On The Border - Marry Him Or Die

59

Alex’s POV

Damn it my brother is so annoying sometimes!

He was still giving us a devilish gaze at lunch, making Jenny even more uncomfortable.

He needs to busy himself with his own life and leave ours alone.

I looked over at David every now and then.

Something was off about him the second I walked into the living room earlier.

He looked on edge and troubled.

He tried so hard to hide it from us, me especially, by playing it cool and pretending to laugh at Lucas’s continuous jokes, but he wasn’t fooling me.

Now that I was on to him, I was noticing his weird behavior and observing every little reaction he gives.

Was he acting like this before and I was just too blind to notice it?

Or was his act really dropping now more than before and his mask was slowly starting to slip?

Jenny notices my look and nudges my knee under the table to look away and not raise his awareness of my suspensions.

Despite how horribly she lies, she was managing to play it cool in front of him. She even managed to pull a straight face when he came closer to congratulate us before.

I lowered my gaze down to my plate and focused on my food instead.

His turn was coming, really soon.

His and his father’s.

Every time I remember how he played us for fools and pretended to share our grief, I feel like my blood was boiling in my veins.

Every time the thought that he killed his own brother; whom he has so many memories with, a whole childhood and adulthood with, all just for power and money, I feel like picking up a machine gun and emptying it at both of them, him and his son.

My hand holding my fork shakes in rage and I cannot physically keep my calm any longer.

I don’t know how she notices, but Jenny puts her hand over my thigh gently and squeezes it.

“Alex, are you full?” she asks quietly.

I turn my head towards her and nod briefly.

“Can you walk with me outside, I feel like walking and getting some fresh air” she asks gently.

She was giving me a chance to leave the table before exposing myself and covering it up for me with her excuse to walk.

“Let’s go” I got up at once and started to walk past my mom when Lucas chimed in through a mouthful.

“Can I come too? Or will I be interrupting on something?”

Before I could smack him on the back of his head, Jenny surprised me by saying confidently to him “You’ll be interrupting, Lucas. Maybe next time”

That seemed to shut him up.

He wasn’t expecting her to snap out of her usual embarrassment and quietness.

I draped my arm around her shoulders proudly as we walked out of the kitchen.

My mood instantly shifted as we headed outside through the gate.

“That was bad ass of you and totally turned me on” I said amusingly.

She smiled sweetly as she said “Well, I figured the only way to put a stop to him was to make it seem like he’s not teasing or embarrassing me anymore, but then I realized that I really meant it. I’m not embarrassed that I’m openly loving you and letting my love show on my face, or in my voice, and even in my touch”

I brought her closer to me and kissed the top of her head passionately.

“The more you say the word love, the more I get turned on by the way” I smirk.

She smacks my chest lightly as she giggles, but then her face becomes serious again as she asks warily “Are you okay? You almost lost it in there, I was so scared you’d stab him with the fork or something if I didn’t intervene”

I heaved a heavy sigh as I looked at the empty road ahead of us.

“I thought I could keep my cool in front of him, at least until I get his father to come here on his own. But it’s proving to be too difficult to bear. I just want his father to call me and set up the date already, I feel like I’m about to explode at any second, thinking how much effort he had to put on to fool all of us and lie straight to our faces, thinking how excited he is right now to get closer towards killing me and taking what’s mine”

She hugs me tightly at the mention of my fake death that is about to take place soon to lure him into letting his guard down and getting him back here so I can end him personally.

I return her hug just as tightly, reassuring her.

“I don’t know if you noticed it through your anger at him, but I think he seems a little off, like he’s scared or something” she said softly.

“I noticed” I said briefly.

“Well, what if he’s having second thoughts about doing this to you? to all of you? He spent a lot of time with your family, isn’t it possible he got attached to you? Maybe you can win him on your side” she said hopefully.

I shook my head “I wouldn’t be able to trust him at all. Not after everything he did with his father. He’s poisoned him already, and there is no antidote for that type of corruption”

“I don’t know, maybe I’m too naïve, but I feel like he’s worth giving a chance to, I feel like he’s truly conflicted about carrying out this plan with his father because he came to consider you as his family, just like I started considering you as mine too. If I could change my feelings from pure hatred to pure love in this short time, so could he” she said hesitantly.

