“What are you out here for, Officer?”
What am I supposed to say? My feet bring me here when I need to be alone to drown in self-pity.
Nah.
Lion and I have never gotten along, but Nate is too hard to look at most of the time because of the similarities to his daughter. I need a connection to Malia. Lion could be that, but I can’t expect him to understand.
Nonetheless, it would be easier on Malia when she got home if Lion and I got along. Not that I think it can be achieved so easily.
“Saying I’m here to extend an olive branch would be a lie. I didn’t seek you out,” I admit, sliding my hands into the front pockets of my jeans. “But I love Malia and she loves you. For her I want peace between us—however we might feel about each other, she deserves that much. Especially after everything I’m sure she’s going through. We should be able to be civil in a room together.”
Lion leans against the column, crossing his arms, then his ankles, as he looks at me with smugness in his eyes and an amused smile on his lips.
“I’m not really the type to play friendly for the benefit of others.”
He tilts his head to the side.
“The only thing you and I have in common is my sister. That doesn’t change the fact that you threatened her and my uncle. It’s going to take more than Malia disappearing for me to forget that,” he informs me, straightening to his full height. “For all I know you’re involved in her disappearance; you were the last to see her, after all.”
“I wouldn’t,” I growl.
Lion’s smile grows. “The day you prove you’re good enough for Malia is the day I’ll let shit go,” he shrugs. “You’ve stuck around longer than I thought you would. Hunted for her more than most here.”
He gives me a once-over then dismisses me with a look before walking back into the mansion. I run my hand over my face, frustration building. I remind myself I knew it wasn’t going to be easy.
It’s not Lion’s approval I’m looking for, but if it comes to spending the rest of my life with Malia, I need to gain his favor.
As much as his lack of confidence in both me and how I feel about Malia just pisses me off, I can’t wait to see how smug he looks when she’s back in my arms and I’ve torn this world apart to make that happen.
“Hey, Outlaw,” my sister’s voice rings out quietly in the hall on my trek back to Malia’s bedroom and I come to a stop, turning to face her.
Xana gives me a tight smile, her blue eyes sad and dull, no longer shining with the freedom of being young and the promise of a happy future. O, one thing I’m determined she’ll have.
The swelling in her face has gone down and the stitches in her lip aren’t as noticeable as before. She fidgets with her fingers, her arms dropped in front of her as she looks for the right words to say to me. Her brows furrow and she huffs out a laugh.
“So, this is our life now?” she finally says with a shrug of mock indifference.
I shake my head.
“No,” I say. “Not for you. I chose this, but it doesn’t mean you have to. You have my support and can walk away anytime you want, Xan. Bass can’t hurt you anymore.”
Stepping forward to close the distance between us, Xana sighs. She reaches up and squeezes my bicep as if she’s offering me comfort more than she needs it for herself.
“I’m sorry I freaked out and ghosted you.”
She frowns, letting her hand drop while crossing her arms against her chest.
“It was a lot all at once. I was dealing with Bastian’s shit, which was only just starting,” she pauses and meets my gaze, tears building fast in her eyes and threatening to spill over. “I should’ve left with you that day to come here.”
There’s a tightness in my chest, made of sorrow reserved for only my Xana. We can’t change anything that’s already happened, but we can move forward from here.
“I want to move back to D.C. and finish my college classes online,” she adds, working out her anxiety by tapping her foot on the marble floor.
I shrug.
“Anything you want. It’s your future, Xan, all I can do is support you with your decisions.”
It’s such a fatherly thing to say. With the seven-year age gap between us and her never knowing our parents, I guess I balance the parental and big-brother roles. She stares at me, worrying her lip and giving me the impression that she has more to say.