Chapter 5 begins

     Charles went back into his house not sure if Serena and Hays were correct in taking the man from California and he felt very sorry for him. Leah was sitting up in the bed staring at Charles as he quietly walked into the bedroom. He looked at her as he sat on the end of the bed he wanted to cry but he smiled sweetly and spoke to her "Leah, I am sorry we had meet each other again like this, but I missed you so much I worried every day you were gone and I must admit I thought you were gone forever, but now we have you back and I hope you will allow me to help you." Charles said as he reached out to hold her hand.    
         
     Leah sat there as if frozen no emotions on her face, her eyes like two stagnant pools of grey as she looked at Charles as if he were not even there and he heard her whisper "Why do you care. Y'all should've left me for dead."
     "Leah, you are my friend, you and your sister I loved you both as if you were my family and as you well know, I don't have any friends and you are the only family I have left." he said sadly a pain in his heart as he squeezed her hand.
      "What about Xation?" she said his name tasting like bitter ashes in her mouth.
      "What about him?"
      "Your loyalty is to him not me." she said rolling over turning her back to Charles.
      Charles sighed gently rubbing her back not knowing what to say. Then Leah sat up half way coughing loudly. "Leah?" He said holding her hair back as she leaned over the bed and vomited all over the tile floor.

End Chapter 4

     "Well Charles, I'll tell you." Hays said sighing. "When I went to take Leah she wasn't alone." here Charles began to feel sick to his stomach as he stood there looking up at Hays who was at least half a foot taller than he. "I mean I had no idea, so we had to.., " Hays paused "just come out to the car and I will show you."
      Charles took an umbrella from the closet and he and Serena followed Hays out to the long black car and that is when Hays opened up the trunk showing Charles a man in his boxer shorts his hands bound with duct tape over his mouth. The man, Leah's boyfriend, was semi-conscious, still alive. "Charles we had no choice but to take him, he would have alerted the authorities, we could not take a chance." Serena explained a note of stress and tension in her voice.
     "Well what do you want me to do?" he asked dreading their answer.
     "We just need you to inject him with something so he will go to sleep." Hays informed him.
     "What do mean, like sleep forever?" he asked a little agitated.
     "No, no, nothing like that Charles." Serena smiled "We just need him to go to sleep until nightfall so we can take him out to the piny woods and get rid of him ourselves." Charles agreed and he went upstairs filling a hypodermic needle with two solutions to put the man to sleep for nine hours, he had thought about going ahead and giving him an overdose to save the doomed man for Hays and Serena who surely would torture the man that had been sleeping with Leah and giving her heroin. But Charles did not want to have another soul haunting his dreams, so he let Serena and Hays go on with the man they took from California after he promised not to tell Leah or Xation what he had witnessed. Charles watched as they drove off the property and as a loud roll of thunder shook the heavens Charles went back inside to check on Leah, whom he was very concerned with. Charles did not believe he could nurse her back to health in such a short time, but he would have to try, after all. her life was depending on him.

Chapter 4 cont's

     "Xation, you have to calm down." Hays implored him as he poured him a small glass of whiskey; which Xation drank then slammed the glass, smashing it against the fireplace. He tried to take a deep breath, he tried to calm down, but Xation blood was boiling and all the rage and frustration building inside him against his wife was too much to take.
   "Alright take it easy there my son." Mr.Pruce said standing close to Xation speaking in a whisper as he rubbed his back a little "It will all work out, just let it go." he said reassuringly trying to ease his friends pain. "What matters now is that we all have her back and she is safe." Mr.Pruce spoke nodding his head "And that's a good a thing, right Xation, this makes us happy. Yeah?" Xation sighed and began to nod his head in agreement and Charles was amazed how caring Bengiman Pruce could be and how quickly he calmed the enraged Xation down.
     "Yes," Xation said rubbing his furrowed brow "It is just all too much to take. I had no idea, no time to prepare myself, I thought she was gone forever, I.., " he spoke quickly winding himself back up.
     "Xation you don't have to explain I know, most of all .how much she means to you. You didn't mean to hurt her I, we all, know that." Mr.Pruce said glancing back at Hays and Charles who stood  by a little stunned by the recent proceedings. "So let's me and you get out of here, I have a great story for you about Oliver and these fucking paintings; which by the way are unfucking believable! Did you see?" Bengiman said taking Xation away from the fireplace and over to the paintings.
     "Yes, they are exquisite, well worth my time and money." Xation agreed.
     "So Charlie, wrap these back up Xation and me are outta here."
     "Yes." Charles replied hurrying to re-wrap the four paintings wanting Xation out of his house. Just as the two men departed Xation stared up the stairs then he walked over to Charles and he looked him dead in the eyes a cold feeling came over Charles and he wanted to look away, but he dared not break eye contact with the ruthless, much hated Latin man as he spoke.
     "Charles, three weeks from today my mother and father are bringing my son back to Texas and if my wife is not suitable to be reintroduced to her son, then I will have no choice but to make her disappear for good this time. So do your best Charles she has a lot riding on you." Xation said coldly and calmly and with that he and his best chum Mr.Pruce made their exist. Charles stood there for a moment in silence when Serena came downstairs crying informing him that Leah had hyperventilated and passed out stuck under the bed. Charles hurried back upstairs and found Leah back under the corner of the bed where the lamp had fallen and broken. He found a few cuts and scrapes on her as he pulled her out from under the bed. Charles put her back in the bed and went downstairs to get Serena and Hays out of his house, but before he could do that Serena and Hays had another disturbing surprise in store for him.

