“No one is going anywhere until this food is eaten.” Sophia pointed the spatula at them. “Not after I slaved all morning over this stove.”
“You aren’t slaving. You’re loving every minute cooking on that stove.” Darin snorted, setting his bag down. “You don’t fool me. Now plate me up some of that awesomeness.”
Axel got the plates for her, and she served them both up a huge portion of omelet, leaving her a few bites. Her appetite diminished tremendously knowing that Darin was leaving. She understood, but she still worried and felt horrible. She’d done this. She’d put two people she cared about in harm’s way. She toyed with her food, and while usually, she took pride in watching people eat what she had cooked, today it fell flat.
The table was silent as everyone finished. So she had something to occupy her racing mind and nerves, she stood and took the plates to the sink. Instead of putting them in the dishwasher, she started washing them herself.
“You okay?” Axel brought his coffee cup over, placing it in the sink.
She nodded as she looked up at him. “I’m good.”
He stared at her for a few seconds. “After you finish, we’ll take Darin to his place.”
“Why don’t you go ahead? I can finish cleaning up and…” She watched the frown slip across his face. “Unless you don’t want me in your home alone.” She knew with her putting it that way, it would be harder for him to make her go without it looking like he didn’t trust her. She wondered if that would work. By the look on his face, she knew it wasn’t going to.
“My problem is not with you being in my home without me here.” His eyebrow cocked, indicating he knew exactly what she was doing. “My problem is leaving you alone, period.”
“I’m a big girl,” she shot back. “And I’ll be fine. You’ll be gone, what, a half an hour if that?”
Axel didn’t reply, and she knew he didn’t like the idea of leaving her alone, but she honestly needed a minute to think.
“You said yourself no one can get inside this place. You designed it,” she added, hoping to play on his ego.
He turned toward Darin after a few more seconds of staring at her. “Get your stuff together.” He then walked out of the kitchen.
“Ah, I got my stuff together,” Darin said, then glanced at Sophia with a shrug. “What’s that all about?”
“I have no idea.” She frowned, her eyes going in the direction that Axel left.
Both Darin and Sophia watched as Axel headed back to the kitchen, checking windows, then seemed to notice he was being stared at. “If anything happens, get to my bedroom, shut and lock the door, then go into the bathroom, shut and lock that door. Call me right away.” He then walked toward her and placed a gun in her hand.
“Okay.” She frowned, realizing how good it felt to be taken care of. It had been a long time and she didn’t know how to take it. It was an odd yet wonderful feeling. “I will. Just make sure you get Darin back before he explodes into one of his diva meltdowns.”
Axel nodded as Darin waved, promising to call her later. She watched them leave, disappointed when Axel just turned away, but then he stopped. Her heart flipped in her chest. Her stomach clenched as he turned around and headed back toward her. Grasping her by the back of the neck with his strong hand, he leaned down and kissed her hard.
“Don’t go outside,” he warned, then stared down at her for a minute before turning and walking out.
Words wouldn’t form, so she just nodded like an idiot to his back. Once they were gone, she touched her lips and smiled. He’d come back and kissed her goodbye. A long deep sigh escaped as she turned, set the gun on the counter, then finished with the dishes.
She hummed a made-up tune as she wiped down the counters, island, and table. She pretended she was getting the house ready for her man to come home. Her motion slowed as she realized what she was doing. But that wasn’t reality. Reality was she had a bastard looking for her because she was hunting him, had already killed some of his men, and now he was after her. That was her reality, not being Suzie Homemaker.
She tossed the dishrag into the sink and stared at nothing. This had to end. She wanted a normal life. Nothing had been normal for a long time and she craved it more than anything. Especially now she had met a man who made her feel things she had never felt in her life.
Raising her eyes from the sink, she glanced around, then started to walk. Her eyes roamed Axel’s home. A home usually told the story of the person who lived there. What she noticed was there were no pictures of family, friends, vacations, yet there was a tiny amount of warmness. He was definitely clean and organized.
Sitting on the couch, she sank back and rested her head on the couch, staring at the ceiling. How much did she really know about Axel Walker? Last night in between the sex, they had talked. Was it wrong that after they had sex she asked his last name? She rolled her eyes at that thought.
He was as open as she was about family and growing up. She had learned about his parents. When his mother died from a long illness, his father gave up on life and committed suicide, leaving him alone. His story, though not detailed, was matter-of-fact. Even though she could tell he had loved them, it was hard for her to understand his situation. Both of her parents were still alive, living the retired life in Florida. She talked to them weekly and had a wonderful relationship with them.
She had told Axel a lot about her life. A lot of the stories were of her and Anna. The bond they shared. One minute they wanted to kill each other and the next she was feeling Anna’s pain because her boyfriend cheated on her. Or Anna was crying harder than her when she got her first ticket. It was always like that with them. They fought over the dumbest stuff and yet, no one in the world knew her like her sister did. Her loss in Sophia’s life would never be filled by anyone or anything. What surprised Sophia the most was Axel’s understanding of this special bond.
Sophia had done most of the talking due to his questioning, and by the time it came around for her to ask him questions, he’d touched her in ways that had all of her questions leave her brain. She grinned at the thought, and her body reacted to the memory.
