me’, not crazy, crazy. I could not believe he actually kidnapped somebody. What else has he done? What else has he been keeping from me? I couldn’t even think straight, so I went to work, so I could focus on non-Xavier items.

After working for about an hour or so, my work email chimed. It was from an unknown address, which should have went to SPAM, but the subject line was Xavier, so I previewed it to see if it was legit.

To: [email protected]
From: UnkNowKn
Date: ______________
Subject: Xavier Andrews???

Is this the man you claim to love?
Do not worry, he will be expired soon.

--

There were pictures of Xavier with a bat and it looked like he was in a rage swinging it around breaking things in someone’s apartment. Another one was of him with the same clothing he had on today, with a gun in a holster on his hip and he was getting out of his car with Matt on the side. The third picture was of him sitting at a restaurant with the biggest schmuck in town, Tay Connors. He ran several illegal gambling rings and if people were beaten up, arms and legs in a cast, it was probably one of his goons. More importantly, what was Xavier doing with him?

Oh my gosh.

Dread filled me as I sat and realized that I really did not know Xavier and what he was wrapped up in. More importantly, I was basically living with the man and he for the most part paid for my house. Was that with dirty money? Was he in business with Tay? And above all of that, what did ‘expire’ mean?

Quickly, I saved the email and printed it out. I was going to have my IT guy take a look at it and give me some answers. An eerie feeling fell in the room, so I packed up and left. I was uneasy on my way back to my apartment that Xavier had turned into my office, which I would be reverting back to living. I really thought I could handle this with him, but those pictures were beyond unsettling.

******

The next day, I was awoken by a quick knock on the door and then it was opened and closed. I jumped up and ran to the living room with my Taser in hand, as it’s always stored on the side of my bed.

“Xena?”

Oh, it was Xavier dressed in his normal tailored-made suit with a stripped black and green shirt underneath.

“What are you doing here and how did you get a key?”

“Can we talk or are you planning to use that?” Xavier did not answer my question.

Completely forgetting the Taser was in my hand, I held it tighter and asked again, “What are you doing here and how did you get a key?”

He was not moved or concerned about me harming him or he was simply bat shit crazy. Xavier walked right to me, grabbed the Taser, put it on the chair next to me, then wrapped his arms around my waist and asked again, “Can we talk now?”

“I really don’t want to talk with you now.” I was able to get out, which was extremely difficult with his hands on me like they were.

He started to walk us back, so I was against the wall and his body was pressed into me. His face was following mine, as I tried to not look at him.

“Come on Xavier, I don’t feel like talking. Can we do this in a few days? Please.” I pleaded.

“That’s too long,” he replied, before he nipped my jaw line.

“Xavier, stop. Sex, cuddling or being intimate in any way will not change the facts. You have to stop this.”

“Stop what? The ache in my groan, because I miss you. The tear in my heart or my head pounding, because I know you’re mad at me and I’ll do anything to fix it. What do I need to stop?”

He nipped the other side of my chin, then squeezed my ass.

Oh boy
.

“Xavier,” I moaned. “Let’s talk tomorrow.”

“That’s too long as well. Talk now or forever hold your peace.” He looked at me.

That comment pulled me right out of my haze. I pushed him off of me, but he only took a step back, holding me at his arm’s length.

“Let’s get one thing straight. There is no talk now or forever anything. You kidnapped.” I lowered my voice. “You kidnapped somebody. Let’s put that into perspective. You can try to spin it anyway you want, but I don’t deal with criminals and that is what that makes you.”

His eyes flashed and he let me go, yet his eyes held me in place.

“If someone threatened you, Karen or your nephew Taylor, what would you do? The police can’t verify the threat, but it was in your means to do something about it. Tell me, what would you do?”

He waited for my answer and put his hands in his pockets.

“What do you mean, the police can’t verify the threat?”

“I mean, like the tens of thousands of women that go to the authorities to file charges. All so they can
try
to get a stupid sheet that says their predator must stay away from them. But, they can’t, because he hasn’t physically touched them yet.” He shifted his weight on his right side and continued, “I’m talking about there is nothing they can do, but you have it in your power to do something. What would you do?”

“I don’t know.”

“I do.” He stepped to me, “Anything in your fucking power to do.”

My head turned away from him, but he pulled his left hand out of his pocket, grabbed my chin with his forefinger and thumb so I was facing him.

“No, Xena. It makes you uncomfortable, but it’s truth. So, let us get one thing straight. If anybody and I do mean anybody gets in the way of you and me, I will handle them by any means necessary. I will use every resource I have, thugs I know, people I employ, bullet I own to eliminate them. I do not give one fuck for anyone that dares come between us, because they clearly don’t care about me. So, Xena, I’m telling you now. When I find him, I probably won’t tell you. I won’t keep you in the loop and I won’t let you know. If you have a problem with that, you tell me now.”

