Dangerous Boy

Chapter Twenty-Six

Xavier embraces their cousin, something I never thought I'd see him do. I've never seen Xavier hug anyone before so he must care a lot about him. Whoever he is.

"His names Troy" Noah explains. "He's only 17."

I watch the boy whose only a year younger than I am. He has very tan skin and dark hair that's pulled back off his face. My eyes meet his brown ones as he stares at me.

Xavier follows his gaze to me and mutters something in his ear that makes him look away from me immediately. I watch as he hands him something, it's only small. Xavier tucks it away in his jacket pocket, placing his hand on Troy's shoulder and muttering something again.

He nods and follows Xavier back down the stairs towards us.

"I'm not sure if you realize" Noah says as he pulls Troy in for one of those bro man hug things that boys seem to naturally do. "But once you're dead, you don't usually go to balls."

Troy shoves Noah playfully, he's nowhere near as big or as tall as either him or Xavier.

I glance at my date whose glaring harshly at something behind me. When I turn I see a group young guys but they're all staring at the ground. What's he glaring at them for?

"I never died" Troy explains obviously. "It was just a set up so I could get the memory stick."

"And you knew about this?" Noah asks and Xavier nods. "And you didn't think to mention it to me?"

"We couldn't risk anyone else knowing, only Troy and I planned it" Xavier answers. He's holding another glass of some kind of expensive alcohol his large hand.

"But you got the memory stick?" Noah asks and they both nod, he seems relieved by this. "You're both bastards. I genuinely believed you were dead you asshole."

"How important can a memory stick be that you have to fake someone's death to get it?" Arnica asks. She's just as confused as I am about the whole situation.

"Very important" Noah answers her. "It's - complicated. You wouldn't understand."

"More like you don't want to tell me"

"More like I can't tell you" Noah nods towards Xavier. "He's the boss, not me."

Arnica seems to give up when she learns this, like she knows Xavier would never tell us what's on it. I'm not 100% sure I would actually want to know what's on it anyway.

"Ah Xavier!" Another man interrupts us. "It's good to see you again"

Xavier shakes his hand firmly. This man would be in he in his early thirties and he's moderately attractive, although I feel slightly uneasy when he extends his hand to mine "And who might this lovely girl be?"

"Grace" I try to sound braver than I feel as I shake his hand. Xavier brings me firmly into his side and I immediately feel better. The other three have disappeared completely, leaving Xavier and I alone with the unfamiliar man.

"Yasmin" He hollers. "Get over here!"

A girl only a few years older than I am appears shyly at his side, she's tiny. Basically skin and bone. He grips her roughly by the waist and even under her expensive dress I can see the bruises along her skin.