Another Lifetime

Chapter 28

DeAnna Kastell

"So why didn't you bring Jessie?" X asked me as Harry unlocked the hotel door. Jessie couldn't be brought into my illegal activity if she was going to have the career in the navy like she wanted and I wasn't going to fuck up my best friend's potential for a successful naval career by telling her about what I was planning to do.

"Because Harry is better at wedding stuff than she is," I told him and that was true, "plus, Jessie wouldn't cope in Little Italy, Harry will," I added and he winked at me. "Our little Harrison is fluent unlike you and Jess," I reminded him and Harry popped his collar like the smug bitch he occasionally is.

"So what wedding stuff are you doing?" He asked me and Harry gestured for my phone. I handed it over to him. I headed into the hotel to go find the desk and the router. I needed to get set up before I even considered hacking Aran for that video.

"We're both going to try on some dresses, look at some potential wedding gifts, visiting her dad to tell him that she's engaged, and me slapping Ben Kastell across the face with my glove!" He said, getting real dramatic at the end.

"I'll keep her safe, plus her dad has posted us two lovely ex-marines as personal security called Preston and Hartley," he added and normally, I hated having personal security but right now I was quite happy to have them. They were usually Dad's personal security so he clearly knew that I was testifying in Aran's RICO trial.

"Can I have my phone back please?" I asked Harry and he held his finger up at me.

"Okay, I love you too Griffin," he said and made a kissy noise before handing me my phone back.

"Preston and Hartley are your dad's personal guys," was X's opening line to me. He knew who were normally posted to me; I always lost my details when I didn't want or need them and Dad had stopped posting since my status as a user and a criminal became apparent to my family.

"I'm testifying in a RICO trial for New York's biggest crime boss, and it's now public knowledge," I reminded him, "he's just being overprotective now that our relationship is on the mend," I said and went up to my section of the room, the upper balcony away from windows.

"Also, If I'm seen doing wedding prep with my dude of honour, people will hopefully think that we're not together, that I've moved on, and Aran will have no reason to suspect that you and me are together again or that you're doing something you probably shouldn't be," I explained to him and looked at my engagement ring. It made me smile every time I looked at it but right now it was reminding me of the reason I'd come to New York and what I needed to do whilst we were here.

"Okay," he said, understanding my logic but hopefully not seeing through my lies in this situation, this one time I needed him to believe my lies as truth. "Call me later, yeah?" He checked with me.

"I will, I promise," I assured him, and I'd leave a voicemail for good measure to tell him all about the wedding shopping.

"I love you DeAnna Kastell," he told me and I really didn't deserve him after all I'd done but I'd spend everyday proving myself worthy of the love he gives me.

"I love you too Xavier Kingsley," I said and I dropped the call. I threw my phone onto my bed, gripping my skull in frustration as Preston appeared in the doorway.

"Miss Kastell, your father is on his way up with your oldest brother," he informed me and I sighed.

"Okay, I'll go tell Harry," I said and went past him, and saw the gun in the shoulder holster. It was the same gun that Frank carries, "so I'm carrying a knife," I informed Preston casually as he followed behind me.