Burning Your Lies (King and Queen Duet #2)

36

Xavier

My suit jacket does little to protect me from the cold look Savannah is giving me. I would smile at her pain if Dr Cooper wasn’t in the room with us. Instead, I wear a pained expression and frown.

“I’ve come to discuss funeral arrangement.”

She ignores me.

“When will you be signing the release papers for the funeral?”

The poor bastard looks at her with sympathy, knowing he can’t do anything to meet her request.

“I don’t believe it’s safe to let you out for the funeral.”

“Why not? It’s my mum. She has no one except me. If I’m not there, she will be all alone.”

I smile.

“I’ll be there. Along with Ray and Mia.”

Savannah’s head falls into her hands as she cries.

“I’m her daughter. I need to say goodbye to her.”

“You’re not well. You attacked me when I informed you of her passing.”

She leans forward and begs with her therapist.

“Please. Just one hour. A nurse can come with me. Hell, all the nurses can come with me. Please. I am begging you.”

You’re begging the wrong person.

“I have to assess all the risk factors, and I am sorry, but there is too much of a risk to let you out. I understand—”

“Understand?”

she growls.

“How could you possibly understand? You’re going to walk out of here, back to your family. And I’m going to be stuck here while they bury my only family six feet in the ground! This is all him!”

She points at me.

“You can’t even see what is right in front of you. He’s the sick one. He’s the one who is a raging lunatic!”

It takes all my willpower to hide my smile. The more she rants and raves, the easier she makes my job of keeping her here.

“Savannah, I’m here to discuss funeral arrangements. If you’re going to sit there and start with your delusions again, I will leave and have her cremated.”

Her head snaps towards me. One second she’s sitting forward in her seat and the next she’s tackled me to the ground. Her nails drag across my skin and I feel my cock twitch at the memories of her doing that in our bed. Her hands are around my neck.

“I’m going to kill you. Don’t you dare burn her! She’s not your diamond.”

Giving her a few more seconds to exert some of her understandable anger, I hold her hands.

“But she’d be so pretty,”

I whisper in her ear.

“And you’ll always have her with you.”

Her scream is loud enough to make me recoil.

“I hate you. I fucking hate you.”

The door bursts open and two security guards pull her off me while she continues to kick and scream.

I touch the skin burning on my neck and feel a layer of blood coat my skin.

“This is why you’re still in here!”

I snap. I turn to Dr Cooper.

“And you wanted to release her for a whole day? What? So she can do this to me where there will be nobody to sedate her? Where she can make my daughter subject to such bursts of violence?”

The man looks at Savannah with desperation.

“I understand your frustrations, and rest assured, she will remain within the home.”

I straighten my suit and walk out of there with the biggest grin on my face.

I freeze when she stirs in her sleep, afraid she’s going to wake up and begin her wailing again. Her lips part as she lets out steady breaths and only then does my shoulders sag. I turn the monitor on and leave the door ajar as I join Ray in the living room.

He’s already helped himself to a drink and is sipping on it while I pour one for myself.

“She settled for the night?”

“I hope so.”

I rub my eyes as I take a seat.

“Don’t they say it gets easier the older they get?”

Ray chuckles.

“You’ve still got periods, dating and boys to get through yet. You’re fucked for the next eighteen years, my friend.”

My chuckle comes out as an exhale.

“I don’t know how to do this. I thought I was doing fine. I adjusted my life to accommodate a baby. But I’m drowning, Ray. I don’t know what do to do. None of this is instinct. She cries and I just stare at her, begging her to tell me what to do.”

My friend looks at me with sympathy.

“Nobody knows how to parent the first time.”

I swallow my drink and hold a finger up.

“Men don’t know how to parent the first time. A woman gets all this shit done with her eyes closed.”

His amber eyes study me. Whatever floats through his mind is hidden behind his stony expression. He looks around the room before taking another mouthful of his drink.

“It must be really lonely. A big house and it’s just the two of you.”

I don’t tell him my loneliness cannot be cured because there’s only one woman I want in my life.

“It would be nice to have some company, I suppose. It would be nice to have a home cooked meal,”

I laugh.

“I’m tempted to hire a full-time chef.”

Ray doesn’t smile. He leans back into his seat and crosses his legs.

“Why don’t you get yourself out there? It’s been a while since Emery passed.”

He purposely ignores Savannah’s existence in my life.

Admittedly, I have thought about finding a new queen, but between work and a screaming child, I don’t have the time to train her.

“Where do I have the time to meet someone?”

“But you wouldn’t say no if the right person came along?”

I grin at my friend.

“Are you going to set me on a blind date?”

He laughs.

“Absolutely not. I just think it would be beneficial if you found a companion. A mother for Elise. Someone to welcome you home with a home-cooked meal.”

He shrugs as if he isn’t feeling sentimental.

“Just a thought, really.”

“I appreciate the thought.”

I nod at him.

He juts his chin towards the marks on my neck and face.

“What happened there?”

“Savannah.”

“Oh. I take it the conversation didn’t go well?”

It went exactly as I wanted.

“She attacked me when Dr Cooper told her he won’t sign the forms.”

“Is there nothing you can do?”

I can sign the forms myself, but I wouldn’t put it past her to escape and run away. Our current situation isn’t ideal, but at least I have her nearby. I can visit her whenever I want. When I’m desperate to see her smile, I can take Elise with me on a visit.

“It’s down to her nursing staff and therapist. It’s out of my hands. We’ve been making progress recently, and it seems this has set her back.”

Needing to keep him on my side, I offer him a sad smile.

“Maybe when you go to visit her tomorrow, you can explain that to her.”

Ray finishes the rest of his drink.

“I’m out of the country for the next two days. Give her a few days to calm down. She is grieving and emotional. She’s looking for someone to blame. I’m sure she’ll apologise for…”

He points at the scar on my face.

“I can’t keep excusing her behaviour. If she carries on like this, I’ll have no choice but to stop her from seeing Elise.”

“She lost her mum, Zav. I’m sure you remember how it felt when your mum walked out of your life.”

The sound of Elise crying breaks the silence.

“There is nothing greater than a mother’s love because with it comes their protection.”

“My mother protected me from nothing,” I spit.

“Or maybe she protected you from more than you will ever know.”

He stands up.

“Your daughter is crying for help. I’ll see myself out.”