Fear…
I’d only had the emotion a few times in my life. The majority of those times were associated with him.
On this occasion I had every reason to experience the emotion.
He was in Jia’s house.
Chapter 15
Jia
Choice…
Stay outside and wait for the sound of a fight, or stay outside and wait for the echo of a gunshot?
That was the choice Xander had left me with.
In all seriousness that was it and since I didn’t like either of those choices, I made my way into the house.
Who I expected to see was Pa. It would make sense for him to come and make his presence known after what had happened yesterday with the fight.
I expected some sort of comeback, or, on a minor level, a lecture because tomorrow was the big day. What more could he really do if the iron fist he’d ruled me with had already dealt a powerful blow.
The only other thing he could do was kill Xander and I wasn’t about to let that happen.
Who I saw though, sitting in my armchair, drinking from the cup Ma had brought for me for my sixteenth birthday, was a man I didn’t know.
Built with shoulder length black hair and a scar running down the side of his cheek, the man reminded me of a tough guy character from a video game or someone from The Matrix. Again that was my cousin’s influence. He watched too much TV and got lost in far too many video games. As kids he’d dragged me into it too.
This man wore a cool looking, slick Armani suit. He was dressed up like he had some sort of event to attend.
It was a contrast to him as the person. Leather looked like it would be more his thing.
I’d never seen him before in my life and on the regular, I’d assume this guy had a death wish for entering my home knowing who I was.
That was on the regular. Today not so much.
This man reeked of power and control. The vibe beamed from him as he snapped dark brown eyes that almost looked black to me, but what enhanced the vision of him was the way Xander looked.
I’d seen him look angry, I’d seen him look enraged to the point of losing it, I’d seen him happy, I’d seen him look sad and defeated. What I’d never seen before in his eyes was fear.
Fear became terror when he saw me enter the room.
“Who are you?” I directed at the man.
He smiled and tipped his head in reverence, the way most Southern men did.
“I am Balthazar Kane,” he replied in a thick Southern accent that fit his mannerism. I wasn’t surprised to hear it.
“What the fuck are you doing in my home?” I threw back.
“Jia, please,” Xander cut in. Caution filled his tone and spiked my nerves.
If he could look and sound like that, I needed to calm the fuck down.
“No, Xander please the lady has a valid question. I like her.” Balthazar nodded. “You sure like your women ballsy don’t you?”
The comment was a dig that didn’t escape me. He’d known someone else that Xander had been with.
