I turn away to look at the food in front of me, hiding my blush.
After breakfast, Xavier and I get changed, to practice training. Xavier had wanted me to rest, instead of training today. I told him that he would make his men train if they had been shot, so why shouldn't I be able to. We fought about it for a bit, but Xavier finally gave in. On the condition that I take it easy. So instead of the normal fifty laps, we will just be jogging ten, with multiple breaks in between.
“You know, you amaze me right?” Xavier says, pulling me from my thoughts, as we take a quick break near the cabin.
"Hmm? How so?" I reply stunned.
"Regardless of everything you’ve been through, you don’t let any of it get to you. Rather you're stronger than ever." He replies, admiring me, as his fingertips slowly caress the side of my face.
"I don’t think I’m that strong." Xavier pushes m
I find myself in an alleyway. No one around me. I pull the blanket close to me, as I continue to walk the deserted alleyway. Distracted from my thoughts, I don't realize that someone has followed me. I turn to rest my back along the wall, and plan on slipping down to burry my head in my arms. Suddenly, there's a hand clasped around my mouth, a strong hold is pressing me further into the wall. I look up to see a disheveled man holding me tight. His other hand wrapping around my throat. He looks me up and down."What do we have here?"He spits at me, his breath fowl from decay."It seems today is my lucky day."Scared, I stand still, not able to move, focusing on keeping my breath steady."It looks like I won't even need to work for this one."His free hand lowers to pull the blanket off of me, exposing my bare chest. I close my eyes in anticipation for what will come next.'I'm so stupid! Why did I ru
...XAVIER POV...."Shit! Shit! Shit!" I yell in frustration. I whip around to see Lexi crumpled to the ground. A long and protruding knife sticking out of her back. I rush to her side, feeling for a pulse. I sigh in relief when I feel her steady pulse. Without thinking, I pick her up, and run back to my car. I open the door, and lay her gently on the backseat. Careful to make sure the knife won't protrude further into her back. Cursing myself the entire time. 'How could I've been so careless?' I was over confident that once we had turned to leave, that those men would just leave. The last thing I expected was for them to get back up and retaliate.I continue to run the scenario back through my mind as I speed off in the direction the house."Call Damian!" I shout to the bluetooth function of my car. Damian picks up on the first ring."Boss?" He says, but I immediately interrupt him.
...Ryker POV...Xavier called me to let me know that Lexi had been stabbed. I couldn't believe it. I was absolutely furious. How could he let her be injured like this? I'm starting to regret leaving her with Xavier. I had thought that she would be safer, but it appears Xavier is getting her mixed up in our business. I had thought that Xavier would keep her out of it. Hearing that she had been stabbed, was like a knife to the heart.I can't let this happen again. I need to make sure she's safe. I need to just get her out of here. Maybe if she's away from all of us, away from Cortina, perhaps she will live the happy life she's supposed to have.As I make my way to Xavier's house, I start making plans to get her away from all of this. The first thing I do is call Noah. He is my right hand man apart from Xavier. Noah is the Scorpion's third in command. Noah was the one that took care of the Scorpions when Xavier's father had passed away."Noah
I can hear voices, but I can't tell where they're coming from. Everything is dark."How did this happen?" Ryker spits."I'm sorry Ryk, this is all my fault. I should've protected her better. But all I seem to be doing is failing her. In the short time she's been here, she's been rapped twice, shot, and stabbed."Xavier exclaims, seemingly in defeat."No, Xav, this is all my fault. I thought bringing her here would make her safe. I think I just need to get her out of town."Xavier doesn't respond. He's emotionless, shrouded in a cloud of despair."I understand. I just want her to be safe."I slowly begin to stir. I can feel a pressure around me, almost as though someone is holding me. My eyes slowly open. It' feels as though my eyelids are made of lead. Trying to open them seems daunting. I feel the pressure around me shift. Through my eyelids I can see Xavier.
Ryker left shortly after, leaving me and Xavier alone in his room. Xavier climbed on the bed, and pulled me close to him, as we both look out and gaze at the stars above. I begin to think of the events gone by, when suddenly I find a question on my lips that I had been meaning to ask."How did you learn how to fight like that?" I ask.I look over at Xavier, to see a pained expression on his face. I can tell he's reluctant to tell me."You don't have to tell me. I was just curious." I say, quickly trying to change the conversation."No. It's fine. It's just something that I don't like to talk about." Xavier exclaims."I understand, you don't have to tell me." I respond."No, but I want to."Xavier says, looking over at me."Are you sure? Cause..." I begin to say, however Xavier places a finger over my mouth, preventing me from continuing."As I told you before,
"There's more that I need to tell you, but before I do, I need you to know that you're safe. I know that you're panicking right now, thinking that he will find you. But that won't happen."Xavier begins to tell me.I shift in his arms slightly, so that I'm able to look at him."How? How do you know that he won't find me?"I ask, not sure how he can guarantee that."Because of my position with the Scorpions, I've already been prepared for scenarios like this. I installed an electromagnetic field within a 15km radius of the house. Meaning that once you enter the area, the bug immediately stops working. It can no longer track your location, or send information." I visibly relax knowing that they don't know where to find me. They may know the area, but not the precise location."So is that how Gary found me at the mall?"I look up at Xavier, examining his expressions."We
...Xavier POV...I woke up during the middle of the night as I hear Lexi call out to me. I look over to my bed side table in attempt to see what time it is."3:19am? What the hell? What is she doing up at this time of night?" I say to myself."Major." I hear her call out to me.'What in the world? What's going on? Why is she calling for me, when she knows that I'm in bed.' I think to myself.I get up from bed, and follow her voice as I continue to hear her call out to me. Her voice seems distant. As though she's in the far end of the house. I grab my phone as I begin to search for her. I call the first person on my mind."Damian!"I yell into the phone."Sir?"I can hear Damian's tired voice on the other end of the phone. I can tell I must've just woken him up."I need you to check the camera feeds right now. I need you to tell me where Lexi is."
...Xavier POV...It's barely been 24 hours since Lexi's late night battle, but already I'm finding time to go by so slowly. Without her, it's like time is standing still. In a brutal and agonizing way. I'm anxiously waiting for the next 24 hours to go by, in hopes that she will come back to me.I'm sitting at her side, looking down at her. She looks so fragile. Her skin has lost colour from her extreme blood loss, and bruises have already begun to form all over her body. I find myself cursing her appearance. I've always seen her as a delicate, yet strong woman. I love the passion and ferocity that flows within her. Seeing her like this, completely shatters me. The thing that I hate most, is knowing that I wasn't there to protect her.I've talked to psychiatrists and psychologists on their views of the matter. I became really intrigued with this one psychologist. Dr Jeremy Bradsaw has majored in cases like Lexi's, where a person sudde