Chapter 87 Enemy's Camp
Anna's POV
Serena stared at him for several seconds. Then surprisingly she shrugged. "If that's the case, I don't mind."
This time I nearly choked on my champagne.
Xavier nodded. "See? That wasn't difficult."
Before either of us could respond, a man approached Xavier and whispered something into his ear.
The amusement immediately disappeared from Xavier's face.
He stood. "I'll leave you two ladies to yourselves."
I narrowed my eyes. "What happened?"
"Business." That was all he said.
Then he looked at Serena. "It was lovely seeing you."
Serena smiled. "You too."
Xavier glanced at me one final time. Then he walked away.
The moment he disappeared into the crowd, silence settled between us.
Neither of us spoke. Then Serena finally broke it. "Is he serious?"
I sighed. "Unfortunately."
She stared in the direction Xavier had gone. "I can't tell if he's joking or insane."
"With Xavier, those two things aren't mutually exclusive."
Serena laughed. I didn't. Instead, I lowered my voice. "I warned you."
She looked at me. "About what?"
"About coming here too often."
Understanding flashed across her face. "Oh."
"Exactly."
Serena leaned back in her chair. "You think he suspects me."
"I think he suspects everyone."
"That's comforting."
"It wasn't meant to be."
Serena sighed. For a moment, we simply watched the guests moving around the room.
Then she shook her head. "I still don't understand how a threesome helps him figure anything out."
I stared at my champagne. "Because agreeing to it doesn't tell him anything."
She frowned. "But refusing?"
I nodded. "Refusing tells him something."
Serena was quiet. Then she muttered, "He's insane."
"Yes."
She shook her head again. I noticed several people glancing in our direction.
Serena followed my gaze. Then she lowered her voice. "I've never imagined having sex with you before."
I laughed despite myself. "That makes two of us."
Serena smiled. Then she leaned closer and asked quietly, "Are you saying we proceed with the threesome?"
"Yes," I said quietly. "We have to proceed with it."
Serena raised an eyebrow. I took a sip of champagne before continuing.
"At least for now. Besides, I'm pretty sure Xavier isn't actually interested in having a threesome with you. There's every chance he'll change his mind before anything happens."
A smile spread across Serena's face. "You just spoke like someone who knows him very well."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm his wife. Of course I know him."
The smile on her face only widened. "From where I'm sitting, Anna, you're getting comfortable in that position."
My grip tightened around the glass. The word bothered me more than it should have. "Isn't that what the agency wants?" I asked.
Serena shrugged. "Of course that's what the agency wants."
"Then what's the problem?"
"The agency wants you close to Xavier." Her eyes settled on mine. "But the agency doesn't want you falling in love with him."
My heart skipped. For a split second, I couldn't find a response.
Serena noticed. Of course she did.
Then she sighed. "And from where I'm standing, it looks like you're already falling for him."
I looked away. The music continued playing around us. The party carried on as though my entire world hadn't just tilted sideways.
Was I falling for Xavier? The question had been haunting me for weeks.
Maybe longer. The worst part was that I no longer knew the answer.
He was arrogant, dangerous and manipulative.
Everything I should hate. Yet somehow I found myself worrying about him. Thinking about him.
Looking for him whenever I entered a room. It was a problem. A very big problem. But it wasn't one I intended to admit.
"I'll always do what's right by the agency," I said finally. "Regardless of how I feel."
Serena studied me for several seconds. Then she smiled. "Good for you."
I wasn't sure she believed me. Honestly, I wasn't sure I believed me either.
Before I could say anything else, Serena's gaze shifted past my shoulder. "Let's change the topic."
I frowned. "Why?"
"Because Xavier is coming back."
My stomach tightened immediately. I didn't even have to turn around.
A few seconds later, I felt his familiar hand settle against the small of my back. "Sorry, Serena," he said casually. "I need a moment alone with my wife."
Serena stood. "Sure." She looked at me. "I'll be in your room. I'm feeling a little lightheaded."
I nodded. "Okay."
Xavier didn't even acknowledge the conversation. His attention remained entirely on me.
He simply waited until Serena disappeared into the crowd before speaking. The relaxed expression on his face was gone.
Immediately, I knew something was wrong. "What happened?" I asked.
Xavier glanced around the room before lowering his voice. "Something came up."
My heart began to race. "What kind of something?"
"Lucas has been spotted."
I froze. For a second I thought I had heard him wrong. "What? Where?"
"In Zack's territory."
The words hit me like a punch. "What?" A few nearby guests turned toward us.
I lowered my voice immediately. "Why would he be there?"
Xavier took a slow drink from his glass. "Because it's the last place anyone would think to look."
I shook my head. "That's insane."
"Maybe."
"Zack will kill him the moment he's discovered."
For the first time, I saw something flicker across Xavier's face. Concern but it was gone almost instantly.
But I saw it. "He knows the risk."
I swallowed. "Then we have to get him out."
"We?" I ignored the question.
"Lucas isn't stupid. If he's there, he has a reason."
Xavier's jaw tightened. "Or he's desperate."
That possibility scared me even more.
Because desperate people made dangerous choices. And Lucas had already proven how dangerous he could be.
I folded my arms. "What are you going to do?"
Xavier looked toward the crowd. His expression hardened. "The real problem isn't Lucas."
I frowned. "Then what is?"
"My capos."
I blinked. "What do they have to do with this?"
"Everything." He lowered his voice further. "The moment they hear Lucas was spotted inside Zack's territory, they'll see it as confirmation."
"Confirmation of what?"
"That Lucas has joined Zack."
I stared at him. The thought hadn't even crossed my mind. But now that he said it... I could see how the others would think that.
Lucas had betrayed Xavier. Lucas had disappeared. Now Lucas was hiding in enemy territory. It looked terrible. "That's not true."
"I know." His voice was calm. "They don't."
I swallowed. "What do you want me to do?" I asked.