The drive back to his office felt longer than it should.
Xavier's hands were still stiff on the wheel, even though Cody had long stopped talking.
"Don't," Cody had said, his tone low but sharp. "Don't do it, X. You made a deal."
That was the only thing stopping him. One sentence. One reminder of the bargain he'd struck with the devil who happened to be his father.
Still, the image burned into his mind... Sasha smiling, her eyes soft in a way they hadn't been with him in weeks, maybe months. And that man.... Sitting with her in his car, leaning forward like he had the right to breathe her air.
The moment Xavier stepped into the underground garage of the Blackwood building, he was already in a storm.
He didn't bother greeting anyone when he entered the top floor. His office door slamme
