Chapter 48：Mia

I saw fire within his dark brown eyes, and my anger rose as well. I thought then that life was always so full of cheating, wasn't it? Life was always so unfair. Like it was unfair that our parents' lives were snatched away from us. That we had to live with an aunt who didn't give a shit about us and an uncle who had abused us.

"I wanted them to pay, so I followed them around. I had no choice, Mia. I was so pissed with them, and I wasn't just going to let it slide. It was two million. I'd do anything to get back that money. Even if the business didn't work out, I'd at least get to pay back Mr. Maxwell. So that one night, I found them in this underground trading place." He laughed sadly.

"Turns out, they were doing some sort of drug trading and shit. I don't know what happened, but I witnessed a whole lot of shit, Mia. I don't know—the drugs, the guns, and the killing." He raked his hands through his hair in frustration. His body was shaking as he continued.

"They all died. Those four bastards. They died in the shooting. The Albanian and the Mexican killed them. Then there was this other group as well. The leader is called William or something. I saw everything, and now they want me, the Albanian, the Mexican… They want me dead, Mia. Me! They want me dead just because I saw them, just because I was an eyewitness."

At this point, my whole body shook uncontrollably. I could just imagine the chaos with the shooting and people dying in that dark underground parking lot. And what about the police? Why didn't Andy go to the police in the first place?

But James's reaction on that first day back at the motel when I'd suggested the police made me pause. Were the police not to be trusted? I had no doubt those powerful, underground groups had the police under their thumbs, working secretly for them. Any eyewitness such as Andy would be dead in an instant, with full explanation such as an accident or suicide.

A shiver ran along my spine at that dark, disturbing thought.

"What about Matt?" I asked. "How does he come into play?"

Andy raised his eyes to mine and chuckled, a tint of a blush creeping across his cheeks. He licked his lips and said, "That casino those bastards lost the money in? That was this casino. It's Mr. Maxwell's and Matt's place. They both own it, and Matt runs the place. When I found out that night what those bastards were doing, well, I was… I was livid. I came here and…" He chuckled sickly. "I came and made a big scene. I wanted to stop them. And I got detained by him." He raised his eyes once again to Matt, and I thought I saw a blush on his cheeks again.

"Oh. I thought he was torturing you that night when we talked. I was so worried."

Andy blinked, and his blush intensified, which confused me. "No, he wasn't. He was… We were… He helped me. I mean, if it weren't for him, I would have been dead that night."

"So he was there as well?" I asked, confused.

"Yeah, he was following me. Apparently, he was suspicious, and he knew I had a contract with Mr. Maxwell. He thought I was going to run away or commit suicide or something."

"I don't trust him though," I said, eyeing Matt from the distance.

He chuckled. "He gets on my nerves too. But really, Mia, I'll be dead without him. That man knows how it works, this type of business. He's a pro. Thanks to him, I'm still breathing. I owe him that much."

He sounded absolute about that, so I quit pestering him about the subject.

"And what about you? Matt didn't tell me anything about you and Mr. Maxwell," he said, his eyes on me.

I blushed and licked my lip as I gazed at my own hands. They were trembling, and I wondered why. I sighed and then said, "I made a contract with him."

I peeked up and saw Andy frowning darkly. "What for?"

I licked my lower lip again and said, "For the two million."

He just stared at me as if I were stupid. Well, maybe I was.

"Wait. What? Mia? What the fuck?"

He had raised his voice at me, and I glared at him, upset. He must have seen how pissed I was at his rude remark and quieted down.

"Mia," he said. "You signed a contract with him? For my two million?"

I mutely nodded.

"Why?"

"Because you're my brother, that's why," I said, staring at him, tears brewing in my eyes. "What else could I do?" My voice was shaking. I couldn't help it. I was very emotional where Andy was concerned.

His body quaked, and he growled in frustration. Suddenly he sobbed. "I'm sorry, Mia. I'm so stupid. I'm so useless." He pulled me into his arms and held me tight, like he always held me after we were beaten up by Uncle Herbert or after he'd been sexually abused by that disgusting man.

My heart ached at his words. How was he going to make things right again? It was too late now. I'd already signed the contract, and it wasn't going to end for five more years.

"Is everything all right?" James's voice drifted to me. I noted his concern, and it made me wonder if he was worried about me. The thought pleased me, which was odd, because I shouldn't really care at all whether he cared about me or not. I was just his mistress after all.

I raised my head and saw the man standing before me, watching me intensely. Matt wasn't far behind him, and his eyes were on Andy's. He had a deep frown on his face, and within those gray irises, there was a spark of protectiveness. For Andy?

Andy drew himself back and turned to look over his shoulders. "Mr. Maxwell, thanks for bringing my sister to see me."

A smirk appeared across James's face. "You've made your sister cry," he said bluntly. "It's the first time I've seen her cry like this."

I blushed at the comment and wiped my tears with my hands, trying my best to look presentable. Then I said, "Can Andy come with us? Is he allowed to stay with us at the apartment? He and I can share a room."

The moment I uttered that statement, I regretted it. I knew there was no way James would ever allow my brother to come along and stay with me in his apartment. Then I thought it was probably a good idea to rent a motel or something. Just as instantly, however, the reminder of the Mexican and the Albanian crossed my mind. The two groups, and perhaps more, wanted both Andy and me dead after all.

"Andy is staying here with me," Matt stated with a no-nonsense tone.

I thought it was probably for the best since Andy did mention Matt had the ability and power to protect him, that he was a pro at this type of business. There was also the fact that I had seen the protectiveness over Andy within Matt's eyes, which put me at ease. At least Andy had another person who really cared about him, and that pleased me very much. Hence, I nodded in agreement.

"Mia," Andy said, looking at me, "how long are you here?"

"A week," I said without thinking. "I fly back on Thursday."

"That's only four more days," he said. "I have to figure a way to settle everything before you go."

The moment he said that, I suddenly realized I really did have to fly back home in four days' time. And what of the contract between James and me?

I looked up at the man in question and instantly regretted it. I'd never seen such a dark scowl from that handsome man. He looked like he wanted to murder someone, and that someone was probably me. I'd entirely forgotten to tell him that my annual leave ended in a week, and…

Oh God! The whole thing was such a mess and a total headache.

Matt said, "That's enough for now."

I was sure he was directing that statement to Andy, and my brother nodded in agreement. He stood, and I did too.

At the door, I hugged Andy tightly again. He kissed me on the forehead and said, "I promise to sort everything out before you leave. Everything is going to be okay."

I looked up at him, and oddly enough, I felt this sickening feeling in my stomach. The thought of leaving didn't sit well with me because that meant I'd be leaving Andy behind.

I nodded at my brother and then headed out the door. Andy promised to come around to see me tomorrow if time allowed. I knew exactly what he meant. It translated to if Matt allowed.

Such a control freak, I thought sourly.

Matt had no rights over my brother, and I'd have to talk to James about that. Another item to add to the list of things I had to talk to James about. Not to mention, of course, the fact that I'd be returning to Mystic Spring soon. Then I wondered how our relationship was going to work out if I left, if we were to live in separate states, all the way across the country.