“SO, YOU EXPECT MEto believe that the world is really thatsmall,” Mitch said to me from across his desk. “YourXavier is involved with Ben St. Claire, who just happens to be the ad executive I now work with from Wright Creations. Is that some big cosmic conspiracy?”
“Mitch, he’s notmyXavier; he’sBen’sXavier.” I didn’t bother hiding my exaggerated eye roll from him. “I’myourMark.”I much preferred to see his confident smile instead of the insecurity that crossed his face whenever Xavier’s name was brought up in a conversation.
Mitch’s assistant announced that Ben was there to see him so I rose from my chair and opened the door. I hadn’t laid eyes on Ben since the middle of the night when I broke into his house to set things straight with Xavier so he would know that I didn’t kill Damien.
“It’s a freakishly small world,” Ben said in way of greeting when he walked in. He reached out his hand and I shook it. “At least this time I’m dressed and prepared.”
I glanced over at Mitch. His eyes were wide with shock and his mouth hung open. “I’ll explain later,” I told him before I showed myself out the door.
I met Xavier in the hotel restaurant on the first floor. The dining room was the perfect combination of elegance and ease. The furnishings were upscale but extremely comfortable and inviting. I loved the lush flowers and plants throughout the rooms and the soft music playing in the background made for a relaxing experience. I noticed that Mitch went with the more formal restaurant when he was conducting meetings.
It was early for lunch so Xavier was easy to find in the almost empty dining room. He looked up as if he sensed I was close and rose from his chair. I didn’t hesitate to return the hug he offered to me. He was a person I cared a great deal about and I refused to feel guilty over it.
Outwardly, Xavier hadn’t changed a whole lot. His hair was tamer, but he still wore the edgy rocker look about him in his clothes and demeanor. What had changed about him was the glow that emanated from him. He was lit up from within and even happier than he was the last time I saw him. I recognized a man in love when I saw one.
“You look great, Deacon,” Xavier said when he stood back. “I hardly recognized you with your hair grown out and…” He put his finger over his lip and studied me up and down as if he was trying to figure out what else was different about me. “You look settled and happy for the first time since I’ve known you.”
We took our seats and a waiter came to our table to greet us. “Mr. Heston and a guest will be joining us briefly,” I told him. “We’ll just place drink orders for now until the other two arrive, Scott.”
“Sure thing, Mr. Bradley.” Xavier’s brows rose at the deferred way I was spoken to, but I ignored him.
“Mr. Bradley, huh?” Xavier asked once Scott left, he cocked his head to the side as he studied me. “Sounds like you and Mr. Heston eat here a lot together.”
“That’s because Mitch and I are…” I searched for the right words to say. Boyfriend seemed ridiculous, but I wasn’t sure how to refer to Mitch.
“You’re in love,” Xavier said, saving me from myself. “You’re a couple then?”
“We are,” I said with a smile. “A very happy one at that.” I had never been happier in my life. In fact, I didn’t believe it possible to be any happier than I was right then. “And you look like a whole new person, Xavier.”
“I feel like a new person, Deac. I have this new outlook on life that I never dreamed possible. I find myself looking forward to each new day instead of dreading it. I have this amazing man who loves me as I am and a new career that excites me. Somedays I feel like I’m dreaming and I’m afraid I’ll wake up and find that I hadn’t really escaped the drugs and the abuse.” Xavier’s voice lost some of its happiness when he mentioned his drug addiction and the physical abuse he suffered. “But I did. I decided I deserved more and took a chance on the best thing to ever come along in my life.” I could tell by the sappy look in his eyes that he was talking about Ben.
“You deserve every good thing that’s happened to you and don’t you ever forget it. You were strong enough to make it happen, X. You are surrounded by great people, but they couldn’t make that choice to get clean for you.” I pointed to him. “Not everyone is as strong as you are and they become a sad statistic.”
“Yeah,” Xavier said softly and I knew his mind went to Stix. He had been so upset when he found out that Stix confessed to shooting Erik. “I still can’t believe it, Deac. He was the last person I would’ve suspected capable of killing someone else.”
“It’s sometimes the ones you’d least expect,” I replied absently, my mind trying to grasp a niggling doubt that had crept into my mind. “It’s why you have to check everyone closely. Leave no stones unturned.” I almost had it, my brain started to grasp ahold of a detail I overlooked; something I think we all overlooked. I needed to go back to the very first breach and…
“Deac?” Xavier’s voice broke into my thoughts and forced me back in the moment with him.
“Huh? Oh, sorry,” I replied. I was about to explain myself, but I saw Mitch and Ben walking toward us and then I thought better of it. There was something I needed to do and it was best if Mitch didn’t know anything about it. I decided to shove the investigative thoughts out of my mind and focus on having a nice lunch with my guy and friends.
Mitch didn’t let on if he knew something was up with me. I went back up to the executive suite with him after saying goodbye to Xavier and Ben. I kissed him, told him I had things I needed to check out, and then went to my office to make a call to Vic.
“What’s up,” Vic said in way of answering his cellphone.
“We slacked off on the guys who worked at the alarm company,” I said to him without preamble.
“They got fired, Deac. I hardly call that slacking off on our parts. One was watching porn and the other was snoozing,” Vic said, reminding me of their confessions as to why they lied about calling Mitch when his alarm and cameras were cut.
“We shouldn’t have taken them at their word, Vic. Besides the text, that was Timothy’s first attempt at getting Mitch’s attention. I think we should take a harder look at those two guys.” I released a frustrated breath and added, “In person.”
Ray Adams lived in a rundown hovel in the shittiest part of town. I could feel eyes all over Vic and me when we got out of my car, but I wasn’t about to be intimidated. I was onto something; I could feel it in my bones. The smell of weed and stale alcohol floated through the open windows as we approached the shack Adams called home, letting us know that at least someone was home.
“Knock, knock,” Vic called out as he banged on the front door. “Open up, Adams.”
The front door creaked open as far as the chain would allow it. I could make out a bleary, hazel eye peeking at us through the crack. “What’s up?” Body odor and foul breath floated out to tickle my nose and it was almost enough to make me gag.
“You Ray Adams?” The tone of my voice told him I wasn’t playing around.
