Page 50 of Midnight Legacy

I reached up and kissed Xavier’s cheek as he disconnected the call. “Be careful.”

His arms snaked around my waist to haul me into his embrace. “Always am. You remember all the codes?”

“Yep.”

He pressed a quick kiss to my lips and swatted my ass. “Stay in there until I say otherwise.”

Without a word, I did as he asked. My uncle had done this to throw the guys off balance, only he didn’t know that they thrived on situations like this. I’d seen Xavier and Jordan when a trap had been sprung on them, and there were no survivors on the other side at the end of it.

My bedroom door closed and I slid the lock into place. Trepidation rippled through my stomach until I felt like I was going to be sick. That was my husband and my uncle out there. Two men who, at different times of my life, were important to me. Megan and I crawled onto the bed and held hands like we did when we were young in the group foster home.

“What’s happening?” she whispered, her grip tightening on my hand.

“I don’t know where to start, Megan,” I replied. “Xavier and Jordan belong to an underground organisation that have far-reaching hands.”

“Like the mafia?” Megan’s eyes were huge.

“Something like that. The Council is an old network that spans generations. Xavier will take his father’s seat, and Jordan and Ash their family positions. The man who hurt me, Malcolm, was on the Council as well…” Even to my own ears it sounded preposterous.

“Then why did he hurt you?”

I never told Megan the full story of what happened to me when I ran. Partly because it would reveal secrets that weren’t mine to share. We’d gone past that stage.

“Turns out my father was on that Council. You know the section about my family and how I was put into care. Malcolm had been watching my family home for years and knew either me or Kimberley had survived. I fell into his trap that night, only Xavier saved me.”

“You said you fell down the stairs.”

I met Megan’s eyes. “Would you have believed me before all this happened the past few weeks?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I always knew Jordan contained darkness, but never suspected it was this dark. I’m not sure how that makes me feel. How can you share your bed with a man who’s killed people?”

“I killed Marco…”

“That’s different, Cas. It was self-defence.”

“My life wasn’t in danger. I could have shot a warning or screamed for help. Instead, I aimed the gun at his head and pulled the trigger.”

She clamped her lips shut and scowled at me.

“He didn’t have to come for me. I’d run from him, ignored his messages and calls. Yet, when I was scared and phoned him in the middle of the night, he came for me. The only place I feel safe is in his arms. He’s the home I dreamed of when we were afraid and cowering in the dark. That’s how I can sleep beside him at night.”

The fact that she didn’t reply made me worry about her and Jordan’s future.

Voices rose outside the door that kept us safe.

My heart rate escalated, and panic raced through my veins. Xavier was tough as nails, but even metal was damaged by a bullet. My hand covered my stomach and I said a silent prayer to anyone who may be listening to keep my husband safe. I would never survive if anything happened to him.

***

Chapter Fourteen

Xavier

I wanted to wipe the smug smile off his face when he sauntered into my apartment. He was cocky enough to arrive without a security detail and a bottle of wine in his hand.

“I came to visit my niece,” Dante said as he stepped inside, his dark-grey gaze skimming around the room. “Where is she?”

“Busy,” I snapped. Would anyone notice if I tossed him off the balcony?

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