“What? When was this?” I demanded, blindsided by the revelation.
Mia paled as she looked over her shoulder at me. “Gabe told him I was back, and he paid a visit. He’s made it pretty clear that I’m not welcome in this family.”
“I’m going to kill him and I’m going to make sure he suffers.” Xavier had cemented his fate. The lengths that he’d gone to manipulate everyone to do his bidding and keep him on top was about to amount to nothing.
“Luc,” Mom said. “Don’t do anything stupid. He won’t touch her if you’re both back together.”
“Do you think I’m going to take that risk?” I asked her. “Do you think I’d listen to any advice you want to give?” My attention was back on Mia. “Mia, we’re leaving. I have nothing more to say to her.” There was no hesitation as I left the room, and, not for the first time in my life, I wish my mother could swap places with Charlie.
Chapter Twenty Eight
Mia
“Give me the keys.”
It had started to rain while we were in the residential home. The scent of wet soil was strong, and the rain held the warmth of the lingering summer months.
“I’m fine to drive,” Luc said, not looking back.
I stopped in my tracks. “Lucas. Give me the damn keys. Now.”
He whipped around and, without another word, held the keys to his beloved Range Rover out to me. I didn’t trust Luc to drive in the mood he was in. Throughout our time together I thought I’d see the full brunt of his temper, but it felt like I’d barely scratched the surface. Between delivering him the news about Xavier and the display with his Mom just now, I could see just how precariously Luc was standing on the edge.
We slipped into the car and I adjusted the seat to allow me to drive more comfortably, a fine balance that accommodated for both my height and my bump. “Should you even be driving?” Luc asked as I pulled away from the home, wipers sloshing the rain clear so that I could see the road ahead of me.
“It’s probably safer for me to be driving than you at the moment,” I said, merging into traffic. “What did you hope to get from that meeting?” Luc hadn’t told me that we were going to visit Maria, so I had no idea what had run through his mind. It would have been too much to ask for us to calmly ask for an explanation behind her actions.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I didn’t think she’d try to justify it.”
Neither had I. I’d expected her to be more apologetic. She’d seemed sorry, almost scared, when I’d confronted her at the hospital, but she’d also been in a much more vulnerable state. Healthier and more comfortable, Maria had fought back this time to both of our surprise. I didn’t admit to him that Maria might have had a valid point in making a decision that led to Luc being able to live.
“And were you planning on telling me about Xavier?” Luc continued.
I sighed. “I would have. Things haven’t exactly been smooth between us.”
“A death threat should be top of the priority list when we started talking again.”
“If you hadn’t noticed I’ve been juggling quite a few things, so excuse me for letting the ball drop on that one.”
“Head toward Dante’s place,” he instructed me. Indicating, I turned left and steered us down the streets that would lead to Dante’s house. “I’ll be paying Gabriel a visit. He should have come to me.”
“No,” I said, a little quicker than was comfortable.
“Why not?”
“I just don’t think that would be a good plan.”
“Why not, Mia?” Luc asked. “Keeping secrets is what got us into this mess in the first place. Has something happened?”
Keeping secrets was the reason for this mess and it fell squarely in my lap. Telling Luc the truth hadn’t been an option last time but I wouldn’t make the same mistake again. “Gabe has plans.”
“For what?”
“He wants to replace Xavier.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Luc straighten up in his seat. “And how does he plan to do that?”
“I don’t know. All he said is that Xavier’s days are numbered, and he wants that spot,” I explained as I slowed down.
