Free Xavier: (Indestructible) by D.M. Mortier Page A

laughter.
    Cassandra smiled.
    Cameron shook his head at her. “Only you would come up with
some idiotic difference like that, but they all the same to me.”
    Cassandra sobered, the momentarily levity forgotten. “Cameron,
you have to make up your mind what you want to do. It’s time for you to make a
decision about what kind of man you want to be. Are you going to be a man of
integrity? A man who works hard and garners respect? That door is still open
for you. Are you going to walk through it?” She tried to show him how much she
loved him, softening her gaze as she spoke to him. “I pray you make the right
decision.”
    “Cass, I’m not like you. I can’t work like that. Besides, why
should I? We make enough money to support all us. Niggas respect us, respect
what we bring.” Cameron’s voice was hoarse with emotion. “Yeah, the guys got
played tonight, but when I tell Anton what that punk Linc did, Anton will pump
some lead in him.”
    “Do you hear yourself?” Cassandra yelled. “You are talking
about killing someone like you’re ordering a pizza. Is this what—”
     
     
    “Cassandra, stop. We talked about this already,” Xavier
cautioned.
    “Who the fuck are you anyway?” Cameron asked, glaring at Xavier.
    “You ungrateful prick! “Cassandra gasped.
    Xavier brought the SUV to a stop at the side of the road and
jumped out of the car. He pulled opened the back passenger door and pulled
Cameron out of the car by the collar of his shirt. Xavier dragged him to the
back of the vehicle.
    Cameron struggled to no avail. Xavier’s grip and strength were
unyielding.
    Xavier pushed Cameron against the car, lifting him so that his
feet dangled in the wind.
    “Hey? What the hell? Put me down, mudderfucker!” Cameron
yelled.
    “Ever since I’ve met your sister she has been trying to save
your ungrateful ass. It’s obvious that she loves you.” Xavier spoke calmly,
tightening his grip at Cameron’s collar. “If she hadn’t come for you tonight,
you would have been under some of those boys back there, maybe even Nado.” Xavier
pulled him off the car and slammed him against it again. He opened his jacket,
showing Cameron his arsenal of knives and guns. “Because she is mine, I will
always have her back. Think really hard about what you want to say to her next.
Otherwise, the cut-ass those gangbangers gave you will pale in comparison to
what I’ll do to you.”
    “Bey, I heard you,” Cameron struggled anew to get out of
Xavier’s hold. “Man, put me down, you freak!”
    I’m really beginning to hate that word. For Cass’ sake, I
hope she doesn’t think I’m a freak when she finds out what I am.
    Cassandra came around to stand beside them.
    “Go back in the car,” Xavier muttered. He didn’t bother looking
at her.
    “I—”
    “Go back in the car,” Xavier repeated without raising his
voice, but he turned his head and held her gaze. He knew she usually didn’t
listen worth a damn, but...
    “You and me are going to have a conversation after this.” She
narrowed her eyes and pointed at him. “No one tells me what to do,” she
muttered before turning and going back in the car.
    Xavier returned his gaze to Cameron. “Are we settled, Cameron?
Do you need more convincing to take your punk ass to school and make my girl
happy?”
    Cameron hung his head and refused to meet his gaze. “Anton says
that I’ll be a pussy if I listen to Cass, that I have no guts.”
    “After they left you tonight in the hands of those bastards,
are you still dumb enough to follow in their footsteps?”
    “No, man, you don’t understand. If I go with Cass, they’ll gang
up on me. You don’t know what that’s like.”
    “Do they usually hit Cassandra?” Xavier wanted to know. He let
Cameron stand on his feet.
    Cameron laughed. “No, bey, they all scared of her. You should
have seen what she did to T. The guys came at her one night, and T thought he
could take her on his own. She moved so fast T never