The Mafia's Secret(Book 1)

Chapter 23 ✔️

SCARLETT

It was a three hour drive to the city, now that I counted for curiosity reasons. In the city, it was an extra twenty minutes to get to the store Xavier wanted to go to. He pulled as far from the building as possible before parking. The place was a small off brand hardware store. One I had never heard of before since we were on the crappy side of the city.
Barely walking a few feet from the car, Xavier grabbed my arm, stopping me from going any further. He leaned in close. "Grab what you need. Only what you need. I mean it. You have to be fast when you're in the open. You never know who's watching." He warned before letting go of my arm.
His words sent shivers down my spine, allowing paranoia to get the best of me as we walked into the store. I didn't need much since they had gotten most of my stuff from my apartment but there were a few necessities I did need. Tampons, more Whole Blends Honey shampoo/conditioner set, shavers, sensitive skin safe face wash and a few other things.
It didn't take long to find everything I needed except for the specific Hair oil I wanted to find. It was an Argan Oil brand from Morocco. There was nothing better than that around here. Still looking after a few minutes, I got the feeling someone was watching me. Like on cue, a stranger came into the isle once I had found the oil I needed. He was smiling in a strange way as if he was just a customer, wanting to pass by a blocked aisle. Only the seconds he went to wrap around me, he stopped, turning to face me.
"Don't I know you miss?" His voice was full of curiosity but there was a hint of something much darker.
"I–I don't think so." I took a step back nervously. I recognized the man from somewhere but I couldn't figure out where I had seen him before.
"Oh, but I think I do." He stepped closer, flashing a shiny object in his coat. A gun! "You're coming with me, girl." He demanded as he took another step forward, grabbing my arm. I could feel the barrel of the gun as he pressed it into my side. "Let's go." He pushed me forward, forcing me to walk while still in his grip.
"Let me go!" I seethed through clenched teeth as he pulled my hair back, walking us towards the tills. He leaned in close, whispering into my ear. "Act normal and put your things on the till." He demanded, letting go of me.
Doing as he ordered, I kept glancing around to find Xavier. Spotting him watching from a few aisles away, I knew he was avoiding attracting any attention. The last thing we needed was to make a scene.
Grabbing the bag from the clueless cashier, the man quickly pushed me out of the store and towards a large windowless van. The second the door was opened by someone inside, was the second I went into panic mode. I didn't care for the gun pointed at my side or the masked man waiting for me inside the van. I pushed the man away from me, only to result in his hand slamming down into the side of my face. The force he used, knocking me off balance and onto the cold pavement. I couldn't help but cry out as pain shot through my arm. Before the man could grab me again, I kicked out, slamming my foot into his groin. He doubled over in pain, allowing me enough time to crawl away. The other man quickly jumped out to grab me. Out of instinct, I held my arm up, readying for whatever blow he was about to send my way. When it didn't come, I looked up to see the man backing into the van with his hands up. A shadow fell over me. Looking up, a tall shadowy figure loomed over me, only I couldn't see his face since the sun shone down far too brightly. Even squinting didn't reveal who it was. He kept the gun pointed at the one man until he closed the van door before turning his weapon onto the man recovering from the kick to the groin.
The man chuckled as he stood. "Well if it isn't the Famous Xavier."
"You're on the wrong side of the city, Hector." Xavier grabbed my arm, pulling me to my feet. Within seconds he moved in front of me, blocking the strangers view of me with his body.
"Just doing a man a favor for a fair price."
"You won't be delivering any favors today. Now go before I change my mind and pull the trigger."
The man didn't hesitate to get into the van. He was glaring at the two of us as the van squealed off. Once it was out of view, Xavier put his gun away, picking up the bag of groceries I had dropped. He turned to me angrily as he shook his head, shoving the bag into my arms.
"You had one job, Scar! Now let's go!" He seethed. He started to walk towards the car, leaving me standing there for a few seconds before I finally followed after him.
As we sat in the now moving car, I could tell Xavier had something to say and judging by his tense posture, I knew it wouldn't be a pleasant thing to hear. His hands were clenching the steering wheel, turning his knuckles white. He was infuriated and I feared saying anything would set him off. After all, it was incredibly stupid of me to engage in conversation and allow the man named Hector to get the jump on me. There was no trusting anyone now. You couldn't even trust people you knew personally these days.
Xavier suddenly pulled into an alleyway, stopping the car a few feet from the brick wall. He stayed silent for a moment, staring at nothing but the dead end. The silence short lived as he slammed the palm of his hand onto the steering wheel.
"Fuck!" He shouted, refusing to look at me. By the time he did, there was still anger in his eyes.
  "Who was that?" I asked quietly, not wanting him to reroute his anger onto me.
"Hector Biggs. He's a contractor. He'll kill or hurt just about anyone for money. The damn fool must be working for your father."
"Just how dangerous is this guy?"
He ignored my question, backing out of the alleyway. I expected him to remain silent but once we were in traffic again, he sighed. "Dangerous enough. Just keep an eye out for anyone that may be following us. We can't risk him finding out where you and Mindy are staying. Do you understand?"
I nodded, constantly looking behind us to see if we were being followed.

* * * *

The second we got into the cabin, Xavier wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, whispering for me to follow him upstairs. I wanted to ask about letting Mindy out but before I could, Xavier grabbed the grocery bag from my hand, tossing it to the floor. Within seconds, he was pulling me towards the stairs. I knew exactly where he was bringing me, so I let him guide me up the stairs and into his bedroom where he proceeded to close the door behind us.