Stalker CEO: BAD BOY BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE

by Helena Vera

  “Relax, Axel.” He claims a seat across from me. “I’m not here to cause any trouble. I told you I’m here to apologize for scaring off your wife. Congrats on the baby by the way.”

  “Thank you.” I observe him and begin to fall at ease. He seems level-headed today. Maybe losing his business has served a great purpose in sobering him.

  “You’ve done quite well for yourself,” he observes looking about the office. “I guess the better man wins in the end after all.”

  “What are you talking about, Jack? There’s never been any competition between us.”

  “Wasn’t there though, Axel? Admit it. You’ve always wanted to one-up me.”

  “That’s crazy talk Jack. You were always my best friend. I was closer to you than even my own brother. I wanted nothing but success for you.”

  “Then why did you pull out of the business?”

  “You know why Jack. You and I didn’t agree on certain practices.”

  “I didn’t do anything that other businessmen aren’t doing,” he states stubbornly. “If you want to be the best, you have to be prepared to get your hands dirty sometimes.”

  “And how is that working for you, eh Jack?”

  He stares at me long and hard before getting to his feet slowly.

  “You’re very smug, right now. Aren’t you?”

  “For the last time, Jack. I’m sorry this happened to you but I do not glory in your failure. In any event, you can always start over and do things by the book this time.”

  “I suppose I can. Or I can get even. I rather believe it’d be more fun to get even.”

  At his words, my hands inch beneath the desk where I’ve a gun hidden.

  “Keep your hands where I can see them!” Jack orders, pulling a gun from beneath his jacket and pointing it at me. “Do it now or I swear to God Axel. I’ll have your brain splattered on the wall behind you!”

  I don’t remove my hands and place it on top of the desk for him but at the thought of Joyce and how this would devastate her if I make a wrong move and something happens to me. She would never forgive me especially since she’d warned me not to meet with Jack.

  “Put down the gun Jack. Even should you shoot me, you’d never get out alive.”

  “But knowing I killed you Axel would make me happy even in death.” He cocks the gun and pulls the trigger but there’s an empty click. He sees my flinch and starts to laugh. “Gotcha. You thought that was going to be the end, didn’t you? Axel ole boy, it’s only a pit your darling wife couldn’t be here. Now that would have been fun. Fucking her while you watch helplessly. Before you watch me kill her. And then I kill you. I figure by the you’d want me to kill you, right?”

  I stiffen, anger seething through me at his talk of harming Joyce. I could be comforted though that Joyce is nowhere near Detroit. She would be safe from this lunatic. I only have myself to be blamed for not dealing with him before it got to this. I shouldn’t have left him alive the day I’d cornered him and punched his daylights out.

  “You’re making a very big mistake Jack,” I tell him as I slowly adjust my chair, talking to him so he wouldn’t notice my action in moving closer to my gun. “We can talk about this and work it out. You know I’m not hurting for money. I’m your friend. All you needed to do was come to me and ask me for capital to help you with your business.”

  “I don’t want your money. I had my own!” he growls at me. “But you took away the clients. Everything. They only wanted to deal with the Ash name. Once you took that away, nothing was left. And for your information, I did try the legit way but it never worked. Because rich people only want to do with other rich people and leave the rest of us to pick up the scraps.”

  “I promise you Jack. I can help you but you’ve got to stop all this madness. You’ve got to let everything go and let me help you to start over.”

  “I don’t believe you,” he says nervously but the gun lowers a bit.

  “You know I’m good on my word, Jack. Always have been. Now put down the gun and we’ll forget all about this. Then we can talk business and about how to put you back onto the map.”

  A wistful look crosses his face. “You really mean that Axel?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  I’m relieved when he starts to put down the gun. Without warning the door is thrust open and an unexpected Joyce sweeps into the office, looking flushed.

  “Axel, I’m…” she trails off when she sees Jack.

  “Joyce baby it’s okay.”

  But she’s not listening to me. She spots the gun in Jack’s hand and starts to scream. A startled Jack raises his gun to her and in panic I reach beneath the desk.

  “No Jack. Don’t!” I shout at him but it’s too late. He fires a shot at Joyce, the sound blasting through the office. I can hear shouting from the outside but the only thing I could see is the crimson stain forming on her yellow blouse. I grasp the gun and fires a single shot at Jack, the bullet slamming him into the chest and flinging him backwards.

  Joyce is still on the floor while I can hear the gurgling sound of death coming from Jack. I rush to her side, terrified that I am too late.

  “Axel…" Jack is choking on the blood pooling from his mouth.

  “You shot her you bastard!” I cry, reaching Joyce and lifting her head. She is pale and unconscious.

  “I- I wouldn’t harm her,” Jack whispers. “I- I- sorry. She startled me. I was angry but-” He wheezes, fighting to breathe. “I never would have hurt you.”

