Wanted Always (Xander Barns) (17 page)

He makes it to the elevator as the doors
close. I blow him a kiss and wave goodbye, “Bye, darling!”

I burst into laughter that feels so
justified, my stomach begins to hurt.

Oh, so this is what it feels like. Sweet
revenge,
I think happily
as I reach the ground floor. I quickly check my reflection, making sure I look
okay. There isn’t a hair out of place; whatever product Gustavo used for my
hair, it really is magical. The doors open and I walk out feeling happy and
content for the first time since the trip started yesterday.

The party is over.

I have dealt with Mother, Gwen, and Ben.

I repaid Xander the debt I owed him for
the makeover.

I’m home-free and it feels great. I’m free
to do what I wish, however I want. It’s liberating knowing that from here on
out, I have nothing holding me back.

I walk as fast as I can through the
beautiful front lobby without seeming suspicious. “Goodbye forever, Mr. Barns.
It’s been a fucked up twenty-four hours.” I say quietly as the doorman opens
the exit doors for me. “Thank you.”

A cool gust of wind envelops me as soon as
I hit the sidewalk. I open my clutch and pull out my phone, checking the time.
I’ve received no emails. And it’s just after eleven-thirty.

Time had gone by fast in there. Now that
I’m free, I have to decide what my next move is going to be. I have a coffee
date with Dad tomorrow, which should be chill and relaxed since it’ll be just
the two of us. I decide to return to my room at the inn and call it a night. I
walk to the curb, eyeing the busy road (Saturday night in downtown Ottawa is
really busy) for a taxi.

Eek, another taxi.
The cost for a taxi is going to put a
small dent in my savings again. Tomorrow, I’ll just walk to my childhood home;
and Dad can give me a ride back to the train station.

Which is free.

I’m eyeing an available taxi when a sleek
black SUV rolls to the curb, stopping right in front of me. The window slides
down, and I can’t help but look since it stopped right in front of me. Sitting
on the other end of the backseat is a brooding, bruised, and ripped-shirted
Liam.

“Get in,” he orders.

Oh my God! I stare back at him as his
deep-blue eyes penetrate my brown ones.

What am I going to do?

“Why?” I croak back. “I don’t even know
you; I can’t get into a car with someone I don’t know.”

“Get in the car!” he orders brashly. “You
know who I am.”

“No, I don’t; I just know you’re Xander’s
brother, and that you’re very angry right now,” I explain to him, holding onto
the open window frame. “So as you can see, I don’t know you that well, or at
all; and from what I do know, you’re not too happy at this time.”

“Get in the car,” he demands sternly, once
again. “I’ve got a matter that needs discussing with you.”

“What matter? I paid my debt to your brother.
I don’t owe you anything,” I hiss at him, careful not to raise my voice and
attract passersby. “I’m not going with you, so stop bothering me. I’m leaving!”

I turn around to leave, but the two
security guards that had handled Irina corral me back around. One pulls me to
the side as the other opens the door, motioning for me to get it.

“Please, Miss, just get in and it’ll all
be over with shortly,” one of the guards asks nicely.

Well, he did ask me nicely. I turn back
facing Liam. “I’m just getting inside; I’m not going anywhere with you.”

Liam nods, and I get inside the car. The
guard shuts the door, and the window rolls up. I’m nervous right away.

“What’s going on?” I murmur, a little
scared. I peek through the corner of my eye at Liam. The car locks go down and
I look up in worry. “What’s going on?”

The driver, who I can’t see because a
shield is up to separate us, pulls the car out into traffic. “I thought we
agreed that we were going to stay put?” I look at Liam in a panic. “You lied to
me.”

Liam turns his body facing mine. “You’re
going to tell me what is going on with you and my brother, right now.”

My eyes widen in shock. “And if I don’t?”

“Trust me, you don’t want to find out.”
Liam explains huskily.

Oh God!

