“You’re paid well to do as you’re told. Fuck off,” Boss said.
“Does it hurt you to be nice to people?” Alesha asked.
“No. You’re nice to people and they fuck you over. Simple as.”
“So, you’re not nice to anyone?”
“I pay well for the jobs I want. What more do people need?” Boss asked. He pushed a cart with a tray forward and wheeled it over to her so that she could eat. “Eat.”
“Why can’t you let Xavier come here? I don’t understand.”
“I’m pissed at him, and right now I want to kill him. If he comes here, I’ll end up shooting him in the head.”
She picked up the spoon and looked at Boss. He took a sip of his coffee, and she couldn’t believe she was listening to him threaten the man she loved.
“Why didn’t you run?” Boss asked.
“I just tried.”
“No, when you learned the truth. You do know that there are many men and women out there that would pay a fortune for Xavier’s location? He was passed out. You could be on a private island by now, basking in your riches.”
She shrugged. “It didn’t even enter my head. Besides, Xavier paid me to take care of his home. By extension, his home was part of him, so I took care of him as well. I’m not a snitch. I’m loyal.”
“Yeah, at your own risk.”
“You know where his sister is?” she asked.
Boss stared at her. “Yes.”
“A good man would tell him where to find her.”
“Newsflash, princess, I’m not a good man.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re sitting with me, a woman you don’t know, to ensure I’m being taken care of. I think there’s more to you than the asshole you try to show the world.”
“So now you think you understand your boss’s boss.”
She couldn’t help but smile. The nurse had put all the needles and monitor checks on her body that she’d taken off.
“This is so weird,” Alesha said.
Silence fell between them. She ate some soup, finding it a little watery.
“Xavier is not ready to know the information I have. When he is, I will make sure he knows what I know.”
She turned to Boss.
He stared at her hard.
She nodded.
He may not believe it, but Boss had a heart; he simply hid it well.
Chapter Eleven
Six weeks later
A knock on his door echoed in the early morning hours. Xavier pushed himself up in bed and checked the clock. It was two in the afternoon.