  I hear the last sigh of breath leave his body but I don’t have time to grieve a friend who had become enemy. My whole attention is on Joyce and that she isn’t moving. Tears stream down my face and hits her face in droplets but she still remained unmoved. I’ve to get her to the hospital and hope she doesn’t bleed out even though the bullet had struck her in the shoulder.

  “Joyce baby, please be okay.”

  38

  CHAPTER

  I wince at the soreness in my shoulder, trying to figure out where I am. Blinking my eyes open, I take in the fancy equipment in the room and surmise I’m in the hospital. I grimace but remembering Jack shooting me, I’m grateful to be alive. But is my baby?

  My good hand goes to my belly where I feel the bulge of life still inside. Thank God. This baby means everything to me. He and Axel. The two men in my life.

  Seeing Jack with Axel and the gun, I couldn’t have stopped my scream. I’d been so happy and excited that everything was working out to plan. I had caught an early flight and then chartered a cab to take me to his office. Walking in on Jack holding a good in his hand, the thought racing through my mind then was that he was going to hurt Axel. Feeling helpless

  I’m disappointed Axel isn’t with me in the hospital room. Unless. Panic seizes me. What if I am alive but after shooting me, he had gone after Axel next? Oh God, no I couldn’t lose him. We have too much to say to each other. We have a baby to raise.

  My heart gripped with fear, I’m relieved when the door to the room open and Axel walks in. My eyes quickly scan him for injuries but he’s fine. He has a half-full bottle of water in one hand and looks haggard, unkempt for the first time since I’d met him. His hair is tousled and his blue shirt has the first couple of buttons undone. A bright red stain is on the sleeve of his shirt which I suspect is my blood. He’s not wearing the matching jacket to his pants and his tie is nowhere to be seen.

  Our eyes meet and he stills for a moment surprised to find me awake.

  “Joyce!” he cries and hurried over to my bed. “Oh thank God. I was worried sick baby.”

  “Are you okay” I ask him, licking my dry lips.

  “Am I okay? You’re the one who was shot.”

  “I gathered,” I reply, shifting my bandaged shoulder and feeling the discomfort of pain. “What happened? I just felt the bullet go through my arm and I don’t remember anything.”

  “Oh baby, I was stupid,” he professes. “I’m so sorry. I should have listened to you. I should have never met w
ith Jack. I’m sorry for walking out on you when you fell and I’m sorry for not stopping you from leaving. I’ve been a jerk, Joyce and I’m so sorry. If something worse had happened to you or the baby, I wouldn’t know how to forgive myself.”

  He brushes the hair from my forehead and I reach out to capture his hand with mine, linking our fingers. “It’s not your fault Axel. There’s no one to blame. I’ve made mistakes too. I dare say we’ll be making a lot more mistakes in the future but I should never have left. That’s not the way to work out whatever problem we have.”

  Before we could say anything else a female doctor in her forties wearing a white lab coat walks into the room. She has a stethoscope hanging from her neck. She smiles seeing me, her gray eyes giving her a friendly look.

  “Mrs. Ash, you’ve regained consciousness!” she announces. “And not a moment too soon. You’re husband has been giving my staff hell that we’re not doing our job properly.”

  “Axel,” I scold and he looks properly chagrined.

  “I didn’t mean anything by it Dr. Spence,” he murmurs as the doctor starts to check my vitals. “I was just worried, that’s all.”

  She continues to ask me questions about how I feel and my arm before making notation on a chart that is then replaced on the small table at the foot of the bed. It is a doctor’s notepad so doctors can note the time of their evaluation and their general impression of their check-up.

  “Your shoulders will be sore for a few weeks,” Dr. Spence informs me. “You had an exit wound so we just had to get out the fractured remains of bone and the pieces of material from the bullet. It may feel sore but move your hand about a bit so you’re hand doesn’t become stiff.”

  “Okay,” I agree. “And the baby?”

  “The baby wasn’t affected by the incident,” she explains. “Although an obstetrician will be by to organize a scan of the fetus to ensure there is no lasting impact but my estimate is that you’ll both be fine and will be discharged in a few days.”

  “Days?” I ask in alarm. Despite the soreness of my arm, I am not feeling anyway different and would have liked to hear that I would be discharged tomorrow.

  “We have to ensure an infection doesn’t set in before we discharge you,” Dr. Spence replies. “Then we’ll have to talk to you about taking care of the wound when you leave the hospital.”

  “Okay, I understand,” I tell her.

  “Good. Now I’ll leave you two alone. Also, the other male that was rushed here as well, the one who died. Do either of you know anyone who can identify him at the hospital’s morgue?”

  My eyes widen at her words. Jack was dead?

  “I’ll do it,” Axel volunteers and the nurse nods and leaves.

  “Jack is dead?” I turn to question Axel. “How?”

  “I shot him,” he answers. “I couldn’t afford the chance for him to shoot you again so I did what I had to. I told you Joyce. I don’t take kindly to anyone threatening you.”

  “Oh my Axel.”

