The familiar gates to Xavier's house opened up as Jordan drove through the driveway and stopped the car right in front of his house. He rushed to the passenger side, opening the door for Xavier, who slowly got out of the car with Raine in his arms, afraid to hurt her. The secrurty guards rushed to Xavier, seeing his state. However Xavier ignored them as he ran into the house.
Without thinking for a second longer, Xavier brought Raine into his master bedroom. Gently, he laid her down onto his king size bed which was covered with a fluffy white comforter. Not caring a bit about Raine's bloody body ruining his bed, he covered her up with a blanket once he removed his coat from her body. Her face was pale and her hands were shievering. There was dried up blood all over her body and Xavier notice her ripped sleeves and cut up top that was exposing parts for her chest.
He rushed to his closet, going through all of his clothes trying to find something that would possibly fit that small , fragile girl that was laying in his bed. He found a white t-shirt that would be possibly reach her knees. Grabbing it off the hanger, he ran back to the bed where she was laying. He slipped the blanket off her body and was about to begin changing her when there was a knock on the door.
"Mr. Thorn, Dr. Khan has arrived with a nurse. Shall I send them up?" Jordan said as he waited at the door.
Setting the t-shirt aside, Xavier stood up and turned to Jordan. "Send them up right away."
It wasn't long before a white haired man in his late 50s entered the room with a young nurse following behind quietly. "Mr. Thorn, what is the emergency?" He said as he eyed Raine who was unconscious in his bed.
"Raine! I found her at the cafe. She was being attacked by this son of a bitch! I got there before the man could do anything serious but she just fainted in my arms! She's lost a lot of blood! Please make sure that she is ok Dr. Khan! It's crucial that she is ok!" Xavier said as he ran his fingers, raking his hair. He was trying hard to remain calm, but the events of the night were driving his mind insane. He couldn't get the picture of that man on top of Raine out of his head.
"I will take care of everything from here Mr. Thorn. It would be great if you could leave us for a bit." Nodding, Xavier complied to the doctor and left the room, not before telling the nurse to change Raine into his t-shirt.
He headed down the steps and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. But before he could even reach the kitchen, five security guards were waiting in the living room, along with a concerned Jordan. Frustration, along with anger rushing through his veins, Xavier marched to the men as they awaited for orders from him.
"The man at the cafe? Is he all taken care of?!" Xavier spoke with anger seeping through his voice.
"Mr. Thorn, the man was taken into custody and admitted to the hospital." One of the guards said as he straightened up his posture.
"And the cafe?"
"The police have arrived and are inspecting it. The security cameras in the cafe explained the whole situation pretty well but the head of police still asked for your witness report as you were the only one there at the time." Another guard said with caution.
"Tell them I'll send it over as soon as possible."
There was a silence in the room as Xavier thought about the incidence. Jordan however, looked at Xavier with concern. He had been working with Xavier for years now and never had he seen this many emotions in that man. He was often called heartless by the media and his very own employees, but the Xavier that was standing before them was different from anything they had ever seen. He was showing concern. Concern for an ordinary girl who worked at the cafe down the street.
"Mr. Thorn?"
"Not now Jordon!" Xavier's voice boomed through the room. It was obvious to any one near Xavier that he did not like to be questioned about anything. However, Jordan was faithful to the job he had taken, and fulfilled his reponsibilies anyways.
"Sir, as head of security it is my responsibly to insure your safety."
"Than go interrogate that man! And make sure that he never gets within 50 feet of me unless he wants to die! And make sure that he's not even 500 feet near Raine!"
"Sir, the police are doing their job and the man is most likely going to be arrested. He shouldn't be a problem for you. Also, our men inquired and he was a drunk guy who lurked into the cafe while Raine was closing it up. This was nothing personal related to you nor Raine."
"Very well than. Make sure he's all taken care of. And as I said before, I never want to see him anywhere near Raine ever again."
"No worries Mr. Thorn. I'll handle everything. Shall I get your hand looked at?" Jordan's eyes had fallen of Xavier's knuckles which were bruised up severely and bloody. Xavier looked down at them before shaking his head.
"No. But tell tell Cindy to get a pair of clothes for Raine and send them here right away. And I don't want any more disturbance. All of you are dismissed." Before Jordan could respond, Xavier walked out of the living room and headed to the kitchen to finally get his glass of water.
Once he was done, he headed straight up the stairs to inquire about Raine. It had been quiet a while since the doctor had been in the room and now Xavier was beginning to get stressed. Just as he approached the door of his room, the knob shuffled and out came Dr. Khan along with his nurse. Upon seeing Xavier right in front of him, Dr. Khan gave him a gentle nod.
"How is she?" Xavier asked with desperation evident in his voice. Never in his life had he ever cared about the well being of someone. And now, he was standing before a doctor, begging to save a girl he had met a couple of days ago.
"There's nothing to worry about Mr. Thorn. She had a couple of injuries which were cleaned up. There was some glass stuck in her skin but it's been taken care of. She did loose a lot of blood which is why she fainted but it's nothing too serious. Also, she did go through a traumatic experience which will most likely carry over when she wakes up in the morning or throughout the night. I advise you don't let her sleep alone tonight and that someone is present when she awakes. Other hand that, here's a list of medicine that will help with the pain."
