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“Xander, scared. Ha! He’s a bodyguard.” I reached for the remote and paused the film. My favorite part was approaching and I didn’t want it tainted by this conversation. “He could still protect me, be with me. I mean, hell he could’ve explained the situation to me.”
“Charlotte, as your friend, listen to me,” Cass softly spoke. She placed the half-chewed pizza slice back down in the box and reached for my hand. I gazed at her tear-filled eyes and choked back a sob of my own. What was going on? “Xander has a past that haunts him. A pain that runs so deep he doesn’t know how to deal with it.”
“How do you know that?” I whispered, scared to break the moment.
“Because I have it too!” Cass uttered as the tears flowed and I opened my arms in shock.What the hell didn’t I know?
ChapterTwelve
Xander
Travis Lumsden. Who the hell did he think he was? I sat there methodically thinking of the best way to approach the attack he’d laid into me about Charlotte whilst she sat down, watching the show unfold before her eyes. I knew I had to do the impossible and get her to leave before Travis revealed too much of my past, too much of my previous life. My pain. My Lily. If anyone was going to unveil that torturous road for Charlotte to walk down, then I wanted it to be me. I was the person that deserved to deal that blow and deliver that anguish to her beaten heart. Not him.
I just didn’t expect the constriction of my own heart to ache so much when I said those words to Charlotte to leave or for her response to be so angry. I should’ve guessed she’d fly off the handle at telling her to go home and leave. She was an actress after all, drama was part of the package, but it made me question if I’d actually shattered the start of a relationship between us and how I could fix this. All because of one man stepping into our business and my own personal ego taking control.
Travis wanted me to remain professional. I get it. I really did. The act of keeping my own life separate from my working life was important but at what expense would that cost the pair of us?
It seemed like he expected two hearts to be able to pause their feelings in time and reality. That we could honestly sit back and wait until our circumstances were more stable and ignore the way we’d connected. Could I do that? Would Charlotte do that? Was I actually considering it? I don’t know because I’d pushed her away to talk to herboss. Fuck!
I looked up at Barrett and he automatically made his way toward Travis, taking a seat in front of the pair of us. How could he sense that this was where he was meant to be? It was as if he knew without words that he needed to remain behind to be my anchor, my support. That I’d need his strength in the upcoming conversation ahead that I was about to have.
“Travis,” I said slowly, admitting this conversation needed finalizing. I couldn’t let him feel the matter was closed without my own opinion. “Charlotte is my woman. I know you seem to have an issue around the subject. I don’t know if it’s because you secretly pine for her.” I felt the muscles tighten across my body as I admitted that out loud. “But you’re her boss.”
“Xander, you’re her security. You’re employed to protect her, not fuck her,” he snapped before wincing at his bluntness. I felt the anger burning within me at the way he was speaking about Charlotte, as if she was just a piece of meat. She was nothing of the sort. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that. I don’t see Charlotte like that. I never have but think about it. Distractions lead to mistakes, don’t they?”
I couldn’t help but transport myself back to that fateful night. The day I broke protocol and left my post by Lily and listened to my sister’s pleas to return for her locket, rather than keep standing at my assigned station. I’d been a fool. A guy who’d let my personal life mix with business. The dreaded words hit me like a freight train. What if I became too blind and placed Charlotte in danger from a wrong move?
“This is only a pause…” I forced the painful words out of my mouth. “Do you understand?”
“I do,” Travis replied, with a slight nod, even though he still looked displeased at having to say it. “But it has to be truthful, Xander. She’s a star. She’s at risk and as we both know it; a police presence and the media will make this situation much worse.”
“I do. It needs to be kept as quiet as possible. Now, I better go and try and smooth this mess out. I think I’m probably public enemy number one,” I declared. As I stood up I noticed Barrett matched my stance.
“Maybe it’s a close call. I think Charlotte may not like either of you very much at the moment,” Barrett reminded me. He was always trying to get me to see the best of the situation, no matter how bleak it may be. “I’ll keep you company on the way. We’ll see you in the morning for filming.”
* * *
The drive back to Charlotte’s was uneventful. Just the scenery around and the sound of the engine purring away as we sped across town. The silence between the two of us was much appreciated and not awkward at all. I needed time with my own thoughts as I allowed Barrett to drive so I could pull up the security cameras at Charlotte’s place and do a quick surveillance of the house. Thankfully, no alerts had been triggered on the system and it gave me the much needed relief I required but until I saw her with my own eyes I wouldn’t relax. I know how people can dupe security cameras with grabbing footage and playing it on a loop. I didn’t think Charlotte’s stalker would stoop to these levels but nothing would surprise me since what happened to Lily. The only thing that did ease my gut was I hadn’t had any contact from Memphis or Cass which meant she must be fine and probably just fuming at what I’d done.
The moment the car halted I jumped out and ran up the curved path to the door. I hesitated whether to barge straight through the door or knock and wait to be allowed entry. I knew what I should do, what I wanted to do but the reality was if I stormed in, Memphis could’ve pulled his gun on me. He could have seen me as a threat against Charlotte because the alpha-asshole in me forgot to process that I should’ve told him I was on my way prior to leaving, not when I was outside her door. Barrett may have used his head and communicated with him but that meant waiting for him to park and join me. However, my patience was at breaking point and I had to see her and explain my actions, even though I knew the chance of her listening to me was next to none.
I clenched my fist and banged on the door, halting as the raised voices hit my ears.What the fuck was going on?The growl deep in my throat threatened to escape as I grabbed the handle, just as the door edged open to a cautious Memphis who scoured the surroundings.
“Fucking open the door before I knock the thing down. I don’t care if you’re standing in the way or not,” I exclaimed. My anger was ignited within as I wondered why the ping pong of the two female voices hadn’t slowed and was getting more irate by the second. “Don’t you think you should be dealing with whatever is going on?”
“I think you need to take a breather, man,” Memphis uttered in a sharp tone. His face was solemn and unfazed by my sudden outburst. I felt the veins protruding from my neck as the blood rushed through them while I struggled with the unknown of what was happening. Barrett’s palm slapped me hard on the shoulder, knocking me back to reality and trying to ground me from doing something I’d later go on to regret. “You know how women can get at times. Each one has to be right, even when they can see how wrong they are. If I get involved in their squabbles then I’ll be seen as taking sides. Either Charlotte or Cassandra would storm out of here in frustration and then what should I do? Hey! They’d be vulnerable!” Memphis blew out an exasperated breath as he stroked his hands up and down the upper edge of the door frame in which his body barred my entrance to Charlotte’s home. “At least this way, I don’t have to pick. I don’t have to panic that I can’t see one of them. That I didn’t have to worry that whoever this person was wasn’t brave enough to strike here because I’d not been methodical with my thoughts. That I couldn’t have done my job…”
I tore my gaze away from Memphis’s at those words, knowing that he’d deliberately told them to hit home. He was right. I was being reckless.
“I had my eyes on the pair of them, even if they both were determined to tear each other apart with words to get what they wanted.”
“And what do they want?” I winced out.
“Charlotte wants to know more and Cass wants to protect your heart, her heart and of course, your girl’s heart,” Memphis admitted.
“Fuck.” I sighed. “I can’t keep this from her, can I?” I dropped my shoulders forward, realizing how messed up this whole situation was.Why couldn’t Cass have contacted someone else? Why me?“I…”
“Xander…”
