All at once, Aaron, Cade, and Lawson emerged in the clearing, guns drawn.
Hannah wanted to sob in relief. Lawson immediately locked eyes with her, and Hannah could tell from a single look just how relieved he was to see her. But then, his eyes slid to Xavier, and something in his face shifted. Obviously, he could see that something was seriously wrong with Xavier…something dangerous. He instantly became more tense, more focused, as if aware of the potential threat next to her.
The Xavier both of them knew and cared for so deeply had vanished, taken over by the man who’d been consumed by the darkness of his life before.
“Xavier!” Hannah called to him. “Help is here!”
He didn’t seem to notice or care. He slipped out from behind the Ford once more, firing off a couple more shots toward Sampson and Jed where they were still shielded by the van.
She tried to reach for him, but when she touched his shoulder, he shrugged her off like it was nothing. He wasn’t the man she knew right now, and she didn’t know how to reach him. Several rapid-fire shots hit the front of the truck as Sampson and Jed returned fire.
Lawson and the others darted back to the edge of the trees for cover.
“Stay down,” Xavier growled at her. He was still firing off orders like he was in the middle of a war zone. Lost to the past and the last battle where his brother had lost his life.
“Xavier, stand down!” Cade yelled to him.
For the first time, Xavier seemed to notice that there were other people here. He turned to face them, and Hannah saw in his cold, hard eyes that he perceived them as a new threat. He didn’t recognize them. To his broken mind, they must look like enemies.
Hannah realized if she didn’t think fast, he was going to do something awful and hurt someone he cared about. No amount of therapy would be able to bring him back from that.
Her mind raced with possibilities as to how she could help the man she loved right now. Shouting and gunfire were still all around them, and she knew that their friends would handle Sampson and Jed. Her primary concern needed to be Xavier, so she let everything else fade away.
She knew in that moment it wasn’t just about them surviving these men, it was about getting Xavier back here in the presentwith her and their friends and realizing that they weren’t the enemy.
While she was lost in thought trying to come up with a plan, she noticed that her brother had moved and was making his way toward them from the side.
“Xavier!” Lawson called to him.
Xavier immediately lifted his gun and aimed it at Hannah’s brother.
Lawson stopped dead in his tracks, and Hannah’s heart dropped.
“No! Xavier, he’s not the enemy!” Her voice was filled with panic.
“What the hell are you doing?” Lawson asked Xavier, but Xavier didn’t budge. He kept the gunned trained at Lawson’s chest.
Hannah stood off to his side, but she felt as though she was a hundred miles away. She had to try something right now or she’d lose one or both of the men she loved more than anything. She took a deep breath and stepped closer to Xavier’s side. With tears streaming down her face, she reached out and placed her hand on his chest right over his heart. She immediately felt his body go taut underneath her palm.
“Xavier,” she spoke quietly in his ear. “Xavier, it’s me, Hannah. I need you to come back to me.”
He didn’t acknowledge her, but she could feel a slight shift in him, his hand trembling on the gun aimed at her brother.
“Hannah, you need to step away. He can’t hear you,” Lawson told her, his voice rough with tension.
“Yes, he can. I know it,” she breathed softly. With her hand over Xavier’s heart, she could feel some of the tension easing in his muscles. She chanced a quick look up at his face and noticed some of the darkness leaving his gaze. He was coming back to her.
She stepped even closer, basically plastered to his side and tried again. “Please, please, come back to me. You’re with me and our friends. You don’t want to hurt anyone. Please.”
“Hannah…” Lawson trailed off when she shook her head. Understanding she wasn’t to be deterred, he heaved a large sigh and stood quietly, waiting.
Gunfire and yelling still surrounding them, she stepped directly in front of Xavier, took a deep breath, closed her eyes and planted her lips against his.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Xavier knew it; backup wasn’t going to make it in time. These enemies surrounding them, they were more than he and his brother could handle. His heart slammed against his ribs while his mind raced. He could feel the bite of the air against his skin, the sound of yelling around him, but it all felt louder than ever. The screaming in his ears was more than he could take.
If he hadn’t come here, if he hadn’t brought his brother here, they would both be safe. His blood rushed in his ears as he heard Max calling to him, telling him he was slow and needed to hurry his ass up. Even despite his words, Xavier could tell his brother was scared, trying to overcompensate with his cocky attitude.
