Victim (Damaged Devils #16)

Chapter Two

Xan never tried hiding where they were. There was no point. It was a safe house in the middle of nowhere. If he left on foot, he wouldn’t die before he found the nearest town, but he would probably wish he had. Not to mention, the land was covered with cameras and silent alarms. The second he ran for it, he would have a hundred agents from every alphabet crawling up his asshole .

Cannon threw himself down on the couch and grabbed the remote. If he was here for the long haul, he may as well enjoy his time off. If he logged into his account, he could watch his shows from here.

Xan’s light blue gaze followed his every move, obviously mistrusting his acceptance. “I packed you a bag earlier. It’s in the bedroom.”

“All right. I hope you packed comfortable clothes since I’m just chilling.”

“You’ll make do, I’m sure.”

Exhaustion washed over Cannon. The alcohol was wearing off, and he needed a nap. “How long is this timeout?”

Xan shrugged as he sat in the recliner. “That depends on you. Once you get sober and stop endangering the lives of my agents, we’ll talk.”

That bunched Cannon’s briefs. “Your agents are a bunch of ruthless murderers trained to have zero conscience. The animals you claim Quentin ‘saved’ are no more than that: animals. They should’ve been put down before being allowed to mingle in society. If Quentin Montgomery wasn’t rich with powerful connections, that’s what would’ve happened. When Royal has some sort of PTSD breakdown and goes on a killing spree, I’ll be right there saying my I told you so’s. I just pray Knight isn’t caught in the crossfire.” The topic had Cannon fired up again. He was the only person to see these academy and society members for the monsters they were. Cannon wasn’t unaware these men had been tortured in ways he could never fathom. He wasn’t unfeeling to that. But the kind thing would have been to take them out. Quentin Montgomery hadn’t rescued anyone. He had trafficked monsters into the country.

Xan didn’t respond for a minute. Cannon thought the conversation had ended. Then Xan spoke in a quiet voice that sent chills down Cannon’s spine. “I’m one of those animals Quentin rescued. Considering my record for keeping this country safe, you should be grateful no one ‘put me down.’ It’s not Quentin, his money, or powerful friends that shut down the investigation against him. It was me. Maybe you should look deeper into things before you run your fucking mouth, because you know nothing about me . ”

Xan was right. Cannon knew nothing about the guy beyond his exemplary record and his unquestionable authority. So Xan wasn’t totally correct. Someone powerful had shut down Quentin’s case. Nonetheless, he hadn’t known Xan was one of Quentin’s rescues. That definitely gave him something to think about. He just hadn’t decided if his thoughts should be on reconsidering his stance or plotting his escape from a monster. Either way, he still wasn’t sober enough to make a rational decision. Maybe after his nap. It had been a hell of a day.

Xan’s shoulders didn’t relax until Cannon finally slept. He waffled between rage and sadness. It had taken him years to deprogram from nearly a decade of being tortured into submission. Now he did his best to offer a new path for people like him. Unfortunately, people like Cannon existed. In a small way, Cannon wasn’t completely wrong. Not everyone like Xan and Royal could be saved. More people than not left those assassin programs more beast than man. They were unfixable. But they were still people who were once tortured children, and they deserved the chances that had been stolen from them. There was a deep passion inside Xan about the topic. People like Cannon could never understand. Cannon had led an unblemished life with two parents and a dog when he was a child. He’d had everything Xan had prayed to have. Yet he turned out to be a judgmental asshole with zero empathy and a drinking problem. It was as irritating as it was disheartening. Xan would never be good enough to exist in Cannon’s eyes. That made him want to punch a hole in the wall.

With a sigh, Xan headed inside the bedroom he would enjoy while Cannon figured out his next steps. Either he would get sober and smarter, or one of them would end up dead. Xan hated that for the man’s parents, because it sure as hell wouldn’t be Xan who ended up six feet under, but the final decision would be Cannon’s. Xan couldn’t make him wake up to reality. This was how the world worked. Cannon should know that by now. Adapt or die.

After a hot shower, Xan found a pair of workout shorts and a tank top. He might as well be comfortable while babysitting. When he finally emerged from his room, he found Cannon angrily rummaging through the cabinets.

Cannon shot him an annoyed look. “You’re keeping me hostage in a house with no food.”

While keeping his gaze locked on Cannon, Xan opened the nearby bread box and grabbed the bread. He set it on the counter before opening the fridge and finding ham and cheese. He slapped them down on the counter. “Food. ”

Cannon rolled his eyes. “No good food,” he muttered under his breath. Despite his protest, he unwound the twist tie on the bread.

Xan pulled a stool out from the island and sat. “Not everyone grew up spoiled like you.”

Cannon released a long, drawn out, and obnoxious sigh. “I’m not spoiled. I’ve been taken against my will. At the very least, I should be allowed some decent food.”

“Make a list and we’ll get it delivered. We may as well enjoy Uncle Sam’s money.”

“Do you want a sandwich?” Cannon sounded gruff. He didn’t look at Xan as he made the offer.

Xan recognized it for the olive branch it was. “Sure.”