Chapter Fourteen

*Marisa*

“Tell me, now,” Liam growls. He probably
uses this tone with other people; you know, fake–ass, weak people who’d succumb
at the first hint of hearing his annoyance. Especially from a man like Liam,
who’s obviously used to being in charge. There’s just a little problem; I’m not
one of those types of people anymore.

Or at least I hope I’m not. But if I am,
that’s changing. Right here, right now!

Liam, watch out; you’ve just awakened an
angry tiger!

“What do you mean you want to know what’s
going?” I express in confusion; irritated out of my mind. “Okay, you got me!
Alright,” I settle on the denial aspect to this deranged situation and try the
playful approach. “You made your point…now pull over.”

“The car will not pull over; not until I
have some answers,” Liam states sternly.

Like a fucking man in charge. I think not!
Perhaps it’s best that I tell him that, no, it’s not going to be like he thinks
it is!

I pound my hands frantically behind the
passenger seat. “Don’t you dare drive away; I forbid you. This is illegal…I
have rights!”

Strong fingers clasp my hands and put a
strict stop to the pounding. “Stop shouting; contain yourself!” Liam growls.
“You will tell me right now. What are you and my brother up to?”

“I’m going to pretend like you didn’t just
use that tone with me! But for your benefit, I’ll play along anyways,” I inform
him. “I don’t have to explain myself to you; I am a Canadian citizen; and I
know my rights, asshole!’

Okay, maybe “asshole” isn’t the right
thing to call someone I don’t know, judging by the way his nostrils flare and
his deep-blue eyes widen. But then again, I’m not sorry. Champions never say
they’re sorry, and I’m a champion now. Never surrender; never give in. Stand my
ground till the last moment; and if the ship sinks, then I’m going to go down
with it.

Liam shakes his clearly-exasperated head
and leans forward, pressing a button behind the driver’s seat. “Raymond, pull
the car to the curb, please.”

“Finally,” I murmur, exhausted. The car is
pulled to the curb and as soon as I feel it stop, I pull the handle, but it
won’t open. “It’s not opening!”

“Tell me what’s going on between you and
my brother. Once you do, I’ll let you out,” Liam says. I lean back in my seat
in a huff, blowing a long, deep breath out, hopefully showing how aggravated
and violated I’m feeling.

These Barns brothers! Who the hell do they
think they are? I know
what
they are: psychopaths!

“It’s messed up,” I whisper. “I can’t
explain it.”

“Why not? What’s really going on between
the two of you that is so bad, you can’t discuss it?” Liam asks, sounding
irritated.

“It’s nothing you need to be worried
about,” I explain to him, hoping that will be enough to simmer his curiosity. I
sneak a peek through the corner of my eye, and he isn’t revealing any ease at
the information I’m handing out. He wants more, which leaves me with no option.
I have to lie. “Alright, I’ll tell you. It’s so embarrassing.”

“Go on,” Liam says.

“Xander lent me a hundred dollars
yesterday on the train to Ottawa. I came over tonight to pay him back; I got
the money from my parents,” I tell him.

It’s sort of true; Xander did give me a
hundred dollars.

“What?” Liam exclaims unconvinced. “That
makes no sense. All this trouble for a hundred dollars? I know my brother, and
that is not what really happened.”

“Oh yeah, I’m a liar now! Well, Mr. Smarty
Pants, what do you think happened, since you seem to think you know
everything?” I snap. “Go on; lay it all out what you think happened!”

“I know that you’re lying. That tells me
one thing: it’s not nothing,” Liam says angrily. “What has my brother done this
time; what has he got on you?”

My eyes widen in surprise. It seems this
is not the first time Xander has gotten himself into an unusual situation. “I
was paying him back; I just walked in at a bad time. I’m not lying,” I say.
It’s almost the truth. I am paying him back. “I don’t want to explain what
happened between us back at the hotel because I’m embarrassed. I don’t like
borrowing money from anyone. I have too much pride for that; it practically
killed me taking his money yesterday. But I had no choice.”

