Page 59 of Midnight Legacy

“You do look scruffy,” Ash agreed in our ears.

Xavier’s finger moved across the screen.

“Language!” Ash laughed.

I tried to hide my smile as Xavier’s finger stabbed his phone as he typed a reply.

“It’s your own fault. You wanted to be a tourist when they required a billionaire,” Ash retorted.

The minutes ticked by and sweat began to bead on my forehead. The other facilities had escorted us to a room within minutes, but we’d been left standing here.

“Perhaps if I could see some identification?”

Xavier’s shoulders tensed before he straightened to his full height. “Excuse me?”

The man nodded to the keys. “Those keys open a very old box. We need to ensure the rightful owner is here to claim it.”

“Since when was that a policy here?” Xavier’s voice was so cold, I expected to see icicles forming around the counter.

The man’s eyes darted to the side and panic bloomed in my chest. A mammoth of a man in a black suit stepped forward. He looked the type who could lift you and fold your body until you broke in half.

Xavier’s stance changed and danger emanated off him in waves that screamed to everyone to step back. His hand gripped my wrist and I knew he was readying himself to push me behind him.

“Touch me and I’ll break your fucking arm,” Jordan snapped at a security guard at the door. “I don’t need a weapon to kill you.”

He was impeccably dressed in a suit, looking every inch the playboy billionaire. Without paying any more attention to the security guard, he sauntered toward us, his lips twisting into a smile. Jordan pushed our keys to the side and set one of his own down. Without missing a beat, Xavier placed another one beside it.

The man behind the desk stared at the two keys. There was an infinity symbol at the top of their keys with a number engraved below it. He turned horrified eyes to Xavier.

“Bring both of our boxes up, thanks,” Xavier said in a cold tone, his expression containing suppressed violence.

Several security men gathered at the door and were chatting among each other. The one Jordan had confronted nodded in our direction before they moved forward. This time, Xavier did push me behind him. Both men moved in tandem, their bodies contorting into weapons. Jordan’s fist slammed into the first man’s face, while Xavier grasped the wrist of another, twisting it behind his back to bring him to his knees. His foot jabbed up to hit a third guard in the throat to send him stumbling back.

I noticed the man behind the counter move to lift the keys out of the corner of my eye, so I slammed my hand on top of them and glared at him. “I really wouldn’t,” I challenged. “My husband doesn’t like when people disobey him.”

“This is an ancient establishment used by specific people,” he replied, staring at what was happening behind us.

A crack followed by a muffled whimper told me someone just received a broken bone.

“Considering that my keys belong to my father and uncle, I’m going to assume that I am that specific type of person.” Our gazes locked in a silent battle of wills.

A guard stumbled backward beside me, his arms flailing at his sides like wings trying to flap. He knocked into me, and my hands instinctively closed over the keys as I fell to the floor.

“That’s fucking it,” Xavier’s voice boomed as he reached down and took the gun from the guard’s holster. His furious gaze met mine before travelling over me. He held his hand out to help me up, pushing me behind him. A lump formed in my throat when I heard the gun being cocked.

“We tried to do this the easy way and bring our keys in to access our box. Now we have to do it the hard way,” he snarled. “My father is a pussy cat compared to me. We are the men who make the Council’s problems go away.”

The man had balls of steel staring at Xavier with a neutral expression. “And your father is?”

“Hugh Bartholomew. He just left a few moments ago.”

The man’s jaw tightened for several moments before he waved the guards away. Never once did Xavier’s aim change. All the guards appeared injured, and one was carried away by another two.

Jordan straightened his suit jacket, brushing the sleeve with a frown.

“Your father never said you were coming.”

Xavier gave him that feral smile that made my stomach tighten and panties burn. He made me think of dark gods from olden times descending to wreak havoc on the mortal race. “My business is my own concern. You need to ask yourself how the Council will view your reaction today just because I wasn’t wearing a suit.” He tutted slowly, shaking his head in disappointment.

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