With a nod, he slapped together a sandwich for Xan before digging condiments from the fridge. He set them and two cans of soda on the island before grabbing another bar stool and joining Xan.

Cannon took a bite. He eyed the place as if he didn’t want to meet Xan’s stare. That gave Xan the freedom to watch him. He always had tanned skin, which—along with his dark hair—made his amber eyes pop. The guy made him curious.

“Do you go to the tanning bed or stay at the pool? I’ve never seen you without a tan.”

A smile exploded across Cannon’s face. He chuckled. “This is my natural skin color. My mom is Mexican. You didn’t know that?”

Xan shook his head. “Why would I know that?”

Cannon shrugged. “I assumed you knew every detail of my life.”

He decided he should be honest. “Truthfully, I got a basic rundown. From the way your parents were described, I assumed they were backwoods Baptists who hate anyone the least bit different from them.”

Cannon set his unfinished sandwich aside. He wiped his hands on his pants as he chewed. Finally, he swallowed. “Maybe in some ways they are those people. Except my dad served in the military, and—well—I started to say you know how that is, but I guess you don’t. It’s impossible to hate someone different when that person has your six. They’re your brothers and sisters. Unfortunately, that’s where his tolerance stops. If something challenges his religious beliefs, then you can hear the change in his voice. You can hear the scathing when he talks about refusing to condone anyone’s sins by accepting them.”

“Like being gay.”

Cannon nodded, but he didn’t look at Xan. “Like being gay.”

“No wonder you’re an alcoholic.”

Cannon made a sound between a scoff and a sigh. “I’m not an alcoholic. I’ve already told you I’m just coping right now. Are you telling me you have zero bad habits to deal with the bullshit known as life? Do you just wake up in the morning, kiss your dog on the mouth, and throw the window open to greet the day?”

Damn. Cannon was bitter as fuck. “I don’t have a dog.”

Cannon shook his head. He held Xan’s stare, like he was genuinely baffled. “After the life you’ve lived, you’re saying you’re totally square with existence?”

The tiny island where they sat was the only line between the ridiculously small kitchen and living room. The two-bedroom cabin was just that. A hunting cabin. It wasn’t meant for full-time living. Xan easily turned and grabbed his suit jacket from the recliner where he left it, since it was only inches away. He patted the pockets until he pulled out a white box and a lighter. Xan shook out a slim cigar and lit it. The laced smoke barely affected him anymore.

He held it out to Cannon. “How I cope.”

To his surprise, Cannon accepted. After a singular drag, he coughed. “Holy shit. No way are you passing our in-depth drug testing.”

Xan laughed. “I’ve surpassed the level of random testing. Plus, I have a special set of skills. They’re not hiring just anyone to replace me.” Xan reclaimed his cigar and took another two puffs. He held it out to Cannon again.

Since learning what it was, he fully expected Cannon to turn him down this time. He didn’t .

Xan couldn’t stop smiling. “I guess we’d best hope you’re not up for any random tests.”

Cannon shrugged. “I figure I’m done no matter what I do at this point. They don’t want someone who rocks the boat. They only want mindless drones who follow orders without question.”

“You were moving up the ranks of those mindless drones until you let yourself get thrown off track.” They passed the cigar between them a few times before Cannon responded.

“I guess a part of me always knew I worked for a corrupt government. Each day, I just hoped we did more good than bad. I don’t think I can say that anymore.”

His mind took on a hint of haze and loosened Xan’s tongue. “I don’t think your problems have anything to do with the bureau.”

Cannon snorted. “Pray tell. What is my problem?”

Xan shrugged. “You want to be free. When you look around, you see everyone else choosing happiness over reason. You want that too. But you don’t see a path towards bliss. If you stay the course, you’ll die alone, bitter, and likely drunk. If you choose the life you truly want, then maybe you lose your family.” Xan shrugged again. “I don’t have one of those, so I say, do as you please. But then, maybe if anyone had ever wanted me beyond a band of sadistic men, possibly I’d be scared to lose them too. I’ll never know.” He held the cigar out to Cannon. “Here. Finish this. ”

Cannon accepted. He looked unusually stoic. “I guess I should just be grateful for the amazing parents I was given and be forever alone.”

Xan’s face screwed up in confusion. “I don’t know how amazing they are if they want that for you. But you could just find someone who doesn’t give a fuck if they never meet your parents.”

An unexpectedly sexy chuckle rumbled from Cannon. “There’s no one out there like that.”

A laugh burst from Xan. “That’s not true. I’m like that. No way in hell do I want to be under any parents’ microscope. That’s an inspection I’m doomed to fail.” Xan stood. He squeezed Cannon’s shoulders as he moved past him. “Make that food list. I’ll get everything brought out tomorrow. For now, I’m going to bed. Thanks for the sandwich.”

Cannon nodded but didn’t say anything. Xan scurried to the safety of his room before he admitted anything more about himself. Since there was no telling how long he would be stuck there, he had plenty of time to say more stupid things. With Cannon’s attitude, they likely had weeks.