  I pull him in for a hug and his arms go around my body to hug me, mindful not to disturb my shoulder. I feel him shudder against me. It couldn’t be easy to have killed someone. Especially someone you were close to at one point. I can’t imagine what he must be going through.

  “He hurt you, Joyce,” he says with a tone choked with tears. “I was so scared when I saw him point the gun at you and when he pulled the trigger, I wanted to kill him. I wanted to hurt him so badly for shooting you.”

  “Shh. It’s okay.”

  “We were talking and everything went fine at first,” he continues. “But then he lost it as he usually does. I think something was wrong with him in the head. Maybe I should have paid him more mind. Maybe if I had gotten him help instead of just removing myself from our business agreement then he would have turned out better but I was selfish. I was just thinking about not wanting to be associated with him and have it ruin my business.”

  “Oh Axel, you’re the least selfish person that I know,” I refute his claim. “I refuse to believe you didn’t try at one point or another to talk him out of his madness. He chose the path he took.”

  “Maybe you’re write,” he sniffs. “I love you so much Joyce. I can’t stand the thought of anything happening to you. I wouldn’t want to live without you. From the very moment I saw you, I didn’t know then what it was, but I knew I had to have you.”

  “I love you too Axel.” My arms tighten around him comfortingly. “And I’ll never walk out on you ever again. From now on, it’s you and me and soon this baby I’m carrying and we’ll make it work. Whatever we face we will make it work because our love is real babe.”

  “I wish he’d found himself someone like you,” he whispers. “Someone who loved him despite his flaws. You make me want to be a better man, Joyce.”

  “You know what,” he continues. “In the end, he apologized. I don’t know if he meant it but he says he never truly wanted to hurt us. In that moment, he reminded me- he reminded me of the way we used to be before all the bitterness.”

  I feel Axel’s tears wetting my shoulder and my heart goes out to him. I hold him as he cries and feel humbled by this side of him. The side which isn’t professing to be macho and like he could deal with the world alone with no help from anyone. In that moment, with him relying on me for comfort, I’d never loved him more.

  39

  epilogue

  40

  CHAPTER

  3 years later

  “Daddy, can I wake her now?”

  “No son, mommy’s tired.”

  “Okay.”

  “How about now?”

  “She’s still tired, Elliott.”

  “Why is mommy always tired? Is it cause of her tummy?”

  “Yes, son. You see, it’s very tiring for your mommy to be carrying your baby sister.”

  “Oh. Why doesn’t she take out the baby? Then she won’t be tired.”

  My shoulders are shaking with laughter as I listen to the exchange between my husband and son. I don’t want them to know I’m awake and listening to everything they are saying but I can’t help the chuckle that escapes my lips.

  “Mommy’s awake!” Elliott cries and I open my eyes and sit up in bed just in time as he hurls himself onto the bed. He climbs up into my lap, his little chubby arms going around my neck. I hug his body, my heart swelling with love. His dark hair so like his father’s tickles my nose.

  Elliot is a replica of his father, dark hair and blue eyes. He’ll be a heart stopper one day and will grow up a very confident child with all the attention he’s getting as the baby of the family. It’s not just Axel either but his parents and my grandmother who had married Norman, dote on him.

  We’re on a private cruise of the Caribbean for our third wedding anniversary and although our families volunteered to keep him for the three weeks, we’d both decided for him to come along with us. This may be our last trip with him as an only child and we wanted to share the experience with him before he assumes the role of older brother.

  “Mommy you’ve been sleeping forever!” Elliot exclaims in his usual dramatic fashion as he flops down onto the bed onto his back.

  “I’m sorry baby, mommy’s really tired.”

  Axel comes to sit on the bed in our cabin and I move over to make room for him. I had been sun bathing on the upper deck wearing a two-piece bikini before leaving Elliot with his dad to take a nap. Now Axel leans down to plant a big kiss on my belly which is the size of a beach ball though I’m only six months pregnant. Elliot’s birth hadn’t been hard but something tells me this delivery is going to be a bit more interesting.

  “And how are my two beautiful ladies doing?” he asks me.

  “The same as my two very handsome men,” I reply.

  “She means me daddy,” Elliott pipes up, puffing out his chest. “I’m a man.”

  Axel and I stare at each other before we burst out laughing. Looking on my life right now, some persons would probably believe that everything is per
fect. It’s not. Axel and I have our share of arguments. It had been bad after Elliott’s birth with him starting up a new chain of hotels which made him so busy and away from home. I’d been overwhelmed taking care of an infant by myself but I hadn’t run that time. I’d stood by him and argued with him until one day I’d thrust the baby in his arms and tell him he’s on his own.

  To this very day, he thanks me for placing the baby in his arm. He’d learned to form a bond with our son. The love that governs our relationship now teaches us both tolerance and gives us a fighting spirit. Because no matter what happens to us, we belong together and nothing and no one would be able to change that.

  About The Author

  Hi there! I’m Helen Vera and I write contemporary steamy romance, featuring alpha billionaires and the women they love.

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