was raised in foster care, only to have someone from her past, suddenly, start stalking her years later, but she has no idea who it could be.” I heard the crack of a can open. “Then the dude’s been stalking her for years by doing nothing but moving some shit around in her house?”
“Karla vouches for her,” Trevor repeated. “That’s good enough for me to have her in my house.”
“Because you had a choice?” Xander countered. “And even so, Trev, it’s not you or Karla who is putting themselves on the line for someone who is probably just crazy.”
Trevor’s voice sounded incredulous and genuine. “That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?” he asked. “You just met her. Why do you doubt her story?”
“I know you’re married and you’re wildly in love with your wife, Trev,” Xander replied. “But you can’t tell me love and marriage has made you blind. That woman is beautiful. Do you really think if a guy were obsessed with her enough to stalk her for years that he wouldn’t have made a move by now?”
“How the hell would I know?” Trevor exclaimed. “I’m not a stalker. How the fuck would I know what goes through a psycho’s mind?”
“Fuck, Trev,” Xander continued, not taking Trevor’s questions seriously, “for all we know, her looks might be part of the problem. She could be doing all this for attention. How do we know this isn’t just some scam she’s concocted? There’s probably a trail of abandoned sugar daddies lining the coast of California.”
“Dude,” Trevor said sounding shocked, “I think you’re being a bit…brutal here.”
“I’m not being brutal,” Xander denied. “I’m being realistic. I’m viewing this from the perception of someone who isn’t emotionally involved with the situation. Karla’s emotionally involved because they’re friends, and you’re emotionally involved because you love your wife and would do anything for her. I’m looking at the facts.”
“She seems sincere,” Trevor mumbled.
I could hear the insulting arrogance in Xander’s every word. “All sociopaths seem sincere. Narcissists do, too.”
I expected surprise and some wariness, but what I hadn’t expected was flat out nastiness. According to Karla, Xander was supposed to be a good person with an open mind and a kind ear. How could she have gotten it so wrong?
There was a heartbeat of silence before Trevor said, “You’re kind of being a dick, Xan.”
“No, I’m not,” he argued.
No matter what I was feeling, I wasn’t going to let this continue. Karla had done me a huge favor by allowing me to stay in her home and forming a plan to help me. I wasn’t going to repay her by letting her husband and friend become at odds over something that was, ultimately, my problem.
Besides, at this point, I wanted nothing to do with Xander Raynes. I had enough problems without being talked about viciously for no good reason. He could have simply just said no.
I stepped out from the hallway and both men turned to look at me. Trevor looking startled and guilty. Xander looking apathetic. “Yeah, you kind of are,” I said, agreeing with Trevor.
Chapter 8
Xander~
I stared at Fallon, but what could I say? She overheard our conversation, and I wasn’t going to further insult her intelligence by denying what I said.
“Fallon-”
She threw her hand up to stop Trevor from saying whatever it was he was going to say, but she kept her eyes on me. “You know, this wasn’t even my idea,” she informed me, surprising me. “Karla had come up with this idea, insisting that you were a decent person. She swore you were a good guy and a genuine person. But, boy, was she ever wrong.”
“Fall-” Trevor tried again, but she just rolled right over him.
“I don’t need you to believe me,” she bit out, her eyes starting to water. “I don’t need you to agree to this…strange arrangement. I don’t need a fucking thing from you. Mr. Raynes. But…” Her voice broke as her hand waved back and forth between me and Trevor. “But, that? That was unnecessary. I’ve never done a thing to you to warrant you talking so horribly about me.” I couldn’t lie and say I wasn’t feeling lower and lower with each word she spewed. “You could have simply said no. That’s it. That’s all. When Karla brought it up, you could have simply told her no, because you and I both know you were never going to help me to begin with. You only agreed to this meeting so Karla wouldn’t see the real