“Not so smart now, are you? I told you I’d catch you...”
“Fuck off,” I growl.
He chuckles softly. “When did you get a backbone?”
“Probably the same time your heart froze.”
He narrows his eyes, and studies me. “What would you know about my heart?”
I shake my head sadly. “You were the one who jumped off a bridge to save my life, were you not?”
He narrows his eyes, and we stare at each other for a long, silent moment. I feel my skin prickle, and my entire body becomes aware of the large, beautiful man in front of me. After that moment is over, Axel turns his eyes away, and I watch them grow into those empty stones once again.
“I know what you’re trying to do, and it ain’t gonna work.”
I sigh, and shake my head. “And what is it you think I’m doing?”
“Tryin’ to fuck with me.”
I snort angrily. “Don’t flatter yourself, Axel. I already know a heart like yours can’t be warmed.”
His face changes at my statement, and he almost looks offended by my words, however he quickly wipes the look and replaces it with that empty, blank look he carries around each day. I shake my head, proving to myself that Axel isn’t going to break. He’s managed to gather some kind of darkness in his soul, and he’s not willing to let it go.
He rocks back on his heels after a moment, and gives me another empty smirk. “You got some sort of hero in your life that’s goin’ to come and foolishly try to rescue you?”
I lift my eyes, and meet his. I know my expression is hard. “Heroes are for the weak, Axel. If I escape, it will be all on me.”
His eyes sparkle with challenge. “Well, you’ll need all the luck you can muster up if you think you’re getting out of here.”
“I don’t need luck,” I say, sitting up and crossing my legs.
“So confident, aren’t you?” he murmurs, still kneeling in front of me, rubbing his big hands together.
“What happened to you when you went missing for all those months?” I blurt suddenly, and then cringe at how forward I’m being.
I’ve never seen someone’s body stiffen so quickly in my entire life. It’s almost as if he jerks, he stiffens that intensely. His eyes seem to glaze over, going off into a different place. His breathing deepens, and his hands form fists. I narrow my eyes, watching him closer, taking in every movement on his face as he goes through the motions. When his eyes finally lift to meet mine, they’re wild with rage.
“What happens in my life,” he snarls, baring his teeth, “is none of your motherfuckin’ business.”
“You made it my business when you killed the only person I had left in my life. You made this my business when you decided to make me run across the country!” I protest angrily.
His eyes widen for a split second, showing his shock. But in true Axel form, he covers it quickly.
“You’re walking a fine line, Cricket,” he says, baring his teeth.
“Before all of this, before you killed my father and I was sent running, there was something between you and I. A connection. An understanding. Hell, a friendship. Now, though, you’re empty. Something eats at you, and the person I knew has been replaced with this...shell.”
“I’ve changed, and you’re pushing me over a very, very weak line right now,” he rumbles, and I catch a glimpse of his trembling hands.
“People don’t change, Axel, they simply take paths that lead them down roads which are sometimes damaging. It doesn’t change who they are, it merely adds to it. You’re there, somewhere, past all that darkness and brooding.”
“The man you knew is gone,” he says, so firmly, so icily, that I shudder.
“I don’t believe that.”
He gets to his feet, staring down at me. “Believing something is just a way of trying to convince yourself that something you so desperately want is real. You can’t make something real just by believing in it, Cricket. This,” he says, pointing to his chest, “is damaged, and there ain’t no glue in the world that can put it back the way it was.”
Then he turns, and he leaves the room, leaving me to stare at the empty door with burning eyes and an aching heart.
AXEL
I slam my fist over and over into the punching bag in the garage. They burn and ache, but I can’t stop the rage. I drive my fists into the hard leather until they’re busted and bleeding, then I slump down onto the ground, gripping my head and smothering the angry roar that’s creeping up my throat.
I need to regain my control. I need to put her back in her place.
She’s trying to fuck with my head, and no one, no one fucks with my head. I drive my fist into the bag again, and my knuckles split, sending bright-red blood down over my wrist. I snarl and hit it once more, sending a delicious burn up my arm. I won’t back down now. I’ll give her a reason to hate me, and I have the perfect way to do that.
My feet move, and I find myself heading out into the main room.
When I see Cobra, I do the only thing I can. The only thing to put a distance between us. The only thing that will stop her looking at me like she can fix me.
“Cobra,” I rasp. “It’s time to scare her into giving me the location of that USB. Prepare her. We’re going to the local bridge.”
CHAPTER 7
MEADOW
Capture my heart, lock me in the dark.
I open my eyes when I hear the sounds of boots squeaking across the polished wooden floor. I see one of Axel’s men, Cobra, I believe, edging towards me. His eyes give me nothing. He’s staring at me as if I’m no more than a pathetic toy his boss is playing with. It’s a shame too; he’s an extremely sexy man. He’s got this longish blonde hair that falls over his forehead, and his eyes are a piercing blue. He’s got lip rings, and an eyebrow ring. All this combined gives him a dangerous look.
I see a set of handcuffs in his hands, and my entire body stiffens. What is he doing with those?
He leans down, unchaining me. He’s an idiot. There’s no other way to put it. The moment my feet are unchained, I lunge forward, punching him in the groin. With a bellow, he stumbles backward and roars in pain. I don’t wait around. I leap to my feet, and I run out the door. I get to a long hall, and I skid quickly to the left. Hearing the sounds of voices, I tuck myself into a room, breathing hard and fast.
“Yeah, I’m hearing you,” a female voice says. “He’s in a mood all right.”
“Fuck him,” another female says as they fade into the distance.
I peer around the door, and I hear Cobra bellow out Axel’s name, and something about escaping. Shit. I run back out into the hall, skid around a corner, and come crashing into Axel. His hands instantly curl around my upper arms, so tightly I’m sure I’ll bruise. He turns and slams me against a nearby wall. His eyes are wild with rage, and he’s panting. I guess he heard Cobra’s yelling.
“You just don’t fucking give up, do you?” he roars.
“No,” I snarl, bringing my knee up and hitting him in the groin. He bellows in pain and stumbles backwards. I duck around him to keep running but he lunges at me, using the power of his body to drop me and crush me against the floor.
I don’t stop fighting. I grip the carpet with my fingers, digging my nails in, and I pull myself forward, all the while kicking and twisting furiously. Axel’s body is heavy, and solid, and there’s no escaping it. He reaches up, gripping my wrists and bringing them back forcefully behind my back. I wail in pain, and snarl curses at him as I continue to twist.