One thing she knew for sure was they were both lonely. Even though she still had her mom and dad, they lived a totally different life than her, as they should. What puzzled her was how she’d opened up to Axel so easily. It was a little scary. Maybe she should be more on guard until this was all over.
“Ugh, why am I having these confusing thoughts?” she said aloud, aggravation clear in her tone. “I meet a gorgeous man who makes my body sing in ways no man ever has, yet I’m having doubts. Am I just paranoid? Seriously!”
Standing up, she paced around looking at things, then pulled her phone out of her back pocket checking the time. They’d been gone for maybe fifteen minutes, so he should be back soon. Maybe they needed to sit on opposite sides of the table and have a long chat.
A loud boom made her jump, almost losing her phone in the process, but she juggled it before it hit the ground. Footsteps pounded from the basement steps. What in the hell? She headed that way wondering why Axel was… and that’s when she heard voices, and none of them were Axel’s. And that boom was definitely not a slamming door. She just hoped she hadn’t realized that too late.
Without missing a beat, she took off across the kitchen realizing too late she had passed the gun up as she headed up the steps. Heavy footsteps behind her urged her fast, but she was too slow. Someone caught her foot, and she fell, smacking her face on a step.
Not giving up without a fight, she back kicked with her free foot, hitting something hard. Turning, she started to fight but was caught off guard as she stared up at a glaring Detective Halloway.
“What are you doing?” She tried to pull her foot away, but he refused to let go.
“Since your boyfriend can’t finish the job, I guess I will.” He gave her a sinister grin before his fist lashed out and nothing but darkness enveloped her.
Chapter 20
Axel headed
back to the house as quickly as possible without getting pulled over. Leaving her alone didn’t sit well with him, and neither did her comment about him not wanting her to be in his house without him. Yeah, he caught that little dig, and it bothered him.
He cursed when the light turned yellow then red before he could sneak through. Getting pulled over was a bitch when he had a ton of weapons on him and in the car. Even though he had his license to carry, the weaponry he carried told a story the cops would be interested in.
Tapping his thumbs on the steering wheel, he glared at the light as if that in itself would change it. Suddenly, his phone went off. His eyes went to the dashboard where it stood on the magnet holder. It flashed with alerts that his basement door had been breached.
“Son of a bitch.” Axel pushed the pedal to the floor, not even looking to see if the light had changed. He was close, but not close enough, and he fucking knew it. Dammit, he should have stuck with his instincts and made her come. His instincts never failed, ever. But he had let his dick think for him and tried to be all nice and giving. Fuck that. This was her life, and he’d put her in danger. He didn’t want to call her because if she was hiding, he would give her location away, but he wished she would call him. Why wasn’t she calling him? The answer to the question was what frightened him the most.
He swore some more as he swerved then cut across to a side street to keep away from lights and traffic. He also planned on how he was going to kill the bastard or bastards if any harm came to Sophia. He drove with expert ease, but his heart beat frantically, and his mind whizzed with terrible thoughts of what was happening.
Finally, he parked away from the house, jumped his metal gate that was tall with pointed spikes to give intruders a second thought of climbing it. He cleared it easily. He wanted to take them by surprise. There was no car there, so he knew they had come in the same way he just had.
Axel headed toward the breached door and frowned. Rage threatened to consume him. Whatever or whoever went through the door had strength, a lot of it. All his exterior doors were safety doors, and the best money could buy.
Slipping inside, he listened closely but heard nothing. Taking the stairs slowly, he kept his eyes focused above him, his gun ready. With a sinking heart, he knew no one was in the house. The door at the top of the steps was half open. He was able to slide his body through. He stood just on the edge, again listening, but nothing. They were no longer here, and he knew without a doubt, Sophia was gone.
As he made his way through the house, he noticed nothing out of place; the gun lay on the counter as he passed, making him curse. He hit the stairs heading straight for his room. Axel opened the door slowly, his gun the first to enter the room with him following. Empty, as was the bathroom.
“Fuck!” He turned away to rush back downstairs, but something caught his eye. Her swords stood up in the corner. He went over, picked them up, and returned downstairs. As he passed the kitchen, he glanced to see a piece of paper stuck to the refrigerator. After walking over, he snatched it.
You want her, come to 5555 Winston Ave… alone.
Axel stared at the piece of paper in his hand. His eyes narrowed as a grin tipped his lips. Oh, he’d come alone with no problem. They just fucked up—not that he wouldn’t have found her, but this just sped up their death time because everyone at 5555 Winston Ave was in for a rude awakening. No one fucked with Axel Walker, and no one took what was his.
“Alone.” He snorted as he ran back down into the basement and headed toward the back. Keying in a code for the door, he opened it and walked into his weapons storage. Oh, he’d be alone; he worked better alone. These motherfuckers didn’t even know what they were in for. They fucked with the wrong guy and if anyone touched Sophia, hurt her in any way, or one hair was out of place, their death would be slow, painful, and talked about for years to come.
