********

CHAPTER 85

​​

Xander nodded his reply at her once while not breaking eye contact.

It was as though he was busy searching her eyes to see the truth like he could actually envision what she was thinking and read her mind through her mind's eyes but no matter what he did, he just could not get anything out of her unless she told him.

"Okay. I will."

He felt his heart leap for joy in his body and his mind relaxed a fraction but he still kept his guard up least she tried anything funny.

"Really?" He arched a brow at her and she knew he was having some doubts considering she agreed so easily.

Jade let out a soft sigh before pulling back and straightening her back. "Really Xander. I would tell you."

"Thank you, my love."

"Hmm, let us go to the room."

"Yeah. We should." He took one more look at her weaponry before returning his gaze back to her and left the room.

Jade let out an exasperated sigh first before she too left the room. This was definitely how she planned to start her Saturday morning.

They got to her room and Xander waited for her to enter and close the door, then get settled down before he spoke.

Jade tried her best to guard her mind for the next words that were about to fly from his mouth but never would she have guarded her mind against what he was going to say. She did not and would not expect it.

"How is your wound?"

"Uh-uh…" she was expecting that he would attack her on the weapons and begin to question her nonstop but she was wrong yet again. Here he was with the same predatory look in his eyes yet his mouth was speaking of his love.

"Umm, I guess it is fine. I do not feel any pain. Wait that is weird." Before Xander could intervene, Jade pulled down the bandage to check the wound herself.

What she saw left her speechless once more. 'How is this even possible?' Jade asked herself and let her fingers trail the unscathed skin.

She knew clearly what part of her body was affected but now, she wasn't so sure anymore. If not for the bloodstain on the bandage, she would definitely have not believed that she was stabbed there.

"What happened? How manage it closed completely?" Jade asked him. At first, he did not answer but just crossed his hands on his chest and studied her.

"I just treated it, no big deal." Jade had wanted to ask further but his reply obviously told her he wasn't going to say more than what he had said. "I am glad you are out of danger, Quinn but really, what is going on?"

She still did not want to tell him the entire truth and what was worse, she did not want to lie to him either. Sigh!

"Quinn, do you still not trust me till now with your secrets? If I was scared or thought you a bad person, wouldn't I have reported to the police by now? But here I am, I stayed and waited for you. So why is it hard to believe in me?"

"It is complicated, Xander. Things are not as they seem to be." She took a deep breath and covered her body first before getting up and going to get a glass of water.

"I know but try me. Make it less complicated."

Jade looked back at him and then gave him a half-smile then she proceeded to the kitchen. After getting her water, she brought back a can of juice for him and went back to seat on her bed.

"You should take a seat because the story I am about to tell you is going to be…"

"Long?" Xander finished for her, both brows were raised as his eyes held the least bit of interest in them.

"Not long because I am going to summarize it for you."

"Quinn, be serious please." Those were the words he so much wanted to tell her but all that came out of his mouth was… "Go on, I am all ears."

"Okay. It all began with the almost or partial annihilation of a family."

Xander narrowed his eyes at her as if he could peer deep into her soul with those eyes of his. Something about her tale was beginning to sound familiar. Regardless, he brushed it off and waited for her to continue on her own.

"And so it happened that…"

Minutes later, Jade had finished telling him her story but one thing Xander did not know, she failed to mention every part of the story.

Simply she told him of her family being murdered due to some family problems but till now she doesn't know exactly who the person was behind their death except a symbol she saw that the assassins wore and that was when she knew it was a mafia family.

"I am sorry for your loss Quinn. I am sorry you had to go through all of that. How long ago did this happen?" Xander asked to clarify the doubts in his mind.

Not too long, the news about a Mafia family being killed spread around the cities, so Xander was not sure if she was a survival of that event.

"Years ago."

"So is that why you keep sneaking into meetings of Mafia gangs and why you happen to know how to fight?"

"Yes. I hope that one day I would find that mafia family and then I would have my revenge. So whenever I hear anyone of them is meeting, I try to get information and go see for myself."

"It is too dangerous, Quinn," Xander tried to persuade her but she was not going to hear any of it.

"No. I have believed in danger ever since my parents died and I do not plan on quitting till I can get revenge for what happened to them."

"But you are risking your life and putting yourself in jeopardy."

"I am sorry, Xander. That would still not change." Her mind was made up and so was her resolve.

There was nothing she was going to do other than that and if a relationship is going to be her distraction and push her away from her goal, then she did not care about anything such as love and would push for her goal head-on.

Xander dropped the drink she had handed over to him earlier and made his way to where she was on the bed and sat down close to her.

Taking her hands in his, he brought them to his lips and planted a soft kiss on them before looking up at her so that their eyes met and she could see all his sincerity.

He knew that she was still hiding something but knowing for a fact that she felt hurt by what had happened, he decided not to press forward with it after all he also had secrets of his own he was not ready to share with her.

"My love, I know you feel hurt and wronged and you are allowed to feel all those things and plenty more. But I do not want you risking your life as you have me. It would kill me if something was to happen to you. So I promise with all that I am that I, Xander Warner would give you the maximum assistance that you want and aid you in the search for your family's murderer and bring him to justice."

His words really were touching. Even though she still shouldn't trust easily, she just could not bring herself to doubt him.

"I am sorry, Xander but I would not bring the culprits to justice. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a family for a family."

"Quinn, no. You cannot right a wrong with another wrong. You cannot kill because yours was."

"I can Xander," Jade refuted his words. "And I would."

"Listen to me, Quinn. You can find peace and joy again. Although I may not be able to cover up or bridge the gap that you felt, or refill the love given to you by them, know this. I would love you unconditionally till the day I die. I just need and want you to know that revenge is not the answer. You can still get your revenge but not the way you want. You can bring them to justice while still being better than them."

"And what about my family?" Jade let out her outburst and yanked her hands away from his, standing up from the bed. "What about the innocent souls that died? Who would bring them back to me? What about my mother, my father, haven't I suffered enough?"

"Quinn,"

"No, Xander. It is way more than that. I cannot promise to do things your way but know this, I would have my revenge."

"And so shall you but take things slow. You are not alone. You have me. I promise to be here for you and to never leave you. Use my resources and influence in any way you wish to in achieving your goal, but before you pull the trigger, ask yourself one thing."