“I see,” Liam murmurs. After a brief
pause, he leans forward and presses the driver’s button behind the front seat.
“Raymond, unlock.”

The door-lock snaps back up; the sound is
music to my ears; it represents my freedom from yet another mess I seem to have
dragged myself into.

Yeah. I do that, too. I attract trouble.

“Are we done here?” I ask, grabbing the
door handle, but still staring at Liam, who slumps into his seat looking
exhausted and defeated.

I’m the one who had to go through all that
shit, first his brother, then him! I’m going to need therapy for six months
just to get over tonight!

“Yes, you may leave,” Liam responds
curtly, not sparing me a glance.

I get out of the car, simmering on his
farewell’s tone. As I turn to close the door, I think he needs a little “tone”
thrown back into his face.

“Thank you, sir! Don’t forget to take the
Viagra next time; it’ll make for a better performance,” I yell quickly, and
then shut the door on his surprised face.

Bursting into a fit of laughter,
struggling to run away on the pavement, my feet are barely moving with each
step, making me cringe in pain.

The shoes are beautiful, suck it up!

A car pulls up to the curb right in front
of me. I glance up at it and scowl; it’s the SUV. The passenger door opens and
Liam steps out, shaking his head in what seems to be a mix of amusement and
disgust. As his entire body gets out of the car, his hand follows lastly, but
it pulls out a sapphire blue clutch.

My clutch! I forgot it!

“Forgetting something, princess?” Liam
asks, holding out the clutch. I march up to him and try to grab it; but he
pulls his arms back, holding it up into the air. He’s tall, probably about 6’3,
towering over me even in my six-inch heels.

“Give me my property!” I snap, flailing my
arms into the air anyway; I’m making a statement that even though he’s tall, it
isn’t going to stop me. “I won’t stop thrashing you until you give it back!”

He smiles snidely, as if he knows
something I don’t. “You think you can tire me out? Think again!”

“Not only can I tire you out, but I’ll
kick your ass in the process too!” I jerk my body closer to his, trying to pay
no mind that his dress shirt is still ripped at the side, showcasing his
sculpted stomach. I just won’t look there. It’ll be hard, but I think I can…I
hope I can. “You might as well give up right now; it’ll be easier for the both
of us.”

I jump up, but his arm extends higher. My
body is coming dangerously close to smothering his, and his back is to the SUV.

The potential situation that could happen
would be very dangerous. But at this moment, I couldn’t give a shit if my
entire body collides into his, feeling every ripple, every obviously-hard
muscle, having my entire body melt into his. Yeah, I don’t care if that
happens; I have one mission on my mind, and that is to retrieve my clutch.

“Easier for you, you mean,” Liam states,
amused. “I was actually just going to hand it to you, considering the foul
statement you made upon leaving the car; but now that I’m thinking about it, I
think a punishment would be more suitable to that horrendous lie you belted out
in public about me. You’re lucky I don’t pursue a more suitable resolution; but
after dealing with my brother, I’m feeling a little generous, and will give you
this one time.”

I jerk my body closer to his, feeling that
if there is less distance between us, I’ll have a better chance of grabbing the
clutch out of his hands.

“Give me my shit back,” I hiss. “Now!”

“Your shit?” Liam repeats as if he thinks
it’s funny. “Is that any way for a lady to speak?”

“Yeah, well, like I told that psychopath
Demetria back at Xander’s hotel room: I’m no lady!” I inform him breathily, on
the brink of collapse after exhausting myself by jumping up and down. I cast a
glance at him; he’s barely panting, actually, not panting at all! He’s just
standing comfortably while I do all the work; Liam is chilling.

Tall people have it easy! There, I said
it.

“You’re so lucky you’re tall, or else…” I
screech breathily, barely jumping a few inches. My feet are killing me now.