Something kept nudging Sophia in the chest, but she didn’t want to wake up. Her head throbbed, and the darkness was bliss, but the nudging was starting to hurt. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Everything was a blur, yet she thought she was staring at her lap. Why would she be staring at her lap? Voices started to penetrate her mind, and she attempted to lift her head, but her neck protested with pain and stiffness. Sophia’s hair hung in her face, and when she tried to reach up to move it, her arms wouldn’t budge. She tried again and nothing. Panic set in swiftly and she forced her head up, blinking rapidly and trying to bring everything into focus.
“Ah, she’s awake finally,” a familiar voice said from her right. “Good thing you didn’t kill her, Halloway. I wanted her alive.”
“And that’s what you got,” Halloway said, his voice clearer as her brain started to make sense of everything.
Her mouth was dry, her head hurt like a bitch, and she felt sick to her stomach. The asshole probably gave her a concussion. Finally able to focus, her gaze landed on the smug asshole detective staring at her.
“I knew you were a dirty cop,” she sneered, then cleared her throat. “Asshole.”
“God, I’m going to hate killing you.” Savior’s voice came from her right. She looked his way. “Maybe, just maybe we can work out an agreement, and I can keep you alive.”
“Fuck you.” Sophia wished her mouth wasn’t so dry so she could work up a spit to toss his way. “I’d off myself before I worked something out with a lowlife like you.”
Savior’s eyes narrowed, but he looked toward Detective Halloway without saying anything more to her. “He should be here by now.” Savior glanced at his watch. “You left the note?”
“Yes.” Halloway sighed. “I left the note. He’ll be here.”
They were talking about Axel. Dammit, he was walking into a trap. Then again, he should know that, but still, it didn’t stop fear pulsing in her throat. She tried to loosen the rope on her wrist, but it was too tight, and all she was doing was ripping her skin.
She needed to do something, warn Axel somehow, but she didn’t know how. The sound of gunfire rang throughout the large room. Her eyes focused on the door at the far end of what she thought was a warehouse.
Men started taking cover, but she sat in the middle staring at the door, hoping a bullet didn’t find its way to her. It didn’t. The door, or what was left of the door, opened and in walked Axel as if he owned the place. His eyes immediately found her before he looked away as he studied his surroundings.
Suddenly grabbed from behind, the end of a gun jammed into her temple.
“Put the fucking guns down.” Detective Halloway’s voice shouted the order. “Or I swear to God, I will put a bullet in her head.”
She watched as Axel glared at him but started to do as he was told. He slowly bent, put them in front of him, then raised up and stepped back.
Savior walked out of the shadows shaking his head. “I’m very disappointed in you,” he said toward Axel. “I was told you were the best.”
“I am,” Axel replied with no emotion in his voice or features.
“The night you killed my men, I didn’t realize who you were, but then I put two and two together.” Savior tilted his head, studying him. “I’ve never known an assassin to turn down a job. I mean, she is beautiful, but worth six figures? I highly doubt that.”
“I received a higher payout than you, so I turned you down. And not knowing you were the one who hired me, I was protecting my investment as I killed your men.” An evil grin formed on Axel’s mouth. “No offense, but business is business.”
“He’s lying,” Halloway growled.
“Call me a liar one more time, and I’ll kill you where you stand,” Axel warned, his voice sounding foreign to Sophia.
She watched him, his words sinking in. She didn’t know this man standing in front of her. He looked cold, and when his eyes met hers, they were empty, those of a stranger. She shook her head in disbelief, but his stare remained emotionless. Finally, he looked away from her.
“No assassin keeps his target alive.” Savior frowned. “Too many witnesses connectin
g you to her.”
“You wouldn’t believe what I would do for the right price. The person paying wants her alive… for a short time until they are back in the country. And as for witnesses, the main one I was concerned about is no longer a problem. I took care of that, oh, about an hour ago.” This time his grin was aimed at her. “Sorry, sweetheart.”
As his words sank in, she began to shake. “Darin?” She fought to stand up, but with her arms tied behind her back, it was almost impossible. “You fucking bastard!”
“As I said, business is business.” Axel glanced away from her to Savior. “Still don’t believe me? Call Ruby’s. I’m sure they’ve found him by now.”
Tears of rage, loss, and hate ran down her face. “You’re lying.”
“Why is everyone calling me a liar?” Axel sighed, then took a step toward her but stopped. “Sweetheart, the only lie I’ve told you are the words of promise I whispered in your ear when I was fucking you.”
A few of the men in the room chuckled, sending her over the edge. She fought even with the gun to her temple and finally stood up, rushing toward him. Before her body could plow into him, she was caught and slung backward, hitting the floor hard.
“I hate you!” she spat from the ground, still trying to fight her way toward him. “I swear I will kill you for this.”
“It’s true.” A man holding a phone walked out of the shadows. “I just confirmed with Ruby’s that he’s dead.”
“No!” Sophia said from the ground, her eyes shooting toward Axel. “No!”
He just shrugged, then ignored her. Her heart shattered into pieces. Darin. Oh God, please not Darin. This couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t be true. Nothing made sense, but then again, it did. She’d been having doubts. Maybe that was her mind’s way of telling her to wake up and realize the reality that she now found herself in.
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