Chapter 90 Bad Mood
Anna's POV
Without another word, I turned away from them and headed for the entrance.
The doors opened and Xavier walked in.
The first thing I noticed was his expression. He looked furious.
Not the loud kind of angry. Not the kind that threw things or shouted. This was worse.
His face was blank and cold.
A few men greeted him as he entered, but he barely acknowledged them.
My stomach tightened.
Something had gone wrong.
I hurried toward him. "Xavier." He didn't stop. "Xavier, what happened?"
Still nothing, not even a glance.
He walked straight past me as though he hadn't heard a word and continued toward the hallway leading to his private quarters.
I stood there for a moment. Part of me wanted to leave him alone.
The other part knew I wouldn't sleep a second tonight if I didn't find out what had happened.
With a sigh, I followed him.
By the time I entered his room, he was already pulling off his shirt.
His back was turned toward me. The muscles in his shoulders were tense.
He knew I was there. He simply didn't care.
I folded my arms across my chest and leaned against the door.
For several seconds neither of us spoke.
Finally, he turned slightly. "What do you want?"
I stared at him. "Tell me exactly what the fuck happened."
His jaw tightened. For a moment I thought he would tell me to get out.
Instead he exhaled slowly. "I couldn't find Lucas."
My heart sank. "What do you mean you couldn't find Lucas?"
"I mean exactly what I said."
I frowned. "Was it bad information?"
"No." The answer came immediately.
That surprised me. If the information wasn't bad, then something else had happened.
I took a step closer. "Then what happened?"
Xavier grabbed a glass from the table and poured himself a drink.
When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter than before. "Zack got there first."
I blinked. "What?"
"Zack has Lucas."
For a second I just stared at him.
Of all the possibilities that had crossed my mind, that wasn't one of them.
"Are you sure?"
Xavier emptied half the glass. "Yes."
"How?"
He laughed humorlessly. "How do you think?"
I swallowed.
The image of Lucas flashed through my mind.
Despite everything he had done, I didn't want that for him. "That's unfortunate."
Xavier didn't respond.
I looked at him carefully. "What are you going to do?"
He set down the glass. "I'm going to sleep."
I stared at him. Surely he wasn't serious.
"You can't just leave Lucas with Zack."
His expression remained unchanged. "You absolutely can."
"Zack is going to kill him."
"I know." His calm response shocked me.
I stepped closer. "Then do something."
Xavier laughed. This time there was genuine bitterness in it. "Like what?"
"I don't know. Rescue him. Negotiate. Anything."
He shook his head. "You think this is a movie?"
I ignored the sarcasm. "He's your brother."
That finally got a reaction. His eyes met mine.
For a brief moment I saw something like pain there.
Gone almost immediately. "Half-brother."
I rolled my eyes. "That's not the point."
"It is the point."
"No, it isn't."
The room fell silent. Xavier walked toward the bed. "At this point," he said quietly, "I'm not sure death is avoidable for Lucas."
The words hit harder than I expected. "And perhaps it's better Zack kills him than I do."
My mouth fell open. "You don't mean that."
"I do"
I shook my head. "The Xavier I know wouldn't let Lucas die like that."
He stopped. Slowly he turned toward me. "The Xavier you know?"
I hesitated. "Yes."
A cold smile appeared on his face. "You don't know me, Anna."
I hated hearing that. Because part of me knew he believed it.
I took another step forward. "Try talking to Zack."
His expression darkened. "You think Zack wants to talk?"
"I think Zack wants leverage."
"He already has leverage."
"Then use it."
Xavier rubbed his forehead.
For a moment he looked like he was fighting a headache. Or fighting himself.
I couldn't tell which.
When he finally spoke, his voice was low. "I'm tired."
"Xavier—"
"No." The single word cut through the room.
I stopped talking immediately.
He pointed toward the door. "Go to your quarters."
I opened my mouth. Closed it again.
He wasn't looking at me anymore. He was looking out the window.
Lost in whatever thoughts were tearing through his head.
Part of me wanted to keep pushing. To force him to do something. To make him admit he cared.
But another part of me understood that tonight wasn't the night.
Tonight he had learned that his brother had disappeared into enemy territory.
Tonight he had failed to get him back.
Tonight he was carrying more than he was willing to admit.
I studied him for a few seconds longer.
Then I sighed. "Goodnight."
He didn't answer.
I turned and headed for the door. As I stepped into the hallway, I glanced back one last time.
He was still standing by the window.
I quietly closed the door behind me.