Eye for an Eye

Chapter 25: Surrounded By Idiots

Xavier's POV

I hung up the phone, my head pounding from the incessant bickering of my inner circle—people I considered family. They were arguing about who would get to meet Hope first. It was childish, but they had a way of turning everything into a competition. One of them even brought up the idea of getting a dog, which was an immediate no. There was no way in hell I was letting some animal shit all over my house.

First, there was Reagen, my second-in-command. She had a sharp tongue and was deadly with a sword. Not one of us had ever managed to beat her in a fight. Then, there was her twin brother, Rhett, who—while an absolute idiot in most respects—could probably kick anyone's ass when it came to a brawl. Probably couldn't solve a simple math problem, but give him a fight, and he was a damn force to be reckoned with.

Marco reminded me a lot of Jace, except for the fact that he was into men and didn't share Jace's Spanish roots. He was also a damn good driver—second only to me, of course. Hope had mentioned before that Marco was great with cars, which didn't surprise me in the least. If there was one thing I knew, it was that people who shared Jace's skills were bound to make an impression.

Then, there was Dominic—our group's comedian. He was always cracking jokes, making us laugh, or just generally acting like a fool. But don't let that fool you. He and Rhett had a competition to see who could annoy the other more, which sometimes escalated to throwing knives and other objects that could easily end someone's life. Dominic was also a genius when it came to hacking, a skill that came in handy more often than I cared to admit.

They'd all been away for a few weeks, trying to figure out who West was working for. I couldn't stand the man. His hunger for power was a threat, but something didn't sit right. I had a gut feeling that he wasn't acting alone—that someone else was pulling the strings. And until I was absolutely sure, I couldn't bring it up to Hope. I trusted my instincts, and they'd never steered me wrong before.

Just as I was lost in thought, I heard the click of Hope's heels against the laminate floor. A second later, the door was slammed shut with enough force to rattle the hinges.

 For such a petite, flawless, and breathtaking woman, she had a hell of a lot of strength behind her. I'd been around beautiful women enough to know when I saw something truly captivating, and Hope? She definitely didn't go unnoticed. But I wasn't one to hide my thoughts, especially when they were this damn obvious.

I tried tuning out the chaotic argument coming from the kitchen, but Rhett's incessant whining about wanting a puppy was hard to ignore. This was the same guy who couldn't keep a goldfish alive for more than a day—no way in hell was I letting him have a dog.

The shouting only got louder, and I pinched the bridge of my nose. These idiots were more infuriating than Ashton and his obsession with that damn Bambi.

Slipping my phone into my pocket, I walked toward the noise, knowing I'd have to intervene. By the time I reached the kitchen, Miles had Caleb pinned to the wall by the throat. Jace was leaning against the fridge, watching the whole scene unfold with a blank expression on his face.

"Miles put him down," I said calmly, even though I could feel the irritation building up inside me.

Miles snapped his head to the side, fury burning in his eyes. While he was distracted, Caleb managed to land a hit across his cheek, causing Miles to stumble back, already showing signs of a bruise.

These assholes were supposed to be part of a well-organized gang? They needed to get their shit together.

"Why, you little..." Miles hissed, his hands twitching as if he was about to lunge.