“Xan,” I start, but she huffs and tries to walk past me before I can speak. I grab her upper arm and shove her back into her room.
“What the fuck, Li!” she yells. “I don’t want to talk to you if you’re going to be a dick. Now, move!”
I widen my stance and raise and eyebrow indicating that I’m not going anywhere. She quickly relents knowing she could never get past me if I didn’t want her to.
“If you’re going to yell at me for having Bastian here, it’s my house too and the two of you need to act your age,” she deadpans, dropping down onto her bed and crossing her arms in defiance.
I sigh and step closer, sitting next to her on her bed trying to think of the words to say without saying too much or too little.
“Something’s happened,” I admit, willing her to hear the seriousness in my tone. Xana drops her shoulders along with the anger on her face.
She’s young and has had as near a normal life as an orphan can have. I’ve made sure of that. There’s never been much she’s had to worry about and with that brings naivety. It doesn’t feel good to sit here and manipulate that part of her, but I don’t have much choice.
“What did you do, Li?” she asks, voice filled with worry.
I shake my head. “Do you trust me?”
Xana nods.
“I can’t tell you everything, not right now at least. Just know that I need to go away for a little while and you need to go back to college or stay somewhere safe until your flight home.”
She searches my face. “Are you in danger?”
I shrug and smile. “No more than normal.”
“Am I in danger?” she asks through a whisper.
I repeat myself, “no more than normal, Xan.” It’s unspoken, but I know she understands what I’m trying to say. This has to do with our parents, and I won’t elaborate on more than that. So long as she’s picked up what little I’ve put down and takes the right steps to ensure her safety is all that matters right now. “I need you safe, you’re all I got.”
“Xana can stay with me,” Bastian offers.
I bite back chewing his head off for interrupting a private conversation between my sister and me. Fuck, how was I friends with him for so long?
“No,” I clip, not even bothering to look at where he hovers by the door.
Xana worries her bottom lip as she looks between Bastian and me. The fucker couldn’t protect a dog from a flea, what does he think he’s going to do against notorious criminals? If it weren’t my sister involved I have half a mind to agree just for the off chance he won’t make it out alive.
“Li,” Xana clips. I pin her with a glare knowing she’s about to argue with me. She glares back, this time not relenting. “I’m not ready to go back and I’ll be safe with Bass.” I raise an eyebrow about to rebut that claim just by pointing to what I did to his face, but she cuts me off before I can start. “I’m also an adult and you can agree to do this my way, or I’ll go anyway.”
I narrow my eyes. “No,” I say with finality, leaving no room for argument.
Bastian snorts. “You’re the bastard that got her into this mess in the first place, at least let her go where she wants to, so she doesn’t hate you.”
I look at my sister who’s looking at the floor, not defending me in any way or meeting my eyes to tell me that’d never happen. My worst fears coming true. Xana is already beginning to turn against me. I don’t know how to stop what’s already been done, and I don’t want to admit that Bastian is right, however here we are.
I’m swinging between a rock and a hard place, grasping for straws to keep my sister from running from me and staying safe.
“Fine,” I grind out through clenched teeth.
A tear falls from Xana’s eye and Bastian steps into the room. My head snaps in his direction, I stand to intercept whatever the fuck he thinks he’s doing. I may not trust Nathaniel Olin, but I need to trust that he will keep my sister as safe as he claims to have kept me. Bastian won’t be able to do it no matter how much his fucked-up brain thinks he can.
My hand shoots out and I grab Bastian by the shirt, tugging him forward. “If anything happens to her then I’m holding you personally responsible. I will kill you Bastian, mark my words.”
I push him away and scoff when he trips over his feet and nearly faceplants. The man is a literal walking joke. Xana is on her feet, thinking she is going to have to break up a fight. I turn to her and place my hands on her shoulders. She lets them sag and finally meets my gaze.
“Do not go anywhere alone, Xan,” she nods frantically as the seriousness settles in. “Next time you see me, I promise I will explain everything, okay?” She nods again, tears steadily coming down her face.
I kiss her forehead and she wraps her arms around me. I no longer feel Bastian in the room, so I silently thank the stupid fuck for giving us a minute. I know it’s more for her benefit than my own, I appreciate the gesture, nonetheless.