AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"What can I say? The good die young while the wicked prosper."
Xander doesn't say anything else. He pulls me by the hand out of the bedroom and into the living room where only Davina seems to be present. She sends me a smile from the sliding glass door that leads out to the small patio. She sits by the moonlight shining in with just a couch pillow to sit on with two others set up near her.
I eye Xander skeptically, feeling like I'm walking into an intervention, but he just nods toward his mother, releasing my hand.
"Are you feeling better?" Davina asks with that motherly tone to her voice that makes me relax as I take a seat on the couch pillow in front of her.
"I'm fine. I had a panic attack. It's not a big deal." I frown at her concern, unsure if it's real or just a way to manipulate me.
Xander sits down next to me and lights himself a cigarette, blowing clouds of smoke around us, but he doesn't speak, even as Davina glares at him. His lips tighten into a thin line as his jaw tenses, like he knows what she wants and it pisses him off.
"For fuck sake. Alexander Davenport, tell her right now," she demands scoldingly but my mind latches onto her saying his full name.
I thought the name Xander was his full first name, not a nickname he went by, but Alex or Alexander don't really fit his looks or his personality. Xander is the right name for him.
"Tell me what?" I ask, flashing my eyes between them.
"I told you before that I don't want her involved. That's why she doesn't go to most of the meetings, Ma."
Davina's scowl hardens. "Well, that is causing a shitload of issues. If you care about her, you need to tell her now. If you don't, I will." She holds her head high and sends Xander a challenging glare.
He sighs in defeat before running a hand down his face, stress clear. "You know how I told you that I'm supposed to take over when Dennis steps down?"
Dennis? Is that Browning's real name? He's the one in charge so it has to be.
"Yeah. He doesn't want to step down. I remember."
"Well, he won't unless he thinks I'll run things the way he does," Xander adds.
"Xander and I have been working to try to convince him to hand the reins over to Xander since you came into the picture. Dennis has been hard to convince that Xander as president would be good for the club, but everyday he seems more inclined to the idea. Pretty much, Xander has to behave like his father while around the club. If anyone sees a differentiation in his behavior, it could jeopardize his entire plan."
I gawk at Davina, listening to her words carefully. Xander said those horrible things about me because he's trying to convince his father to let him run things? Do they really think I'm that stupid?
"Whatever." I roll my eyes and stand up, but Xander is quickly in front of me, blocking my path back to the bedroom.
"Laura, please, just listen—"
"I've heard enough. All I'm hearing is stupid excuses for shitty behavior. You want him to hand over the club to you? Newsflash, that's exactly what he wants, too—so much that he dragged me into this life, thinking I'm some kind of leverage to get you to do what he wants."
This whole discussion is drama I don't need. I have enough to deal with, and mentally prepare myself for, without dealing with this gaslighting situation. Just because he wants something from his father doesn't mean he can just throw me under the bus.
"Where did you hear that?" Davina asks as she stands and hands me what seems to be a mug of hot chocolate I didn't notice before.
My mom used to always give me hot chocolate when I was stressed. How the hell does Davina know this is the answer?
"He told me when he dragged me into his office last night," I answer, but my hands shake harder.
I remember how he held me down on that desk and the pain he delivered was worse than anything I've ever felt in my life. I don't know what he did, but whatever it was, he maximized the pain.
"Come on, dear. Let's just sit, okay? You're still shaking." Davina guides me to the couch instead of the pillows and keeps her arm around me as I struggle with sipping the steaming beverage. The more I try to focus on not shaking, the worse the trembles get.
Davina rubs calming circles on my back as Xander squats in front of me, regret on his face.
"I've been doing this to protect you and, when I take over, it's going to fix everything wrong with this fucking club. I have a plan and all of the women know about it."
His words stun me into silence. What could his grand plan possibly be that will fix everything? Why do all the women in the club know about it except me? Why didn't he want to bring me in on this huge secret?
After a minute, I finally speak. "I'm listening." My voice trembles but he lets out a sigh of relief anyway.
