Chapter 26
Chapter 26
AXEL’S POV:
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The day started innocently enough, with my little girl and I engrossed in one of her endless imaginary tea parties. She giggled as she poured invisible tea into a porcelain cup, her laughter infectious. Then Logan called, and my mood shifted instantly.
Sea’s laughter still echoed in my mind as I picked up Logan’s call, unaware of how quickly the day would shift from innocence to chaos.
“Turn on the news,” he said, his tone clipped but carrying a hint of satisfaction.
I did as he instructed, not out of curiosity, but because I demanded loyalty and obedience from those who served me, and Logan never disappointed. His handiwork lit up the screen of my phone, a blaze of chaos wrapped in polished headlines. Avery’s face stared back at me, plastered across every channel, with fabricated accusations that would ensure no corner of the earth was safe for her.
A smile tugged at my lips. Logan played his part well. I’d told him to light the match, and he’d set the fire where it would burn brightest. I loved obedience -it was the purest form of submission, and nothing pleased me more.
Then Ryan stormed into the room, interrupting my rare moment of peace. His urgency spoke volumes before he even opened his mouth.
Not wanting Sea to catch on to what was going on, we slipped out of her room into the hallway, careful not to arouse her suspicion.
“We’ve got a lead,” he hastily said, his breath coming in sharp bursts. “Someone called in a tip–they’re claiming Avery is hiding in their house and asking about the reward.”
Normally, I’d have dispatched Ryan to deal with it. He was more than capable, and his efficiency was one of the reasons I could never let him go. But not this time. This
kle, it was personal. Avery had crossed too many lines, and I was done playing the long game.
“Good, I said.
o then.”
The anger simmering beneath the surface finally had an outlet. Avery wasn’t just a loose end; she was a threat. A liability. She was collateral damage waiting to happen, and I couldn’t afford to let her run free any longer.
As much as I hated to admit it, a part of me had been chasing a ghost–clinging to illusions, having senseless dreams about her. But dreams were for the weak, and I wasn’t weak.
This wasn’t about closure or rekindling anything. It wasn’t even about Sea,
ut Sea, my daughter.
eher:
attention, a temporary distraction until Avery was a distant and now I’d be the one to remove it.
She was done with Avery, and I’d ensure she moved on. I’d find someone new to capture memory. She was just a child, naive and impressionable. I’d brought this bitch to
Enough of these foolish dreams. Enough of this suffocating bond. No one has given me a headache like this in a long time, and certainly not some castoff of Chase Grayson. A used property, one I believed would neatly fit into
to my larger scheme.
Avery was a game I’d let drag on for too long, and it was time t
to end. For good,
She’d haunted me like a shadow, slipping through the cracks of
my plans. But as
can’t survive without light, and today, I’d snuff it out for good.
Without hesitation, we headed to the location, and sure enough, we found her, I had come prepared with a sturdy enclosure, which now served as her
temporary quarters.
Upon arrival, taking in the scene and coming face–to–face with the informant, I sensed an easy resolution was within reach.
The scene before me was almost laughable, if not for the irritation crawling up my spine. Avery, my defiant thorn, sat slumped in the cage–my cage- designed just for her. She looked like a cornered animal, though even in her disheveled state, she managed to hold a fragment of dignity. That wouldn’t
last,
Ryan and two of my men hoisted the cage out of the dingy house, struggling to maneuver it through the narrow doorway. Just as I turned to follow, the
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21:28 Wed, 16 Apr
Chapter 26
strange woman, reeking of alcohol and stale smoke, let out an unhinged comment:
“Inez, you’re meant to save the lost soul.”
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I stopped cold, her words hanging in the air like a bad omen. My brow furrowed as I looked over her. Who the hell was Inez or what did it mean? And why was she looking at Avery as she said it? Perhaps she was high or disoriented because her words were incoherent and nonsensical, tumbling out in a
random, disconnected stream.
The old woman’s state explained everything–or rather, explained nothing. Her yellowed teeth were jagged and uneven, stained further by years of cigarette smoke. Her fingernails were caked with grime, long and curling in ways that made my stomach turn. Her clothes–a tattered, once–white nightgown—hung loose on her frail frame, spotted with unidentifiable stains. And her hair? A matted mess, untouched by water for weeks–maybe even
months.
“Crazy old bat,” I muttered under my breath, stepping toward the door as Avery was dragged outside.
I turned back to the woman, my patience gone. My face was cold, my hands shoved into my pockets to keep them from doing something I might regret.
“You-” Avery tried to speak, her voice weak but laced with defiance. I ignored her.
الله الله الله الله الله الله
My focus was on the woman who had handed her over. She had done what the police couldn’t, yet she was too foolish to understand the situation she’d just put herself in.
“Look, lady,” I began. “I’m a man of my word. I would’ve given you the reward money if you were worth it.”
The mention of money snapped her out of her daze. Her eyes narrowed, and she took a step toward me, her lips curling into a sneer.
“What do you mean?” she demanded, her tone shrill.
I stepped back instinctively, the smell of her overwhelming. Her filth was an affront to my senses, from her rancid breath to the sweat–stained fabric clinging to her bony shoulders.
“The problem with rats is that they squeal. I don’t leave loose ends squealing,” I growled. “There’s no guarantee you won’t run your filthy mouth about this later.”
الله الله الله
Her face twisted in horror as she finally understood what I was implying.
“Are you saying I’m not getting the money you promised?”
“Exactly as it sounds.”
“No, you can’t do that! You traitorous, arrogant brat!” she shrieked, her voice breaking into a string of curses.
That was the final straw. My anger simmered beneath the surface, threatening to boil over I hated being spoken to in such a way–especially by someone so far beneath me.
wwwww
wwww
www.
It fueled my rage, and I yearned to paint the walls with their worthless blood. I’d cut out their tongues as a gruesome reminder never to speak to the name Axel Blackwood with arrogance again.
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AD
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Chapter 27
Chapter 27
