Out of Time

chapter 31 - fear

I notice Harvey before Xavier does, although it doesn't take him long to discover him outside the window. We had been speaking in frustrated whispers, honestly getting no where in trying to discover how Lukas got here. With a frustrated grunt, he rips off his bow tie and slams his computer shut, storming towards the azure window. He flings it opens and grabs Harvey by the collar and, with one swift movement, hurls him onto the unyielding floor. Panic surges through me as I hastily force myself between them, the train of my dress running over Harvey's shaking hand. Xavier's unsteady, furious breaths fill the room, like a raging storm.

"Step aside, Lara," his soft voice mutters. I refuse to give into him, my heart pounding like a drum. Aaron once again, stomps into the room, before freezing out the sight in front of him.

"No," I assert with unwavering strength, my voice resonating with determination. Aaron tilts his head, annoyance causing his eye to twitch. His response to my defiance lacks smoothness, hinting at his irritation. "Remember who you're talking to," he cautions, his words punctuated by a brief pause. "I'll ask once more. Step aside."

Aaron yells something as Xavier grabs my shoulder. I slam my heel into his foot and he takes in a sharp breath. Ignoring his cry of pain, I push him away. He stumbles into the central desk, Aaron quickly shielding him from me. I raise my eyebrows in question. Why is Aaron getting involved?

"Has to get his pathetic little lackey to do his bidding for him?" I taunt, scorn dripping off every word.

"Babe, don't" I hear Xavier murmur. His hand reaches up to Aaron's and pulls himself up. "You too, Lara. I shouldn't have touched you."

I stare at Aaron, his hands shaky as he stares into my brother's eyes. Xavier's voice trembles as he tries to regain his composure. "Lara, please," he pleads, his eyes filled with a mix of vulnerability and fear. "You need to understand... Aaron and I..."

Before he can finish his sentence, Aaron cuts in, his voice laced with a hint of sorrow. "We're together. In a relationship," he confesses, his eyes locking with mine, silently pleading for understanding.

"So just, don't hurt him," Xavier finishes in a quivering, vulnerable whisper. "Please."

The air crackles with tension as the weight of their revelation settles upon us. The urgency remains, an undercurrent beneath the surface of our strained interactions. My mind races, trying to make sense of the different pieces, while the pressing need to resolve the looming conflict tugs at my senses. I don't... have time for this right now.

"Well, we will talk about this all later, but we can't continue bickering while we have two hundred criminals waiting to pry." I spin around to offer aid to Harvey, but to my astonishment, he has vanished, leaving only an open window to let the rainwater fall upon the windowsill. He has managed to elude my grasp, slipping away like a phantom in the night.

~~

Ava had, much to Xavier's dismay, similarly dissipated into thin air. According to the blond woman beside me who, her words slurred after her seventh glass of champagne, refused to shut her mouth, she had "slunk away like an elusive, little, rabid dog" and out the only entrance. As I prepare to embark on the search, my eyes catch a glimpse of Sophie entering the room, her commanding presence demanding attention. Behind her, slightly dishevelled and clearly in a state of distress, is Ava. Her normally perfect hair had clearly been ruffled in a frantic panic.

Sophie, seemingly unperturbed by Ava, opts rather to confidently strut through the dance floor than through the more obvious route around the chattering guests. The crowd parts for her as she glides gracefully towards me. Her azure eyes reach mine, and her eyebrows lift in acknowledgement. She and Ava walk straight past me, the latter's eyes glued to the floor despite the fury swirling behind them.