Neither of them spoke during the visit back to his home. Once inside, he locked all the doors, and his cell phone rang.
The caller didn’t have any details on his phone, but he answered it anyway. Alesha headed to the kitchen, and he followed behind her.
“Hello,” he said.
“Why do you sound so fucking miserable? I give you what you want and you’re still pissed?” Boss asked.
“You knew Graciella would be there.”
“Of course. I couldn’t exactly give you everything at once. I wanted to see how much you cared about your woman. The other men needed to see you had a loyal bone in your body. Ask Alesha if she’s missing me.”
“She’s not.”
“You didn’t ask her. I’m a pretty decent guy once you get to know me.”
“I have no intention of ever getting to know you. What the fuck do you want?” he asked.
Boss tsked. “I take it Widow Maker wasn’t accommodating.”
“You’ve known who she is all this time?”
“Of course. Nothing gets past me, and I already gave you all the info to find her. The simple truth, Xavier, is you were too scared to find her.”
“Fuck you.”
Alesha put her hands on his shoulders, offering him the comfort and support he needed. Right now, his mind was all over the place.
Boss laughed. “Let’s face it, Xavier. She doesn’t need you. She’ll never need you. Out of the two of you, she’s the deadlier assassin. I hope you enjoy what you’ve found out.” With that, Boss hung up.
Tossing the phone away, Xavier watched as it hit the wall shattering to pieces.
“Are you okay?”
“That was my sister, Alesha. I haven’t seen her in so long. She was innocent, a terrified little girl, and I failed her.”
“You didn’t fail me,” Graciella said, leaning around the corner of the door.
Xavier stood straight.
She had changed, her hair up in a long ponytail, sunglasses pushed up on her head. There was a smile to her lips. She wore a leather jacket, tight trousers, and a pristine white shirt.
She stepped into the room, taking a seat. “I could imagine you living in a place like this. It’s nice. Just what my brother would order.”
“You don’t know me.”
“But I do. I know all about Xavier and El Diablo. I’ve kept an eye on you over the years. You’ve had some really good hits.”
“What happened to you?”
Graciella smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “What happens to most young girls who are taken? The worst possible thing. I was sold on the black market. Turns out a lot of men liked the prospect of fucking a child. So, you can use your imagination. The story goes on until I was tossed out on the streets in England. My body a bloody mess. My life ruined. My hopes gone. One man, he helped me. He wasn’t interested in my body, but he liked my fighting spirit. He told me that if I worked for him, everyone that had ever done me harm would face the consequences.” She held her hands up. “It was an offer I couldn’t resist. Of course, he had his own reasons for wanting me around. There were men he wanted me to kill. He couldn’t do it himself. He provided all the money I needed.” The smile on her lips died. “Of course, I should have known it wouldn’t end with him. He was one of the men who helped to sell boys and girls. I couldn’t let him live.”
“That’s not the full story,” Xavier said.
“Of course it’s not. You don’t get to have the full story. All you need to know is I lived a life of hell and came back from it. That’s what I do. I’ve got more kills under my belt than you have. I’m not the sweet little sister anymore. She died one night after being used. I can’t give you what you were looking for.”
“But you knew I was looking for you?”
“Of course.” Graciella reached out, taking his hand. “I know you were hoping to be the winner in this story. The hero. I don’t need a hero. I’m a fighter. I take care of all my own battles, and I hope one day, you can be … happy for me.”