Love, Helena

Chapter 29

His head felt like it was going to explode. What was with the loud banging anyway? Xavier could barely open his eyes that were still heavy with sleep and highly sensitive to the light streaming from the window. He slowly sat up, running his hand up and down his face. The knocking continued until he couldn't stand it anymore. He stood and headed towards the sound, only coming to his senses about his whereabouts mid-way. He was in Stella's penthouse, his suit jacket discarded on the arm of the sofa, and the papers she'd handed him the night before stacked neatly on the coffee table. There was no sign of her or anyone inside the house for that matter.

He opened the front door that rattled with the knocking frequency, and found himself face to face with a very dipleased and irritated Terrance. That was as good a wake-up call as he'd need. What was Terrance doing here at Stella's penthouse?

He didn't have time to wonder much because Terrance stepped inside shoving him by the shoulder harshly in the process. That sobered up Xavier's senses effectively. He turned to the man with a confused scowl. "What the f*** Terrance?"

"I should ask you that." Terrance answered with subdued anger. He took a deep breath and looked around the penthouse noting how nobody seemed to be around. "What the hell were you thinking coming here- No, f*** that, staying the night here?"

His tone didn't sit right with Xavier, but he was unsure of what to make of his friend's unusual mood. He ran his fingers through his hair, "You must have seen the news after hell broke last night. Somebody had to sort that sh*t out Terrance. That's why I'm here."

"And do you want a trophy for it?" Terrance glared at him, "You chose the one night you should have been by your woman's side to pull this crap? You couldn't have handled this other than to stay the night at your Ex-lover's?"

"Don't you dare go there," Now Xavier bristeled at the underlying accusation, "You know I'd damn well have a reason for this and I do."

"Really?" Terrance threw his hand up in the air, "Well good luck explaining it to Helena!"

"What's with you? And why are you- Xavier took a deep breath, his head hurting. None of this was making sense to him. Why Terrance was here asking him these questions, why he's mad or how he's involved in his or Helena's business. His thoughts were cut short.

"Ophelia was kidnapped." Terrance said without preface.

The statement and tone both made Xavier stop in his track turning wide horror-stricken eyes towards his friend. It was said in that no nonsense fashion Terrance used in serious business, and it was so like him to blurt out world-stopping facts without warning that it made Xavier stagger back a step as though he'd been physically dealt a blow. He didn't know if he'd merely imagined the words- His brain seemed to stop working. "W-what did you just say?"

"Ophelia was kidnapped the night of the event, goddamn it! And we still have no leads on where she is or who did it." Terrance paced nervously. Xavier had rarely seen him this way in all the time he'd known him.

It only took a few painstaking seconds for him to comprehend his friend's words and his world did indeed seem to stop. He shook his head in disbelief, drained of all thoughts, going pale as a ghost as he looked at Terrance. What did he mean Ophelia was kidnapped? No, It couldn't be. He paced nervously, suddenly he was short of breath. Why? He didn't know if he were asking why what happened did, why he was here, why now of all times. Xavier usually was sharp-focused and clear headed in critical situations, but something about this was so entirely different that he felt his entire nervous system revolting at the fact he learned. But what was different was clearly because this had to do with people he saw as family, Ophelia whom he'd cared for and saw grow up since day one, a family he swore he would protect from all harm.