Xoah smirked, like he’d been waiting for Lafayette to take the baited phrase and usher out a response. “Because I didn’t come alone.”
Chapter 28
Everythingin the air stilled as the front door wedged itself open again. I couldn’t contain myself, lifting out of my chair as my heart sped up, doing double time as I took in the sight of Van holding a gun out in front of his face, his eyes glossing over me until he stared down Lafayette like he was seconds away from pulling the trigger. Lafayette responded by doing the same, both men holding up their guns and staring at each other as Van eased into the house, sliding closer to Xoah as Lafayette backed up, until he was completely obscuring my view.
Annoyed, I stood up from behind Lafayette, so that I could see Van and Xoah clearly. He didn’t stir at my refusal to stay seated, too worried about the fact that Van was just as armed as he was. When my eyes found Van, we shared a silent moment. I could see the relief washing over him that I was okay, because it was the exact sentiment I was feeling over seeing that he wasn’t harmed.
Without taking his eyes or gun off of Lafayette, Van leaned down and offered a hand to Xoah. “You okay?”
“Oh, yeah, I’m fine.” Xoah took the hand with gratitude, wiping the blood on his hands on the dark jeans he was wearing. “Gotta love the lycanthe healing benefits. But you,” Xoahpointed a long-nailed finger in Lafayette’s direction. “You’re a bitch for that.” He gestured toward the gunshot wound, his shirt drenched in the blood that was no longer flowing out of his body. “This shirt is designer.”
“You’re going to put the gun down and let Alistair come over here.” Van told Lafayette, defensively getting in front of Xoah and readjusting his dual grip on the gun he was holding evenly.
Lafayette scoffed, the whisper of a chuckle on his lips. “Yeah, that’s not happening. Not without me shooting you first.”
Xoah made a noise, one that indicated that Van would be just as hurt by the bullet as he’d been. It made me wonder, once again, what the hell Van could possibly look like in his true olatsma form.
“Last chance.” Van said. One thing I’d give Van, he sure as fuck sounded cool and calm. He was definitely the right hire for the position as my bodyguard. Because even someone as sinister as Lafayette Rhodes wasn’t enough to shake Van. “I’m not going to tell you twice.”
“Put the gun down,” Lafayette tilted his head toward where the gun existed between Van’s ironclad hands. “And I won't hurt him.”
“He's lying!” I yelled boldly, considering there was nothing stopping Lafayette from pistol whipping me back into submission so I would take my seat again in the chair. “He was going to kill me anyway.”
He turned toward me, his voice a commanding hiss. “Shut thefuckup, brother.”
“I’ll never be your brother, you fucking psycho.”
When I looked back at Van, he still looked as if he was stuck waging the war of what to do next. Xoah, who had been remaining relatively quiet since recovering from being shot, crossed his arms and shifted from one foot to the other.
“I think he's bluffing, Van.” Xoah said with a sharp scoff. “This guy doesn't have the balls to kill anyone.”
I felt the pressure in the room heighten as Lafayette took the gun, aimed it at Xoah, and fired off several shots. I bit my lip from screaming, the sound of the gunfire too close to not rattle my hearing. Van's mouth opened in shock, watching as Xoah took bullets to his legs and chest. Xoah crumpled to the floor, groaning in agony as he once again started to bleed along the marble floor. At least he was still conscious, but I was absolutely convinced that Lafayette wasn't leaving this house without my blood joining Xoah's on the floor.
He readjusted his grip on the gun, training it off of Xoah and back on Van as he chuckled softly. “What was that about bluffing?”
Van kneeled by Xoah's side, checking him over. Xoah wasn't exactly coherent, but he was breathing, gesturing wildly to where Lafayette and I were, seeming to signal to worry about us and to quit worrying about himself. He gave Xoah one single nod before standing back up and pointing his gun back at Lafayette.
“What's stopping me from doing the same thing to you now?” Van baited.
With the whip of his free hand, Lafayette grabbed me from behind him and shifted me to stand in front of him abruptly. I let out a wail of surprise as he shifted both of us, his body weight pressing against me as he took his gun and pressed the tip of it flush to my temple. I trembled with fear, and it must have shown in my eyes because Van's flared, passing between glaring at Lafayette with anguish and giving me a look that told me everything was going to be okay.
Van growled in defeat, his hands no longer stable as they'd previously been. He was struggling to keep his wits about him now that I was in danger. I wasn't sure if that was comforting or more terrifying in my current condition.
“Let’s try this.” Lafayette laughed directly into my ear. “Toss the gun over here or I’ll blow his head off in front of you.”
The amount of hatred that was visible in Van’s eyes was a little alarming. I could tell that seeing me in such a position was making him angrier by the second. I kept watching his eyes flick toward the gun and back to the twisted display on his face, like he was weighing his options with Lafayette’s firepower in play.
“Get your hands off of him.” Van’s voice sounded like it had dropped several octaves to warn Lafayette. I couldn’t believe Lafayette wasn’t shaken by it, because I knew Van and it kind of scared me. “And get the gun away from him, if you know what’s good for you.”
Lafayette choked on a scoff, pressing the gun harder against my temple, making me wince. “Or what?”
“Or I’m going to fucking kill you.” Not mincing words, Van took the gun and tossed it across the room, sliding it away from himself and closer to the office. Lafayette watched the gun come closer to him than Van, but he didn’t retire his stance or stop from holding the gun up to my head.
I glanced over at where Xoah was still writhing on the floor, still bleeding. The sound of one of the bullets oozing out of his body rang on the marble, signifying to us all that he was at least healing from Lafayette’s latest rampage.
“You might’ve wanted to keep your gun if you wanted to kill me, tough guy.”
“I don’t need a gun to kill you.” Van chuckled, breathy and free of restraint.
