That was the day Armand tried to rape Jia, it was days ago.
“I snapped because I hate abuse of power. Preying on the weak. Abusing the weak,” I explained.
“So, that makes you not bad then. So that’s why I’m coming with you. I think you need the help Xander. If you guys go I think I’d worry, plus I don’t really have much of an alibi.”
“What about your people here? Your family?”
“I keep them out of business. I didn’t want my younger brothers involved. No one knows about them except Vinny, but he rarely comes here, for safety reasons. My sister is a nurse. She works in the city. He sees her there.”
“What if Giovanni comes for any of them?”
It wasn’t like it couldn’t happen. It was highly likely.
“Can’t think like that Xander. But if it comes to that I’ll call for backup in Chicago. My cousin is the boss there.”
“Boss of Chicago?” I knew Giovanni considered himself the Vegas King. It could have been the same. Of all the mobsters I’d known Giovanni was the most flamboyant. The others didn’t tend to broadcast themselves or their wealth the way he did.
“You heard me man. Boss of Chicago. Claudius Morientz and his brother, Lucian is just as bad as him. Giovanni thinks he’s hot shit because of his success, but there’s worse than him. Giovanni knows I have Chicago and anyone who knows the relation knows not to come for me. Within reason. I won’t make the mistake of thinking I’m immune or that shit won’t happen. It’s more of a deterrent. As in I think Giovanni will do everything he can before he comes for me through my family. My family is their famiglia too. You don’t want to piss on Chicago.”
I didn’t doubt him if he said so.
“I hope it won’t get to that stage. We just try to do whatever we can, which is?”
Here’s where he wanted to have the plan.
“My family. He’s like a father to me, but we aren’t related.”
Jack.
He was my idea for now. I knew the only person who could help me now was him. We’d get to Idaho and I’d have something to work with. We’d have a place to stay and hide out. A place to think and I could contact Wes.
“Where is your would be father?”
“Idaho.”
Frankie frowned. “Well at least we’ll totally get gone. What about the prints Xander, don’t you want to try and get them again?”
I shook my head. “Mission’s blown. There’s no point. It took me weeks to work out where Giovanni was hiding them. He would have handed them over, I think to one of the people he was working with. I think he would have done that.”
“You think? But we don’t know for sure.”
I nodded. “I’m ninety percent certain. I think The Chameleon would have taken them.”
He pulled in a deep breath. “So we just run?”
“Yeah. I think so. I sent my people the code to let them know I’d failed. I’m hoping they’ll find another way. I don’t know. I just need to get Jia somewhere safe. Somewhere that doesn’t jeopardize your family. By the way I didn’t give my location away to anyone.”
“I appreciate that.” He stood up when the door opened and Jia poked her blond head in.
She smiled when she saw me sitting up and floated over to me.
“I’ll leave you two. See you later.” Frankie smiled and left us.
Jia sat next to me and I placed an arm around her.
“You’re sitting up.” She beamed.
“I’m sitting up and I feel stronger. Much stronger,” I assured her.
She ran her fingers over my chest. The slight touch stirred that need for her I always had just from the sight. All I had to do was look at her and I wanted her.
“It’s so good to see you like this.” Her beautiful eyes sparkled. “I made cannelloni. I couldn’t help it, it’ll be ready soon.”
It was good that she could keep occupied with cooking so she wouldn’t worry too much. I for one knew she was terrified.
“Sounds amazing baby.”
“Is there anything you need?”
“You.” The answer was true and simple.
“I’m here.”
“Kiss me.”
She crooked her finger and beckoned me to come to her delicious lips for a kiss. I was only too happy to oblige and taste her sweetness. Sweet like honey but she had that element of something that made her more desirable. It was passion. Hot sexy passion that cut through to my want for her, even in my weakened state.
She was my weakness in every way.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Jia
I was trying to be positive.
I figured that was the best way to help. Even if it was nothing really.
Being positive helped keep up morale.
It made me worry, however, of what would truly happen in the long run.
I took out my phone from my bag, so tempted to switch it on. It was Anya that was on my mind.
I wondered if maybe I could have done something similar to how Xander contacted his friend. I very quickly abandoned that idea though because it might put her in danger. I knew what Pa was like, he would check everything and leave no stone unturned. That was what he would do.
He’d go to her and question her. He’d check out all her stuff to see if I’d made contact. One thing I hoped he didn’t do was hurt her in any way.
That would have killed me. Just thinking of that happening, through all the shit I’d seen Pa do over the last few weeks, which I had to class as his worst moments, I felt he wouldn’t involve Anya more than necessary.
I put my phone back in my bag and quietly made my way back to Xander’s room.
It was super late and everyone had gone to sleep.
When last I checked it was just after one in the morning and we needed to be up in a few hours to leave.
I probably shouldn’t disturb Xander but I just wanted to check on him as I was up then I’d leave.
Maribelle, Frankie’s mom, had given us each a room. She’d guessed quickly though that Xander and I were involved from the way that I cared for him and talked about him. My room had been the closest to his.
When I opened his door I expected to see him in bed, lying down asleep, but the damn man who should have been at the very least resting, was on the floor doing pushups. The moonlight that beamed through the window lit him up, making him look like some kind of warrior in prep for war.
Of all the things… I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw him going for it. I was a gym bunny on the regular and in what I classed as my normal days, but I doubted I could have done one push up the way he was doing it by pressing on his knuckles. Much less the amount he’d done in just the few seconds I’d stood there.
He stopped and gazed at me with the sexy half smile, looking a lot closer to his charming self than he had in days.
His dark blond hair was ruffled with that just-got-out-of-bed sexy edge and to add to the image of him, he stood shirtless before me with just the bandages wrapping around his washboard stomach.
“You come to watch me?” he asked keeping his voice low.
“You’re supposed to be in bed,” I chided.
He smirked again.