His reaction made me wish I’d told him about the Ra from yesterday.
The three of us had met at my place again.
We sat around the table and I thought I should express my worry over Jia being taken.
“I feel like … we need to be careful,” Ethan stated after a few minutes of silence. “You know how easy it is to blow your cover. Especially around people who are always suspicious.”
“I know, but I don’t know how I’m supposed to be aware of the potential of something happening to her and not say or do something.”
“I get it. Of course I do. I’ll also step up our game from my end. I’ll request assistance from senior intelligence and see if they can look in on things we aren’t able to. I do feel though that if we get the prints the risk is eliminated.”
The risk would definitely be eliminated and switch the focus from Giovanni, or Jia.
I’d grab the prints, he’d lose his shit when he discovered they were missing and his movements and rage would be enough to get the message out to the threat that he was no longer in possession of them.
“We need to work harder and smarter,” Ethan added.
I’d already decided that was exactly what I was doing. Working harder and smarter. “I agree. We totally need to do both.” I straightened up and pushed my shoulders back.
Ethan stood up. “I’ll go speak to headquarters and see what I can arrange. Try to focus Xander, I can see you’re quite worried about the girl. I know this isn’t ideal given Balthazar’s attachment to the Ra, but let’s all try to focus on the aspects we know we need to worry about. Get the prints and eliminate the threat.”
I nodded. “Yeah, get the prints and eliminate the threat.”
He rested a supportive hand on my shoulder, gave me a curt nod then left us.
I listened out for the door closing before I looked away and focused my attention on Wes. He hadn’t said much through the meeting.
Wes was already looking at me. Curiosity was all over his face.
“You’re really worried about her, aren’t you?” He inclined his head to the side.
I stared at him. “I think we should be.”
“It’s more than that though. You like her.” Wes smiled. “You have feelings for her.”
I opened my mouth to say something to side step the question but the words faded from my mind.
I wouldn’t even try to lie and say maybe I liked her. I knew myself and knew it was past that.
“Geez.” Wes chuckled. “No answer Xander?” He sat forward and rested his elbows on his knees. He looked intrigued.
“I care about her,” I confessed.
“Sounds a little more than care to me,” he pointed out. Only my best friend could guess that.
“Wes, please.”
“Don’t you Wes please me. Come on, if we can’t talk like this to each other who can we talk to. It’s okay if you like her.”
“How can that be okay?”
“Since when are people able to help who they have feelings for?” He chuckled. “Man I’ll admit I guessed right from we saw that picture of her. Can’t fool me, or hide. I knew you liked her.”
Right again. “Okay, so yes you’re right. You’re right…” My voice trailed off and that just seemed to pique his interest more.
“Did something happen between you two?” He narrowed his eyes.
My lack of answering however gave him the answer and his mouth fell open.
“Dayummm,” he gasped. “Why wouldn’t you tell me something like that?’
“It’s not something to talk about, especially…” I placed my hand at my head. “I don’t know what I’m doing Wes. Something about her… draws me in.”
“Haven’t heard you talk like that in a while, or… ever. She must have really done a number on you.”
Maybe she had. Maybe I was so sucked in by her that I couldn’t see for shit. I just knew how I felt. Worried yes, but I wouldn’t cast off the fact that there was more and I did like her.
I dropped my gaze to the concrete floor and stared down at the gray surface.
“I’m going to her tonight,” I told him. I’d wanted to leave for Jia’s soon, before it got late. It was nearly seven now, she would have left work around six.
He smiled when I looked back to him. “All night?”
I thought about it and nodded. There was no damn way I was going to Jia’s house to sit and watch her and not touch her the way I wanted.
Kudos to me for trying to resist for the last week and one day. And for keeping the focus on my job.
“Well this is certainly different from the last time.” He pointed out.
It wasn’t true though. He was talking about Elena. She was a woman I’d met at a resort in Ecuador. I liked her but I never experienced the same thing I’d experienced with Jia.
I hated to admit this but I’d never experienced that with anyone. Not even with Claire and she was the first person to make me open my heart.
Jia was the next.
Both in different ways. Claire opened it and guided me to who I was supposed to be. She’d helped me find the direction I wanted my life to go in. Set me on the path of good from a very bad life style.
Jia, however, felt like… redemption.
Redemption from wandering around in the dark for all these years. she was that breath of fresh air. Breath of new life breathed into me that made my heart start beating again. it felt like she’d set me on a path too, and it was something I couldn’t ignore. Nor resist.
Damn… I wanted her. I fucking wanted her in every essence of the word and I knew I was bat shit crazy for wanting a woman I wasn’t supposed to have.
The mafia princess.
Jesus…
I didn’t know what the fuck I was going to do to straighten myself out. all I knew was I was going to her place tonight.
“Xander…” Wes’ took me out of my thoughts. His voice held an edge of warning. “Be careful man. The woman is hot like sin but please don’t forget who she is. The mafia king’s daughter. It could get more messy in a way you don’t want. Remember she’s his price. She’s his weakness. They could come for her, or they could use her in some way to get to him. Or, she could be used for something else.. We don’ know.”
I nodded.
What Wes didn’t realize was, she’d become mine too.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jia
I made chicken cannelloni.
Ma taught me how to make it.
It was one of the first meals she ever taught me to make. She said it was simple, but sometimes the simplest of meals were the hardest because it’s hard to get the flavor right.
People expected it to be simple and totally missed out on the flavor.
She taught me how to think of each part, focus on each part and then you’d end up with a meal fit for God himself.
Or in my case, the guy I was trying to impress.
I thought Xander would indeed like my cooking and be impressed by it.
Damn Frankie had liked the smell, but that was all he was getting.
He brought me home from the casino and was hell bent on staying for dinner when he saw me making the meal.