Liam smirks knowingly, not lowering his
arm. “Or else, what?”

Steam escapes my ears at his smirk; I feel
a burn electrocute inside each of my legs, giving me the push I need to get my
clutch back. I prepare, “This!”

I hurl my body up into the air with such
ferocity, Liam’s surprise has him stumbling back to keep the clutch out of my
nearing hands. He smirks at me mid-air, knowing I’ve failed again. As soon as
my heels touch the ground, something goes wrong. My foot slips, and I stumble
forward into Liam’s hard, muscled chest. My hands instinctively clasp onto his
shoulders for stability. He grabs my waist with the clutch still in his hand.

“Whoa there,” Liam murmurs as I stare at
him, feeling flustered. His deep-blue eyes harden; it isn’t an angry
expression, but something else, something that travels deep down inside me that
will soon burst into a fit once my body detaches itself from his.

Gulp!

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, inches from his
face, his hands not letting go of my waist. Snap out of it. The seconds that go
by are making this into a bigger problem than I need. I do not need to be
feeling all hot and bothered over another Barns. They’re related; the menace
gene is probably in the both of them.

I don’t even know him and this is
happening. Shit.

And the award for the most stupid girl in
the world goes to…Me!

My hand lets go of his hard shoulder and I
hold onto the car for support, as my body painfully detaches itself from his
warm, hard, muscle-bound stretched body. “Sorry,” I murmur again, not looking
him in the eye. He lets go of my waist and holds onto the car, pushing himself
back up. As soon as we’re both back in standing positions, he holds out my
clutch. I take it from him with no contempt. “Thanks.”

“I’m sorry too; that behavior was out of
order. I was…it’s just been a long night. I’m sorry for holding your bag away
from you,” Liam apologizes softly.

And I feel every ounce of myself melt as
my eyes connect with his soft ones. My entire body wants nothing more than to
attach itself back onto his. I subtly shake it off; that isn’t going to happen,
not in this lifetime. Liam Barns is Xander’s brother; those two come from a
different world than mine. They are leaders (despite Xander’s hobbies, it has
nothing to do with making money), and I am what I am.

A work in progress.

And that’s okay with me. I’m okay, even if
something beautiful stands before me, with eyes that seem to ache as badly as
my own. Perhaps he wants it too.

It’s a bad idea. We’ve both obviously been
through so much tonight; our thoughts aren’t processing the way they normally
would. We’re not all there tonight, and that’s why it seems like anything could
happen.

Anything.

But it can’t.

And that sucks from a purely fantasy
aspect. We’ve all had those moments when our body wants something that the mind
disagrees with, knowing how bad of an idea it would be right after anything was
done.

I glance around the place we are in for
any bystanders watching the show. The street has few cars except for the odd
taxi, and the sidewalks are empty. It’s getting late, and this area of downtown
Ottawa doesn’t have many people walking about casually at this time of night.
We are all alone.

“It’s been an eventful night to say the
least, with the both of us affected to the maximum,” I tell him softly, with a
hint of amusement. “It’s okay. We both said stuff, and did stuff, that wasn’t
appropriate.”

“Me more than you; I practically kidnapped
you. It’s just, I don’t know who you are and what you were doing with Xander;
he’s known to have something up his sleeves at all times. I’ve just had enough
of his games,” Liam explains, clearly exhausted.

That’s right. I was practically kidnapped;
I should be angry, but looking into Liam’s eyes erases any sort of resentment I
might have toward him for doing it. The only thing I feel about him is
empathetic, and that’s because both of us have been through the wringer due to
Xander’s obnoxious behavior.

“Well, I guess I just get it. I just went
through twenty-four hours with your brother and his choice behaviors. I can’t
believe he’s your brother. Who’s older again?” I ask Liam.

“I am, but only by ten minutes. We’re
fraternal twins,” Liam explains as my eyes bulge in shock at that little tidbit
of information. There are two of them, literally two Xander’s.