She felt like a huge weight had been lifted. They didn’t have to worry about hiding anything from anyone. They were free to be open about their relationship to everyone and finally be happy together.
Her feet felt as though they barely touched the floor as she skipped off down the corridor, a grin so wide on her face it felt as though it might burst. She knew Lawson was going to speak to Xavier, but she couldn’t wait to celebrate the good news. He was already taking steps to heal himself, working on his mental health and coming to terms with his past. This would be another good step forward.
Chapter Nineteen
Xavier cautiously pushed his bedroom door open and stepped inside, looking for anything that seemed out of place. And damn, there was a whole lot in here that didn’t look right.
His eyes widened as he took it all in. The covers had been tossed back off his bed, the pillows slashed—even the mattress had been pulled up at the sides, as though someone had been searching underneath it. The dresser drawers had been opened and rummaged through, some of them having fallen out in the search. The window was pushed open, and the screen had been knocked out.
His shower and his appointment with Sarah were forgotten; he needed to find out who had done this and just what they had been looking for.
A sudden thought occurred… Were they still here?
He couldn’t sense anyone in the room with him, but they might be hiding. He opened the closet cautiously and then checked under the bed, but it seemed like it was just him.
His mind raced. What did they want? Did they find whatever it was? He couldn’t see anything that had been taken, at least not right away, but his room was such a mess that it was impossible to tell. He would need to sift through the piles of his stuff before he would know for sure.
Xavier knew he needed to think clearly and not let panic get the better of him. He drew in a few long breaths, trying to remember all the tools Sarah had given him to navigate hisemotions, but it wasn’t working. He started to shut down; his mind felt far away from his body.
What could they have possibly been looking for? As he stood there, rolling the question around in his head, something finally struck him.
If he was right about this…then he was in bigger trouble than he thought. He needed a weapon, fast.
The safe in the back of his closet had a gun. He’d stored one there months ago but hoped he would never have to use. Now he was glad it was there because he needed it for whatever came next. He had to be armed if he was going to take on whoever had come in here. This was the second time his room had been searched and from the destruction this time, they were escalating.
He dropped to his knees in his closet, shifting stuff around and reaching toward the back for the gun safe when he felt a crack on the back of his skull.
He pitched forward with a groan.
Damn!Whoever had come to his room wasn’t done with him yet. He should have called for backup as soon as he noticed his door ajar instead of trying to do it alone, but he didn’t feel as though he had a choice. He had to move fast.
He tried to push himself up and turn to face his attacker, but before he was able, he felt the pressure of a cord around his neck. Someone jerked him backward out of the closet and into his room. He started to panic, but then his instincts and training kicked in.
He pushed a hand between his neck and the cord around his throat, creating just enough leverage for him to move his head forward and keep the cord from doing its job.
Whoever was behind him moved in closer to try to get better leverage on his neck. As soon as he was sure they were in range,Xavier slammed his head back, landing a blow against their nose that made a sickening crunch.
The cord loosened for a moment, and Xavier ducked out of it, sliding to one side and panting for breath. His adrenaline was pumping, bringing him back to all the worst times of his life, but he couldn’t let those memories get to him now. Whoever was attacking him was out for blood—he was going to have to fight them in order to stay alive.
He managed to spin around, but his eyes were still blurry from the blow he’d just taken. Still, he could make out a man standing above him. The mask he was wearing hid the man’s identity, but he was tall, muscular, and had hatred burning in his eyes. The man muttered a curse, wiping his nose as blood dripped down the mask and into his mouth. His hand was left with a dark red streak from where he had swiped it across his face smearing the blood. He flashed Xavier an eerie smile.
And something about that smile made Xavier’s blood run cold. He knew that kind of smile. It was the smile of a sadistic person who would kill or seriously injure someone without a second thought.
The man lifted the baton he was holding above his head and brought it down, the sound of it cutting through the air.
Xavier managed to roll out of the way just in time, and it slammed into the wall next to him. He was breathing hard, trying to pull himself together. He thought about calling out for help, but this part of the building would be deserted by now. Nobody would hear him, and he would have lost vital time trying to get aid when he knew he had to do this himself.
“Come on, Dutch,” the man taunted.
Dutch? Xavier stilled, muscles going taut as his vision began to clear. That name. He hadn’t heard that name in years.
The man standing above him suddenly took a step back and ripped off the mask.
Jed. All the pieces suddenly clicked into place: Hannah and Aaron’s concerns, the feeling like he’d seen the man somewhere before, the car crash and generators…
There was only one person who had ever called Xavier by that name.
“How do you know that name?” Xavier asked as he tried to pull himself to his feet. His head was killing him. He reached around to touch the spot where the baton had hit him, and he felt the hot rush of blood beneath his fingers. Looked like he wasn’t the only one who had managed to get in a good blow.
