Chapter 13
Chapter 13
AXEL’S POV:
52%
45
I was fuming. My pulse thundered as I stood in the center of the room, glaring at the team that had failed me. “How can you all lose one tiny woman?” I roared, my voice reverberating through the stone walls. Avery was gone. She’d slipped through the cracks of my fortress–my fortress, built to be impenetrable. Now it felt like a mockery, a hollow shell of what it was supposed to be.
Ryan stood beside me, maddeningly calm, his hands buried in his pockets. His silence only stoked the fire burning in my chest. They said they’d been combing through every inch of the surrounding area all night, and not one man could give me an answer that made sense. How had she slipped past them? Past me?
Brady, head of my security patrol, finally worked up the courage and stepped forward. His massive frame shrank under my gaze, his hands shaking as he began, “It… it appears there was a tiny exit in the dilapidated-” his anxiety got the better of him, and his words poured out in a jumbled, incoherent rush.
I didn’t let him finish. Fury surged through me, and without a second thought, I snatched the gun from the holster of the nearest guard. I didn’t think, didn’t hesitate–my finger squeezed the trigger.
The room was shattered by the sudden, deafening boom of the gunshot. Brady collapsed face–first onto the cold floor, his body a lifeless heap. Blood pooled beneath him, soaking into the worn concrete, my beautiful rug underneath him absorbing some of it. I barely registered the sight. All I felt was the searing pain in my chest, a heavy, crushing weight that made my head swim. My vision blurred for a moment, dizziness sweeping through me as if the act of pulling the trigger had carved into me instead of him.
“Idiots like this have no place here,” I spat, my voice hoarse with anger. My men flinched as I turned my gaze back to them. “This is the same nonsense I’d hear if this were an attack against me. A loophole in my own house? I can’t even-” My voice broke, not from weakness but from sheer disbelief.
This wasn’t about me. It was about her–my daughter. The one person I’d kill the entire world to protect. The fact that someone could exploit a flaw in my fortress meant she wasn’t safe. Nothing else mattered.
I turned to Ryan, my fists clenching so tightly that the veins in my hands bulged. “Ryan, how could you have missed this?”
His expression remained blank, though I saw the subtle tension in his jaw. “I’m sorry, Axel,” he said evenly. “I’ll make sure this never happens again.”
9
I let out a bitter laugh. “You’re sorry?” My fist flew without warning, connecting with his jaw in a clean, brutal strike. The crack of bone and flesh meeting filled the air, and Ryan staggered, but he didn’t fall. His calm demeanor only infuriated me further.
Be it my best friend, my father, or anyone else excuses were never tolerated here. Not in my world. My men were trained to be perfect. Trained to anticipate every threat. To eliminate every weakness.
“Look at me,” I growled, grabbing his shoulder, my palm pressing into the muscles I’d just used to hit him. Ryan’s eyes locked with mine, steady despite the swelling at his jaw.
“You’ve been by my side for years,” I said, trying my best to keep my tone low and even. “Don’t make me question why.”
“I won’t,” he replied. “This won’t happen again.”
“Good.”
Ryan shook his head in understanding taking a step back, I walked around my desk, my legs stiff with anger coursing through me. Taking a seat, I leaned back momentarily before pulling out the bottom drawer. My hand wrapped around the cool, smooth surface of the small oval container tucked inside.
The pills rattled faintly as I opened it, shaking two into my hand. I pooped them into my mouth before reaching for the glass of water on my desk. The cool liquid slid down my throat, but the relief sought remained out of reach. My heart was still aflame, a relentless ache tearing through my chest like claws raking over flesh.
The pain was unbearable, but I didn’t let it show. I didn’t dare touch the spot that felt like it was about to burst open. Instead, I let it burn, steeling myself against the torment as I leaned back in my chair. Rest was necessary before I could continue, but I wouldn’t show weakness. Not here. Not now.
1/2
Chapter 13
+5
“Clean up that mess,” I ordered Ryan, pointing toward Brady’s lifeless body sprawled on the floor. The blood seeping into the rug had already started to dry, staining it. “Get the maids to wash that rug and return it. It’s one of my favorites.” My tone was calm and detached, as though discussing a misplaced trinket rather than a corpse.
Ryan gave a curt nod.
“How are you tracking her down?” I questioned. “You know we can’t let her off the hook.”
Ryan hesitated, his expression unreadable as he said slowly, “Why? She’s already tried escaping twice. Maybe it’s best to let her go.”
The audacity of his words made me still, my blood simmering beneath the surface.
“She saw me kill someone, Ryan,” I growled. “That’s why she needs to be brought back here.”
Ryan didn’t flinch. If anything, he seemed to steel himself further. “Is that the only reason?” he asked, trying his best to carefully choose his words. “You could just have someone take her out–end this–and save yourself the trouble.”
A low, guttural growl escaped me, my teeth grinding as my jaw clenched so tightly it ached. “I decide what’s best, Ryan. Not you. Don’t let us have this conversation again. Bring her back here.”
Ryan’s lips parted like he was about to press the issue further, the vein in his neck pulsing visibly. He kept his focus on me. It was challenging in a way that only he dared. But before he could utter another word, a distinctive knock caught our attention.
A single tap, followed by three sharp raps in quick succession. The sound was unmistakable, the rhythm, a deliberate signature peculiar to one important person.
My shoulders stiffened, and Ryan’s posture shifted subtly. He didn’t need to speak; we both knew exactly who it was.
“Come in,” I said, my voice clipped as my focus shifted to the door. Whatever Ryan wanted to say could wait. Whoever stood behind that door took precedence.
