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He’s not exactly a talker. Sam is a big guy with dark eyes and dark hair, full of tattoos, and always silent. Not exactly the fun type. Lik and he balance each other perfectly since my stepbrother can hold a conversation with himself for hours on end.
Aisha asks where Xi is, and that’s when I realize he’s not here yet. My chest tightens and my heart accelerates. I hope he’s not in trouble. I hate myself a little more for yesterday because that’s probably how he felt all night waiting for my call.
Fuck, Emma’s right. I’ve been a shit person lately.
We’re already eating when Xi shows up.
“Ziad!” Aisha snaps his full name when she sees him. “Is this a decent time to show up? And covered in blood?”
My heart drops as I turn around and see he’s got a bleeding nose. My eyes automatically go to his bloody knuckles.
He’s talking to his mom and not looking at me, so he can’t see my worried look and inquiring gaze.
He goes to the kitchen sink and washes his hands before taking his seat next to mine. He crosses his gaze with Sam, and the latter nods to him. A thankful nod. Maybe he was moving a body for him.
Sam is a hitman, after all. He used to be the enforcer of the Bianco family, but then the Bianco empire fell apart. Sam had already started seeing Lik by then. So he stayed around because they fell in love, and he became a hitman so he could work for himself rather than join another criminal family. When Sam has a body to hide, he calls Xi for it. He pays him a hefty amount, and my stepbrother loves money.
“Are you okay?” I ask Xi. Instead of answering, he takes a violent bite of his food. Though under the table, he puts his hand on my thigh. I’m pretty sure I never minded him doing that before. I used to really like it, actually. When we overstepped what was appropriate for stepsiblings in public, it started naturally, and I thought it was fun. I never took it too seriously.
Now I feel strange about it as I shift in my seat. He realizes this right away and gives me a look. Under the table, I grab his hand and move it off me.
He practically chokes on his food and everyone turns to him.
“Sorry,” he mumbles.
The conversation flows as we all eat together, and it’s only after dinner that Xi corners me in the hallway as I exit the bathroom.
“What is wrong with you?” he asks me low.
“Are you okay? What happened to you?”
“I did a job for Sam,” he says as if it was that simple.
“Yeah?” I reply as I cross my arms. “And did the body come back to life and punch you in the face?”
“It’s worrying when you don’t know what someone you care about has been up to, huh?” he snarls.
“You’re a dick,” I huff. I take a step to go past him, but he pushes me back and pins me against the wall with a hand just above my chest. His other one goes above my head and against the wall.
“Don’t do this to me, Bil’s. You’ve been in trouble and don’t want us to know about it. Just admit it.”
I shake my head. “That’s not—”
“Caden King cornered me and started a fight out of nowhere. I was on NSC grounds. I was no threat, and he had no reason to do this.”
“What?” I choke. “Are you for real? Are you okay?”
“Do I look okay? I’m fucking pissed,” he seethes. The anger in his voice makes me tremble.
“Y-yeah, but did he hurt you?”
“No, of course not. He might be good, but I don’t go down easy. Plus, I don’t think he wanted to hurt me. No, he wanted towarnme.”
“Warn you?”
“Yeah, to stay away from you. So, wanna explain?”
I am going to kill Caden King with my bare hands.