More Chapter 4

     Charles and Serena followed Xation,who hurried up the stairs, his heart pounding thoughts racing as he went down the hall to bedroom where the noise had come from; and as he stood in the threshold of the door he stopped, staring at the sleeping woman who looked battered and beaten down by stress and grief. Xation recognized his wife instantly. He stood there for what seemed like an eternity Xation did not hear his sister or Charles speaking to him he only stood there a deep pain welling in his heart as a hard lump formed in his throat he could not speak. Xation slowly walked across the room where he sat next to Leah his hands folded in his lap,he did not touch her yet, he just sat there looking down at her and what he saw wanted to make him cry. His once beautiful wife now looked like a dried up piece of old fruit. She smelled like sweat and rotten garbage. Her once long silken strands of golden hair was now matted and greasy and brown. Her peaches and cream complexion now resembled sand paper. His heart ached to see his beloved in such a sad state of disrepair. Xation remained silent in his shock and sadness as Serena stood behind him trying to get her brother to listen to what she had to say.
     "Xation, I am so sorry for you to see her this way. We had only just arrived when you came in. Charles and I were going to make her more presentable for you that is why I did not want you to come upstairs." Serena said as she reached out taking his hand in hers.
     "Where did you find her?" Xation finally spoke never once taking his eyes off of Leah.
     "We tracked her down to a.., jail in Los Angeles." Serena explained choosing her words carefully.
    "Los Angeles? So that is why you needed my jet. I thought you were having another procedure done."
     "I am sorry my brother, I had to lie to you. We were not sure what we would  find out there, but we found her Xation, Leah has come back to you." Serena smiled a tear rolling down her pink cheek. Charles and Hays now stood in the room watching the tense situation play out.
     "Why was she in jail?" Xation asked a note of anger rising in his voice.
     "Well," Hays spoke up "Leah was busted with heroin, and as you can see she has become.., addicted to it." Hays informed Xation who had a terrible look of disgust come over his face. Xation stood up a complex mix of emotions raging in his heart and mind and then he opened his mouth and began screaming at his unconscious wife saying "You abandoned your son and our family to become a strung out junkie in California? How could you leave me and everything I have to offer!" Xation began to loose control of his senses and as he poured out his frustration he reached down with his strong hands wrapping his fingers tightly around Leah's throat and he squeezed hard.
     "Xation no!" Charles yelled trying to pull him off of Leah while Hays tried to pry his fingers off her throat Serena began screaming Mr.Pruce ran upstairs and it took him, Charles and Hays to get Xation off of Leah who by this time had awoken trying her best to get away from the enraged Xation she struggled to breathe as she pushed herself off of the bed; which she cowered under as Xation was forced back down stairs by the three men.Serena crouched on her hands and knees trying to coax the terrified woman out from under the bed.

Chapter 4 continues

     Xation entered the living room he saw no one, only endless sheets covering all the furniture crowded around the room. He called out for Charles and then he saw Bengiman,Hays, Charles and Serena all coming down the stairs together. They all were quiet and seemed very nervous. "Well how nice of you all to come and greet me." Xation smiled up at them. The four stood motionless neither of them knowing what to say. "Serena my darling sister, what is it that you are doing here this morning?" he asked extending his hand up to her as she came down the last steps. Serena looked up into her brother's black eyes trying not to burst into tears. "Oh Xation," She paused looking back up at Mr.Pruce "I was concerned, Bengiman has been injured." Serena said as she reached out to Mr.Pruce who winced in pain.
     "Bengiman what has happened?" Xation said with great concern as Mr.Pruce was his closest and dearest friend.
     "He has a slight concussion." Charles interjected as he stepped down off the staircase eye to eye with Xation.
     "Charles what have you done to him?" Xation said glaring at him.
     "I didn't do anything! He fell and hit his head this morning." Charles snapped back offended by his question.
     "Is this true?" Xation asked Mr.Pruce who went and sat back down in the chair by the fireplace as the storm raged outside.
     "Yeah, I'll be fine." Mr.Pruce answered with a sigh of embarrassment.
     "Xation why don't we get him out of here." Hays said finally speaking up.
     "That's a good idea." Charles went on "just make sure he doesn't lay down or go to sleep, he will be fine I have already examined him. And, if you want your paintings, they're right over here." Charles informed him. Xation and Hays went over to the wall where the paintings were. "Oh and the watch you gave Oliver." Charles said handing him the expensive item. Xation looked at it and slipped it in his pocket then stopped and stared down at the works of art.
     "Oliver painted these?" he asked in awe.
     "Yup." Charles said shaking his head yes.
     "Xation these are fucking amazing!" Hays exclaimed as he bent over to get a better look. Charles watched Hays as he looked at the artwork; he was tall, receding hairline, sharp, pointed features, long slender nose, over sized chin, deep set green eyes, which he squinted as he looked over the fine details of the brushstrokes. "These are the best I have seen." Hays said amazed the little drug addict could produce such masterworks. As they discussed the paintings the unconscious woman began to stir as she pulled her arm up she hit the lamp on the bedside table knocking it to the ground with a loud crash.
     "What was that?" Xation asked startled.
     "Nothing!" Serena yelled out going over to the bottom of the stairs standing there looking suspicious.
     "Serena, what is the matter with you?" her brother said knowing all too well his sister was trying to hide something from him.
     "Nothing." she said once again. Xation looked at Hays, then Charles, no one would look him in the eyes they all seemed on edge and afraid. Xation could always sense fear. "What are you hiding up there?" he asked them as he started up the staircase pushing his sister gently out of the way. "No Xation!" Serena implored "Please do not go up there!"