Her argument was valid with one difference.

She didn’t conspire with anyone to kill my father, but he did.

And for that, I can never forgive him or accept his remorse or guilt, if he even feels them that is.

“What he’s done, it can never be forgiven Jenny. There are limits that can never be crossed in my book, and he has not only crossed them, he wiped them off completely by agreeing to this treachery when he saw first hand what we do to traitors here and how much we value loyalty”

She fell quiet after that, either convinced by what I said or given up trying to convince me of her own beliefs about him.

I have to admit, the walk outside helped calm me down a lot.

And the fact that I was hugging her close to my chest the entire time was a huge reason for that calmness.

She notices me steering her back towards the house, as she looks up at me emotionally.

“Are you okay to go back?” she asked warily.

“If you remain by my side, holding me like that and supporting me, I will be” I said in devotion.

“Always” she vowed solemnly.

My phone rings just as we were a few feet from reaching the gate.

I let go of her to fetch my phone, and my heart skips a beat at the name displayed.

“It’s him” I speak through clenched teeth.

She doesn’t need to acquire further information as to who I was referring to, she holds on to my hand and says calmly “I’m here Alex. Act normal, look into my eyes as you answer it”

I do as she said and accept the call.

“Hello uncle Stefan” I say calmly.

“Alex, I heard from David that you were in Fairbanks for the past two days with your wife. I wanted to give you some time off, that’s why I held off on calling you back about the new shipment. I think you deserved a little break from everything”

I breathe in slowly and work on a light tone as I say firmly “Thank you uncle, you’re right the trip was very much needed. And I felt like it was the right time to take it as we are no longer in any sort of danger. However, my guy is in a real hurry to get his deal ready. Are we settled on the shipment date yet?”

“Yes, that’s why I’m calling actually. The shipment will be crossing your borders tomorrow at 6 p.m. From the entrance you requested. You’re all set to receive it?”

I released a breath I was holding as the date was earlier than I expected and I was glad I didn’t need to pretend around David any longer.

It was all going to end by tomorrow.

And I was so set to receive whatever he had in store for me.

“We are prepared, don’t worry” I say lightly.

“The plan is still the same right? Just you, your brother, David, Mathew, and the guys guarding the border?” he asked casually.

I looked deep into Jenny’s green eyes and counted to five to control my voice as I spoke normally “Unless you have new information about Lord Z Putting us back under his microscope, it is still the plan yes”

He says hurriedly and confidently “No, I’m certain he’s given up. You have nothing to worry about. Still working on catching his trail though, I’m closing in on him, just wanted to let you know”

“That’s great, I’ll be waiting for your call to tell me you took his soul like he’s taken ours, uncle. I know you will never disappoint to make him pay for what he did to all of us”

“It will all end soon Alex. I promise” he said solemnly.

I couldn’t help but feel hurt and stabbed that he was promising so solemnly to end my own life instead of our enemy’s.

My jaw locked so tightly to keep from screaming and my eyes burned with tears of rage.

Jenny let go of my hand, and held into my neck, begging me silently to keep a calm voice.

I swallowed down my lump and managed to say stiffly “I’ll call you as soon as we receive the shipment tomorrow”

I couldn’t hear another word so I disconnected the call immediately without waiting for his reply.

“When is it happening?” she asked nervously, her hands still holding on to the back of my neck tenderly.

“Tomorrow” I said rigidly.

I saw the deepest look of pain and fear drawn her features as she looked down.

I put my fingers under her chin and lift her face up to face me again.

“Nothing bad will happen to any of us, Jenny. Have a little faith in me” I said tenderly.

She’s the most emotional person I know.

Her tears always spring to her eyes in a matter of seconds from getting emotional by the smallest triggers.

They fall down her face, and I feel like my own heart is falling with them.

I wipe them off quickly and bring her closer for a searing kiss.

I kiss her sobs away, her fears, her pain, and her worries.

I kiss her until there is no trace of our struggles anymore, only passion and love, just like it’s meant to be.