"Thank you so much Dr. Khan." Xavier said as relief flowed throughout his body. He didn't know why, but for some reason, Raine's well being was very important to him.
After sending Jordan to walk Dr. Khan out and buy the medication he had prescribed, Xavier entered his room. He dimmed the bright lights of the room and glanced at Raine who was laying in his bed. She was like the splash of brightness in his colorless room.
Xavier looked down at Raine as she slept underneath his covers. The white pillows and white comforter brought out her features making her looks as innocent as an angel. The wounds on her arms had been covered with bandages and her torn up clothes were replaced with his t-shirt. Brushing a hand over her forehead, Xavier left for the closet, eager to take off his clothes which were stained with Raine's blood.
He stripped out of his black dress pants and no longer white dress shirt and changed into a simple gray t-shirt and sweatpants. He left for the bathroom, washing away the blood from his hands and his face with ice cold water. He looked at himself in the mirror and his face tighten as the reruns of that night played though his mind. Shaking himself out of the thoughts, he left the bathroom.
Pulling one of the arm chairs besides the bed, Xavier sat down next to Raine as she slept. He took one of her hands in his own, heartbroken when he felt that it was cold. Her face was still pale and he could make out the faint traces of tears along with her bruised cheeks. He sighed as he thought back to the way he had started his day as opposed to the way he was forced to end it.
* * *
Thankfully his meeting with Mr. Amberton ended early. Xavier had gotten the deal for opening up a hotel in Toronto and was extatic at expanding Thorn Inc in Canada. Spreading Thorn Inc throughout the world was his goal. He wanted to take the empire his father created to the whole next level and he had already done so. Calling Jordan, and informing him of the good news, he told him to get the jet ready as he wanted to go back home as soon as possible. His reasons to go home? One word. Raine.
He had been eager to see her ever since yesterday's failed attempt. And to make everything worse, it had been raining ever since he landed in Toronto, constantly reminding him of her. Eager to head home, Xavier got into the car, driving straight to the airport. But just as he arrived, he was informed that due to harsh weather conditions, the flight could not take off. Furious, Xavier paced back and forth in front of Jordan who had to hear the profanities that were flowing out of his mouth at a constant pace.
He had it all figured out. He was going to land in New York at 4:30 which would give him just enough time to rush to the cafe and meet Raine before they closed. But thanks to the "harsh weather conditions," Xavier's perfect plans were ruined which meant he would have to wait a whole day before he could meet her again.
His flight landed well past 5 and Xavier knew that he wouldn't be in luck to get a glimpse of her. Xavier asked Jordan to drop him off at Thorn Inc and freed him to go home as they were both equally as tired from the business trip. Although he should've gone home as well, Xavier despised being home and avoided going there as much as he possibly could. Working away on his computer, he finally called it a night when the clock reached 10:30.
Since he had let Jordan leave, he planned on just taking a cab back home. Even though he had many cars of his own, he didn't want to go through the hassle of getting his cars sent to him and then going back home, he might as well catch the cab. Waiting around at the base of Thorn Inc, his newly formed habit caused him to walk down the block and towards Cathy's Cakes & Coffee. Just as he reached the block, he saw the lights still on, causing a look of confusion to form on his face. The street was practically empty and all the nearby shops and offices were closed. He was about to go on and enquire when the cab he called, rolled over right next to him.
Just as Xavier was about to sit down inside the cab, he heard a loud scream coming from the cafe. And it was a familiar voice. It was Raine.
Xavier didn't have to think for a second longer before he found himself dashing down the block and barging into the cafe. And the seen that he saw before his eye made him see red.
* * *
Shaking himself out of these thoughts for the millionth time, Xavier looked back at Raine. He had no idea what was going on with him, but something was happening for sure. There was something about this girl. Something that made him want to stay. Something that made him want to smile. And something that made him want feel.
With a hurricane of thoughts forming in his mind, the exhaustion of the trip, and the horrifying incident at the cafe, caused Xavier's eyes to shut as he fell into a deep trance of sleep.
His peaceful sleep came to an end when he heard soft whimpers and sobs. Worry rushed through Xavier's body as his eyes flung open and he searched for the girl who had caused havoc in his once stable life.
Right as his eyes fell on the white linens that tops his bed, he saw Raine. She was sitting in the middle of the bed with her knees pulled up to her chest. The blanket that once covered her fragile body was pushed out of the way, revealing the numerous bandages scattered throughout her arms and small scratches on her once flawless skin. She was shivering and shaking with every sob that came out of her mouth, her eyes leaking painful tears.
Xavier felt a heavy weight on his chest seeing Raine in the state she was in. He had always seen a bubbly girl, who working at the cafe and loved her job to heights. He had seen an independent girl who wasn't afraid to speak her mind, or voice her thoughts out loud. She was the girl to think Thorn was a cool name and loved the delicious Pistachio Rose Lattes that had recently become his own favorite. She was the girl who had a smile bright enough to light up anyone's day. But what he saw in front of him now, was the exact opposite.
