Page 20 of Midnight Legacy

Chapter Eight

Cassandra

Xavier paced around the apartment, his training bottoms riding low on his hips and his chest shining with sweat from his workout. His phone seemed to be surgically attached to his hand as he barked instructions into it.

Megan threw me a troubled look when Jordan snapped at whoever was on the other end of his phone. “I don’t give a fuck. Get me that information immediately!”

“Why did your dad say your uncle was dead?” Megan asked in a low voice since every time we made a noise we were treated to an exasperated look.

“No idea. He used to be around a lot when I was younger, and then one day he stopped coming. Dad said he was dead when I asked. I just remember him always bringing me dolls from different places he visited around the world.”

Xavier and Jordan had obviously worked out their frustrations in the gym downstairs, both of them appearing flushed and sweaty after an hour or so. Now they were down to business. Watching their intensity and determination, you could see why so many people either admired them or were terrified by them.

A rap at the door had Xavier stalking over to peer through the peephole. Ash entered the room a few moments later still wearing his suit from the funeral.

My stomach rumbled, so I brought up my favourite Thai restaurant on my phone and showed it to Megan. She nodded and I placed an online order to be delivered to the foyer downstairs. I didn’t feel like cooking since the atmosphere in the apartment was giving me a headache.

Ash sat in a seat beside us, watching his friends plan a war. “It’s not often we have a resurrection at a funeral,” he finally said, giving me a small, sad smile.

“It’s a pity we can’t choose who is resurrected,” I replied.

I went to the drinks cabinet, lifted Xavier’s favourite bottle of whiskey, and poured the men a glass each. Megan already had a bottle of red wine open in front of her. I had a glass of Pepsi, even though right now I would love to drink that wine directly from the bottle.

Ash nodded when I set his glass down.

Jordan lifted his glass to the side of his head and saluted me with it.

Xavier set his glass on the counter and tugged me in against his chest, his arm a wall of protection that made me feel safe. His lips skimmed my forehead.

“Just make it happen,” Xavier said to whoever was on the other end of the phone. “I don’t care about the cost. I want this sorted immediately.” He hung up and his other arm came around me.

“Everything okay?” I asked, staring up at him.

His lips tipped up in the semblance of a smile. “Nothing for you to worry about.”

“In other words, no.”

His fingers grasped my chin to tilt my head back. His blue eyes contained a storm in them. “You worry about incubating our baby and I’ll worry about everything else, okay?”

I opened my mouth to argue and he pressed a kiss to it.

“You’re earning an attitude adjustment later if you keep arguing,” he said softly in my ear before sucking my earlobe into his mouth.

A shiver rippled down my spine and his lips twitched when he saw my reaction.

“So, tell us about this Uncle Dan,” Jordan said somewhere to my left.

Xavier winked and released me to lift his glass.

I shrugged, returning to my seat beside Megan on the sofa. “I don’t know what to say. About six months before the car crash, he stopped coming to visit. He used to bring me dolls from places he visited around the world. When I asked Dad if he was coming for my birthday party, he said Uncle Dan couldn’t come because he’d gone to live with the Angels.”

“More like Satan,” Xavier muttered.

“Is he an official uncle or one of those men who claim the title because they’re close friends?” Jordan continued to interrogate me.

“He’s Dad’s brother. There are photos of them together in his study as kids.”

Xavier poured himself another drink. “What do you remember Dan to be short for?”

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