“What will you say if I have a problem?”

“We’ll talk it out until you get over your problem.”

“That’s nothing, Xavier. I do have a problem with you keeping secrets and getting all, ‘taking it to the streets’ and shit. I’m not into that and I don’t want to be with anyone that is.”

“Xena,” he breathed. “I’m not into anything illegal. All of my business is legit. However, if I am threatened in anyway, I will use illegal ways to handle it, if I’m pushed to that. Mark is a professional hacker. He’s done this before, so the only way to combat a mother fucker like him is at his own game.”

That settled on question, but I still wanted to know why he was with Tay. I did not want him to know that I knew.

“I don’t like this Xavier.” I shook my head.

Xavier sighed, then said in a less commanding tone, “He was stalking you, Xena. Taking pictures of you and he was in your fucking apartment. What did you want me to do?”

I put my head down because I had no response. He stepped to me again and said, “In
a Time to Kill
, was Samuel wrong for avenging his daughter’s assailants?”

Shit, he knew that was one of my favorite movies and he knew how I felt about that.

“No.”

“Look at me.” He quietly commanded.

My head slowly rose to meet his.

Xavier’s forehead met mine, then he said, “I’ll do anything to keep you safe. I’m sorry that bothers you, but it’s my job to take care of you.”

His warm hands cupped both sides of my face as he looking into my eyes.

“Love you, baby girl.”

“I know.”

Crazy for me - plus one.

******

After he told me to get dressed, because we were going to breakfast, I hurried through my morning routine. I was hungry since I did not have dinner the night before. When we reached the lobby, Xavier told me to stay so he could get the car since he was parked around the corner. While he was doing that, I opened my mailbox to see a blank envelope and in them were more pictures of Xavier and I from yesterday. They were different version of the pictures I was sent last night. The others were of me in my car crying, walking into my building and leaving to go to my school.

Shit.

Maybe Xavier wasn’t all crazy. Could I bring this to the cops? Should I show Xavier? Was this Mark, like he said? There were so many questions and the only person I could talk to get straight answers was probably Matthew. However, his loyalty to his brother was solid. It didn’t hurt to try, I thought as a horn beeped. Stuffing the envelope in my bag, I went out to the car.

“Where are we going?” I asked as I buckled my seat belt.

“Juniors. They have good breakfast.”

“It’s seven-thirty in the morning, are they even open.”

“Yup, they will be by the time we get there.”

Their breakfast was good. I annihilated the chicken and waffles and so did Xavier, but he also had grits. When we getting out of the car, Xavier said, “I’m just dropping you off here, so you can get your stuff.”

“What?”

“You’re not staying here, Xena.”

We entered the building when I said, “You have a lot of nerve.”

“Nerve?”

“Xavier, do not start your shit.” I snapped at him.

“Baby, your year is almost up. We had an agreement, are you reneging?”

“Listen,” I entered the elevator and held it for a cute couple behind us, “I’m still mad at you about what you did. This was my place. You had no right.”

Xavier growled and the woman looked at the guy, who was looking back at her.

“I had every fucking right. My woman is in a hellhole neighborhood and I move her out. I have no right?” He was shaking his head. Then he turned towards the random guy and asked, “Do you hear what I’m saying?”

The tall guy with locs looked at the lady with short locs, then said, “Yeah, man. I feel you on that shit. The neighborhood is shit, your woman can’t stay here.”

“See,” Xavier turned and said to me with his palm out.

I looked to the pretty girl and said, “Is that your man? Do you hear what he’s saying? He’s going to just uproot you from where you are and make you move in his palace because he can. Just damn bossy.” I glared at the guy, then Xavier.

“She’s mouthy too,” The guy with locs looked at Xavier.

“Shit, this ain’t nothing,” Xavier commented.

I gasped, then looked to the girl. Her man and mine were talking about me while I was standing right there.

Mouthy.

This girl must be a church mouse, because she looked damn near smitten. She also would not be coming to my defense. Then she raised her eyebrows and said, “He’s not my man, just a -” 

Her entire body was pulled back by the guy, but one hand was wrapped around her jaw/neck and the other was around her torso. He said in her ear, but loud enough so we could hear it, “Baby, I’m your man.”

The elevator dinged on my floor. I said, “Oh yeah, honey. You got yourself an alpha and that was your man, the minute he laid claim to you.”

She had no idea. I shook my head and opened the door to the elevator. As I walked off, Xavier smacked my ass hard.

Damn, that felt good.

“You asking for it, aren’t you?” He said after I yelped.

My center pulsed and I involuntarily purred, “Yesss.”