Chapter 83 The Meeting
Anna's POV
The moment Xavier mentioned his name, every instinct inside me went on alert.
I tried not to show it.
Tried not to let my face betray me.
But Xavier was watching me with those dark eyes of his, the kind that always seemed to notice more than they should.
I swallowed.
"Why would I want to sit in on a meeting about Zack?" I asked.
Xavier stood up from his chair and adjusted the cuffs of his black shirt.
"Because you're involved."
"I don't see how."
A smile touched his lips.
"Anna, Zack has tried to kill you. You almost killed him. His spy kidnapped you. You're involved whether you like it or not."
I couldn't exactly argue with that.
He walked around the desk and stopped in front of me.
For a brief moment, neither of us spoke. Then he reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
The gesture caught me off guard. It was strangely gentle.
Dangerously gentle. "Relax," he said.
"I'm relaxed."
"You're a terrible liar."
I rolled my eyes. "Coming from you?"
That actually made him laugh. A real laugh. Not the cold, amused smirk he usually gave people.
"Fair point." He motioned toward the door. "Come."
I followed him out of the study.
My heart pounded as I followed Xavier down the stairs.
The deeper we went into the mansion, the colder the air became.
The basement looked like an executive boardroom built underground. Armed guards stood outside a large steel door.
One of them opened it immediately when Xavier approached.
The conversations inside died at once.
Several men sat around a long table.
Capos, powerful men.
Every one of them stood the moment Xavier entered. "Boss."
"Boss."
"Boss."
Xavier nodded casually and walked toward the head of the table.
I followed behind him. "Sit beside me," he said.
I obeyed. Every eye in the room followed me.
It made me uncomfortable.
Xavier sat down and leaned back in his chair. "I'm sorry for keeping you all waiting."
One of the older capos laughed.
"You're the boss. You can keep us waiting for as long as you want."
Several others nodded. "That's right."
"We don't mind."
Xavier smiled. "Good to hear."
The room chuckled lightly.
Then one of the capos cleared his throat.
The mood instantly shifted. "Boss, before we begin, there have been rumors."
The amusement vanished from Xavier's face. "I know."
The capo continued.
"People are talking about Lucas."
The room became quiet.
Very quiet.
Xavier folded his hands on the table.
"That's exactly why we're here."
His voice was calm.
"I can't have my capos receiving information from the wrong sources."
Then, to my surprise, he turned toward me. "Anna."
I blinked.
"Yes?"
"Tell them what happened."
My eyes widened.
Me? I looked around the room. Every single man was staring at me now.
I swallowed. Then I took a deep breath. "Lucas drugged me."
Several eyebrows shot up around the table.
I continued. "He planned to kidnap me."
Murmurs spread immediately. I pressed on before I lost my nerve.
"Eve was supposed to carry out the second part of the plan."
That got their attention. "But Eve betrayed him."
The whispers stopped. "She was working for Zack."
Now the room erupted into conversations. "What?"
"A spy?"
"In the mansion?"
I waited until the noise died down. "Eve took me somewhere else. Lucas didn't know about that part."
The capos exchanged uneasy looks.
One of them slowly leaned back in his chair. "That's... complicated."
"Complicated?" another man scoffed. "It's betrayal."
The older capo nodded. "Exactly."
His eyes shifted toward Xavier.
"Boss, according to cartel law, betrayal must be answered with blood."
Several men immediately agreed. "You created that law yourself."
"No exceptions."
"The rules are the rules."
I glanced at Xavier. His face remained expressionless. But I noticed something.
A tension around his jaw. A slight tightening of his fingers. Something was bothering him.
The capos continued. "If ordinary soldiers betray us, they die."
"If captains betray us, they die."
"If family betrays us..."
The man shrugged. "They die too."
Silence settled over the room.
Then another capo spoke. "So what happens if Lucas is found?"
I looked at Xavier. So did everyone else. The room waited.
For the first time since entering, Xavier seemed conflicted. Lucas was his brother.
And despite everything, Xavier didn't want to kill him. I could see it.
The problem was everyone else could see it too.
And a Don couldn't afford weakness in front of his capos.
The silence stretched.
Then Xavier finally spoke. "The rules are the rules." His voice was cold. Emotionless. "If Lucas is found..."
He paused. My stomach tightened. "...he will answer by death."
The words hit me harder than I expected.
I swallowed. Around the room, several capos nodded approvingly.
Satisfied.
One of them leaned forward. "In that case, we should declare him wanted."
Xavier looked at him. The man continued. "We put a price on him."
"Reward information."
"Reward anyone who turns him over."
"It increases our chances of finding him."
I hated how reasonable it sounded. Xavier was quiet for several seconds. Then he nodded. "Do it."
My heart sank.
The capo smiled. "It'll be done."
The room visibly relaxed. They had gotten the answer they wanted. Lucas was officially a hunted man.
Xavier remained silent for a moment. Then he suddenly sat forward. His eyes swept across the room. "While we're discussing traitors..."
The room immediately focused on him. "Let's not forget who the real enemy is."
Nobody spoke.
Xavier continued. "Lucas betrayed me."
His voice hardened. "But he did it out of obsession."
I felt several pairs of eyes shift toward me.
Heat rushed into my cheeks. Xavier didn't seem to care. "He became obsessed with my wife."
My wife. The words sounded strange, possessive.
Yet Xavier said them like they were fact. He continued. "The real enemy is Zack."
The room instantly became serious again.
"Zack infiltrated my organization."
"He planted Eve."
"He nearly killed me."
"And he continues to challenge us."
One of the capos nodded firmly.
"That's very true."
Another agreed. "Lucas is a problem."
"But Zack is the threat." The older capo folded his arms.
"Our focus should remain on destroying Zack."
"Exactly," Xavier said.
His gaze sharpened. "And that's what we're going to do."
One of the capos leaned forward. "If Zack had a spy in the mansion for this long, then we need to assume he has more eyes on us."
Several men nodded. Another capo spoke. "Perhaps Lucas was one of them all along."
Xavier's expression darkened immediately.