that for you, okay? I want you to rest and not stress. You’ve been through a lot.”
Sometimes I wanted to scrunch Axel up, hide him in my pocket, and use him as my lucky charm for the rest of my life.
“What kind of car is this?” I asked.
“A Bugatti.”
I didn’t know much about cars, but I did know that only a handful of people could afford something this sleek and comfortable.
“So, apart from holding the hero title and dabbling in real estate, what do you do?”
“I don’t dabble, baby. I deal in real estate.”
“You sell houses?”
“For the most part, yes.”
“You must be doing well, then.”
“I am.” The grip on his steering wheel tightened.
“You don’t like what you do?”
“I do. It’s better than what I used to do.”
“And that was?”
“Kill.”
Chapter 6
H e was joking , wasn’t he?
“Does that scare you?” He looked away from the road to gauge my reaction.
“Do you want to scare me?”
“I don’t, but I don’t want to lie to you. I need you to know who you’re dealing with.”
Why didn’t it scare me? What was wrong with me? Was it because it was Axel?
“Especially since you didn’t know you were dating an asshole. You’re not a good judge of character, Trish.”
The problem was that I actually was. I knew exactly who Brad was when I first met him and definitely didn’t stay with him due to his charming personality.
“You were serious about the killing, weren’t you?”
He looked at me for a moment before his concentration resumed on the road.
“Before my younger brother, Cash, cleaned up my father’s businesses, we dealt with what you would call mafia, among other thugs.”
I twisted my fingers together, clasping them, waiting for him to continue.
“If I didn’t pull the trigger, I’d be dead.”
“So it was in self-defense.”
“Yes, but…”
“Jesus, Axel, for a moment there I thought you were an assassin.”
“Wasn’t being a gangster bad enough?”
“I don’t know. I guess. But I know that you’re a good man because I’ve seen you with Trevor. And you came to help me when I called.” I then lowered my voice. “And I’m not a bad judge of character. I knew what kind of a man Brad was when I met him. We all have ghosts from the past that haunt us.”
He looked over again, his brows scrunching at me. “What are your ghosts?” he asked.
I looked away and out the window. He sighed heavily but didn’t ask again. So much had happened in the past few years. The pain in my chest remained — the memory of my mistakes would be resting within me forever. My thoughts ran away to the family I’d abandoned, and I wondered about the family Axel came from.
“Wait… your father’s name is Frank Wagner?”
“Yes. You’ve heard of him?”
“Wagner Law Firm. I think my father did business with him before.”
“Where does your family live?” he asked.
Shit! I walked into that one. I seemed to lower my guard around Axel. Life was drawing me back into a long-forgotten routine. Up until now, I obeyed my rules: don’t ask questions and don’t answer them. I never spoke about myself or my family. I pretended they didn’t exist because I deserved pain. I wasn’t worthy of being happy. I’d been locked up in my apartment for years, closed off from the world, only going to work when I had to. I barely needed groceries because they let me eat at the diner where I worked. Brad was just another stepping stone to my punishment.
I couldn’t answer him. Not yet.
“Whatever it is, Trish, that’s haunting you, I bet you it can’t be worse than losing someone you love. Wait, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to be disrespectful. You lost someone as well…”
He must have been talking about Trevor’s mom. And yes, he was wrong. Not only did I lose someone as well, but my ghosts were way worse.
“It’s all right. I don’t expect you to remember everything we talk about.”
“What? I want to remember. I need to.
Sometimes I wanted to scrunch Axel up, hide him in my pocket, and use him as my lucky charm for the rest of my life.
“What kind of car is this?” I asked.
“A Bugatti.”
I didn’t know much about cars, but I did know that only a handful of people could afford something this sleek and comfortable.
“So, apart from holding the hero title and dabbling in real estate, what do you do?”
“I don’t dabble, baby. I deal in real estate.”
“You sell houses?”
“For the most part, yes.”
“You must be doing well, then.”
“I am.” The grip on his steering wheel tightened.
“You don’t like what you do?”
“I do. It’s better than what I used to do.”
“And that was?”
“Kill.”
Chapter 6
H e was joking , wasn’t he?
“Does that scare you?” He looked away from the road to gauge my reaction.
“Do you want to scare me?”
“I don’t, but I don’t want to lie to you. I need you to know who you’re dealing with.”
Why didn’t it scare me? What was wrong with me? Was it because it was Axel?
“Especially since you didn’t know you were dating an asshole. You’re not a good judge of character, Trish.”
The problem was that I actually was. I knew exactly who Brad was when I first met him and definitely didn’t stay with him due to his charming personality.
“You were serious about the killing, weren’t you?”
He looked at me for a moment before his concentration resumed on the road.
“Before my younger brother, Cash, cleaned up my father’s businesses, we dealt with what you would call mafia, among other thugs.”
I twisted my fingers together, clasping them, waiting for him to continue.
“If I didn’t pull the trigger, I’d be dead.”
“So it was in self-defense.”
“Yes, but…”
“Jesus, Axel, for a moment there I thought you were an assassin.”
“Wasn’t being a gangster bad enough?”
“I don’t know. I guess. But I know that you’re a good man because I’ve seen you with Trevor. And you came to help me when I called.” I then lowered my voice. “And I’m not a bad judge of character. I knew what kind of a man Brad was when I met him. We all have ghosts from the past that haunt us.”
He looked over again, his brows scrunching at me. “What are your ghosts?” he asked.
I looked away and out the window. He sighed heavily but didn’t ask again. So much had happened in the past few years. The pain in my chest remained — the memory of my mistakes would be resting within me forever. My thoughts ran away to the family I’d abandoned, and I wondered about the family Axel came from.
“Wait… your father’s name is Frank Wagner?”
“Yes. You’ve heard of him?”
“Wagner Law Firm. I think my father did business with him before.”
“Where does your family live?” he asked.
Shit! I walked into that one. I seemed to lower my guard around Axel. Life was drawing me back into a long-forgotten routine. Up until now, I obeyed my rules: don’t ask questions and don’t answer them. I never spoke about myself or my family. I pretended they didn’t exist because I deserved pain. I wasn’t worthy of being happy. I’d been locked up in my apartment for years, closed off from the world, only going to work when I had to. I barely needed groceries because they let me eat at the diner where I worked. Brad was just another stepping stone to my punishment.
I couldn’t answer him. Not yet.
“Whatever it is, Trish, that’s haunting you, I bet you it can’t be worse than losing someone you love. Wait, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to be disrespectful. You lost someone as well…”
He must have been talking about Trevor’s mom. And yes, he was wrong. Not only did I lose someone as well, but my ghosts were way worse.
“It’s all right. I don’t expect you to remember everything we talk about.”
“What? I want to remember. I need to.
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