Love's Taming(90)

Xavier’s eyes cut upwards toward Carl’s and his thin lips curved into a smile. “Exactly.”

Annie glanced up at Carl but could tell he didn’t understand Xavier’s comment any more than she did.

Just then the driver of the van walked in and moved to the man behind the desk. Leaning down, he whispered in his ear. The cold look in the man’s eyes became even frostier.

“It appears that Marco has not been as hospitable as I would have required. I have just been informed that he touched you. Is this correct?”

Annie sat still, not understanding anything that was transpiring, while Carl’s hand stayed loosened against her mouth.

“Answer him,” Carl whispered in her ear.

Glancing up to his eyes, she saw fear in his face as well.

“Don’t keep him waiting,” came the next whisper.

She turned her gaze back to the man behind the desk, her heart pounding so loudly she was sure they could all hear it.

Slowly nodding her head, she heard a croaked “Yes” before realizing it was her own voice.

Xavier growled, “When I give an order I expect it to be obeyed. I can’t trust a man who can’t control his baser urges.”

She saw Marco move toward the door with his hands up in front of him. “What the fuck, man? She’s just a piece of a…”

Annie’s eyes grew large as she saw a man approach Marco from behind and with the flash of a long knife slit Marco’s throat. He crumpled to the ground and twitched for just a moment before stilling with a pool of blood seeping from the open gash.

Jumping off the chair, she stared horrified at the vision in front of her. The sound of screaming, howling animals filled her ears as she dropped to her knees on the floor next to the chair. Carl rushed over, grabbing under her arms to haul her up against his body as he moved to shield her from the sight on the floor, gently making shushing sounds.

Gasping for breath she finally realized that the animal sounds filling the cabin were coming from her. Her body continued to shake as Carl tried to still her.

“Xavier, what the fuck? Jesus, did you have to do that right in front of her?” his voice bit out.

With a flick of his wrist, Xavier motioned for one of the other men who had quietly entered the cabin to remove the body. The sound of it being drug across the floor and outside had a new wave of tremors flooding Annie’s body.

“Sit,” came the order. Another hard-back chair appeared and Carl sat pulling Annie down next to him.

Forcing her eyes to look at the man who had so effortlessly ordered the killing of another man, she sucked in a breath to try to clear her head. Focus. To stay alive. Focus.

“As to why you were brought here, my dear Doctor, the answer is very clear. We need to move our operation. Or rather I should say we have to move our operation because of your boyfriend’s and your interference.”

“He’s…a detective. It’s…his job,” she said with a shaky voice.

Xavier’s look quieted her immediately. “I assure you, Doctor Donavan, that gives him no points in his favor with me.”

Carl squeezed her leg as she licked her still stinging lips. She understood his silent message to be quiet, but anger was slowly taking over fear.

“You’re…a criminal. A…drug…person.”

At this definition, she noticed his eyebrows raise. “A drug person?” he asked with a hint of amusement in his voice. “Is that the best you can come up with?”

“You’re…a murderer. You have dogs killed. People killed.”

Xavier’s head reared back as deep laughter emanated from him. He looked over to the men still standing just inside the cabin. “Do you hear that? I am a murderer of dogs?”

“Annie, shut up,” Carl whispered.

Her head whipped around as she speared him with her glare. “And you. What the hell are you doing here?”

Xavier’s mirth over, he speared her with his unwavering gaze again. “I’ll tell you what he is doing here, Doctor Donavan.”

She felt Carl stiffen next to her.

“I needed someone to make sure the dogs were healthy enough to travel. Someone who could assist with easier ways for them to ingest their…cargo. I needed a professional who, shall we say, could be persuaded to work for me and keep his mouth shut. And throw in one who would keep an eye on you at the same time, well Doctor Ogden fit the bill perfectly.”

Annie suddenly felt as though all of the air had been sucked from the building and was aware of Carl throwing his arm around her shoulder to anchor her.

Breathing deeply, she pushed away from him. “Keep your hands off of me,” she growled.

“It’s not what you think,” his voice pleaded. “It’s not like what he said.”