He quietly jumped out of the chair and onto the bed, putting both of his hands on her shoulders and lifting her chin up. Her eyes met his but the glow that once used to live within the brown orbs, was gone.
"Raine. Raine what happened? Why are you crying?" Xavier said, his eyes full of concern and his voice full of patience. He didn't want to push her. He didn't want her to revive though ugly memories. Though he had met her only a couple of weeks ago, he didn't want to see her in pain.
Sobs raked through her body as she managed to slip a couple of words between the hiccups. "I-I....Xavier he was back! He came back! He......He------"
Before Raine could even complete her sentence, Xavier lifted her off the bed and into his arms. Pressing her into his chest, he rubbed her back softly yet tenderly. "Shhhhhh....I promise he won't come back. He will never come back. He will never hurt you. I won't let him."
Never in his life had Xavier comforted a crying girl. Actually, never in his life had he comforted a crying anyone. He simply did not care when he saw someone cry. To him, they were just fake emotions being put on display to gain as much sympathy a person wanted, so they could have their way with things. He would look away whenever he saw anyone cry. Walking away from the situation as if it hadn't even happened.
But Raine was different. He couldn't look away from those eyes filled with tears. He couldn't walk away from her as she weeped in the dark. He couldn't pretend he didn't see it. He had to comfort her. He didn't know why, but he knew he had to.
"I won't let him ever touch you Raine. I won't let anyone ever touch you." He tangled his fingers through her hair and played with it. She was still shivering but the crying had stopped. He pulled the blanket that Raine had pushed away, and covered her body as she laid in his lap. Patting her back gently, she slowly fell asleep, leaving Xavier relieved.
* * *
The night had long passed and the morning sun was now shining through the master bedroom of Xavier's mansion. The rays of light and chirping of the birds outside his window, woke Xavier up.
He looked around confused. He had slept all night on the opposite end of the bed in a sitting position, without a pillow or blanket. However, his confusion was quickly wiped away when he looked down in his lap, to find Raine peacefully sleeping, with her small hands clutching onto his t-shirt.
Xavier carefully lifted her out of his lap and gently laid her back in bed properly before tucking her in. He got up and closed all of the curtain, making sure Raine wouldn't wake up. He knew she would be exhausted and the nightmares hadn't let her sleep peacefully last night either.
Giving her one last good look, he left his room and headed down the stairs where he found Jordon engaged in a serious conversation with a couple of police officers. Upon seeing Xavier, Jordan walked away from the men in uniform and up to him.
"Good morning Mr. Thorn. I know it's early off in the day but Officer James here, would like to speak to you."
Eying the men once more, Xavier gave Jordan a nod. "I'll take care of it. And make sure the breakfast is prepared."
"Anything in particular Mr. Thorn?"
"Anything and everything Raine would possibly want to eat." With that being said, Xavier turned around and approached the men who had been patiently waiting on him.
There were three officers, one being James who was in charge of the case and had also worked with Xavier once previously when there was a robbery at Thorn Inc. Xavier shook all of their hands, giving them a nod. If he had any emotions this morning when he woke up, they were all gone as he put of the serious stone face that was well known by the rest of the world.
"Officer James."
"Xavier, didn't think I would be meeting you so soon."
"Likewise."
Of course Xavier's stern behavior was nothing new to the men. This was who he was and this was what the rest of the world saw him as.
The officers looked amount themselves, debating on a good way to kick off the conversation. Knowing the others wouldn't volunteer, James made the first move. "Xavier, it's quiet obvious we aren't here for hi's and hello's. As you know, Ms.Raine Woods was assaulted last night at Cathy's Cakes & Coffee when you intervened the assault and stopped it. According to our records, Ms. Woods is with you at the moment?"
Xavier's hands tightened into fists at the mention of the assault but none the less, he responded. "Correct."
"May we speak to her?"
"No."
"I'm sorry Xavier, but we must speak with the victim for our investigation."
"She is sleeping and I will not allow her to be disturbed. And as for your investigation being concerned, I am well aware that you have the camera footage of the coffee shop in your possession."
"I understand Xavier but I still do need a statement from Ms. Woods. Also, a doctor's report will be needed."
"I'll send you the doctor's note. As for Raine's statement, she will give it to you when she feels better. So if your investigation is complete, I will kindly allow Jordan to walk you out."
"I need your statement too. Why were you in the area at that time? Why did you go to the coffee shop when it was obviously closed? What exactly did you see?"
"I was working late, went on a walk, saw the lights open, heard a scream and the rest you know." The amount of interest in Xavier's voice was less than zero. He, along with ever man present in the room, knew very well that Xavier was not a man to give out statement or answers to anyone in particular. Especially when the situation was crystal clear.
He didn't even allow the officers to respond to him or bid him goodbye, before he walked out and headed straight for the kitchen where Jordan was talking to the chef. Never in the six years he had lived in this house, had it ever smelled so good. Scents of coffee, cinnamon, chocolate, and berries lingered in the air as delicious dishes were being prepared on the hot stove top. But just as Xavier was going to say something, there was a loud crashing noice from upstairs followed by a scream.
"AHHHHH!!"
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