Chapter hundred and twenty three

Dallas

One advantage of living with Lucien and his daughters for so long was that I knew every single thing about them. When they woke up. When they ate. What they did before and after eating. And basically their entire lifestyle.

So right now, Stephanie would be attempting another horrible cooking vlog, while her sister would either be sprawled on the couch or still sleeping.

One thing that Gilberts were probably good at was being consistent with their routine. They weren't organized, just very picky at what they do and how they do it.

The last I visited, they still upheld their ridiculous way of living. Good.

“Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?” Oliver said for the hundredth time since we formulated the plan.

I poked my head out of the closet and threw him a pointed glance over my shoulder. He sighed.

“It just doesn't sit right with me that you're going to face them.” He muttered.

“I'm not going alone. Xavier is going with me.” I finally settled on the outfit I wanted.

Most of my clothes were still in Oliver's bedroom. He didn't move them into mine despite my absence. When I asked him, hs simply said it was our bedroom, not just his.

I hadn't been able to stop my tears then. He'd taken it upon himself to lick all my away. I tried not to blush at the memory.

“I know, but…” he sighed again. “The last time you were in the house, they'd just kicked you out.” He said the last words quietly.

I refrained from telling him that the last time I wnt there was just few days ago to grab my mother's car. That information didn't seem important at the moment.

“And now, we found out their father is actually alive and probably assisted by someone. And the bomb…” he shook his head. “It all just seem very dangerous.” He concluded.

I strolled towards him and settled on the space next to him. I placed my hand on his face.

“I've survived against them for so long. It doesn't matter if Lucien is some big bad villian now. I can handle myself. I'll be fine.” I said softly.

“I know. I just can't stop worrying.” He sighed.

“Well, if it makes you feel better, Xavier is intimidating as shit. I doubt the twins will try to pull any trick with him by my side.”

He chuckled at my words, but seem to calm down a bit.

“I'll be fine, Oliver. I need you to focus on getting better. Because if everything ends up going shit, I need you by my side.” I said the last words quietly.

His eyes lit up and he gave me a nod. My lips tilted upward as I stared at the male in front of me. The man who had accidentally walked into my life few months ago only to wound up being the love of my life.

I pressed my forehead to his and whispered gently, “I love you.”

I took in a sharp inhale, breathing in his intoxicating scent.

“I love you more, Red.” He whispered back.

I placed a gentle, quick kiss on his lips, but he slid his uninjured hand over my wait and pulled me closer to him. As close as I can get with his bandaged arm and still healing legs.

I didn't object to the motion as I tugged him closer and deepened the kiss. Our tongue dances in a perfect rhythm, exploring each other's mouth.

God, he tasted so good. So perfect. So mine. More. I needed more of him. I needed him everywhere, filling all my senses. I wanted to merge my soul with his. I wanted to–

Heavy footsteps thundered on the porcelain tiles. I wouldn't have noticed if the footsteps weren't really loud. It seems really intentional too. It's like the person approaching knew what we were doing and wanted us to know they were coming.

But Oliver only groaned and captured my lips with his again. I wanted to shove him away slightly but my ended up tugging him closer.

Someone placed a near silent knock on the door and cleared their throat. I finally broke the kiss and looked at the intruders.

“What?” Oliver snarled at his friends.

“The door was opened.” Xavier offered the only explanation.

“And?” Oliver's growl wasn't at all friendly.

Ethan coughed as if trying to cover his laughter. I chewed on my lower lip. I'd completely forgotten about the open door.

“We should get going.” Xavier said, saving me from embarrassment.

I pulled away from Oliver and grabbed the clothes I laid on the bed. Few minutes later, I came out fully dressed and we headed for the car.

Ethan handed me the mini tracker/recorder.

“Incase they make any confession. This will record everything. I'll activate the recorder once you get to the house. I'll be listening from here.”

I flashed him a smile and hid the device in my hair.

“Be careful.” Heather said. I gave her a nod and got into the car.

We drove out of the mansion few minutes later.

I couldn't stop the unease feeling that crept in me as we drew nearer to the house. The last time I went to get the car, I was riding high on emotions and didn't care about any possible dangers I might be in.

Then, I'd known Lucien was alive, though I'd wished it wasn't true. Turns out, it wasn't only true, but he did have a score to settle.

It shouldn't be surprising that he'd tried to kill me. After all, I did push him off the cliff, even if it was only an accident. Lucien was shallow enough that he wouldn't believe that.

But a small part of me clung to the fact that he might be too busy trying to stay hidden to think about revenge. I was wrong on both fronts. He was done hiding.

I tried not to think about the fact that Ron was there when the explosive went off. Had Lucien intentionally targeted Ron after I left?

But he couldn't have known about our relationship when even I was just finding out about.

I wanted to see if Ron was hurt, but I decided against it. I was just going to trust what Oliver said. Ron couldn't have been hurt. We would have gotten wind of it.

But I might not be so lucky next time. What if he targeted someone I love just to get to me? The car suddenly became suffocating despite the AC.

“Are you okay?” Xavier asked.

I turned away from the window and faced him. I tried to force a smile on but I couldn't. I sighed.

Xavier seem to note my struggle and offered me a smile, a slight tilt of his lips.

“Thank you for helping me. It really means a lot.” I said truthfully.

“You're a good person, Dallas.” He said.

I don't know if it was the sincerity in his tone or something else, but my stomach churned. I wasn't a good person.

“That's up for debate right now. I keep dragging everyone into my shit and putting their lives in danger.”

I tore my gaze away and continued looking out of the window. Xavier was silent for a while. I assumed he wasn't saying anything again. In all the time I've known him, this was the longest we've ever conversed.

“You didn't drag anyone into this. All of us wanted to help you willingly. We'll figure it out together.” He said with that slight tilt of his lips. It was almost like he didn't know how to truly smile.

“I don't deserve it.” My voice cracked as I spoke. I swallowed back the tears. They wouldn't do me any good when we get to our destination.

“You do.” He kept quiet as if contemplating his next words. He swerved the car into a familiar street. I could already see the house from here. Just a few minutes more.

Xavier said so quietly that I almost didn't hear him over the roaring in my head,

“You saved me once.”