Axel: A Bad Boy Romance

by Day, Laura

  Hayden was the real man in charge. He was the one who had to make the tough decisions so they could both survive. No one likes being the bad guy, but sometimes it’s necessary. Sometimes the ends justify the means. Hayden understood that and Axel would, too, in time. He looked at the file on the passenger side seat. The phone number for St. Clare Security was right on top. One phone call and she would be gone for good. One phone call and Hayden would have his champion back.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  “What’s his name?” Austin St. Clare demanded. He looked at his cellphone and scanned the email for a third time.

  “Didn’t give one,” his second in command, Charlie Wills, said. “We can’t trace the IP address either. He must have accessed the dark net via tor and signed up for a new email that way. I’ve had our best tech guys on it since this morning, but they’re still coming up with nothing concrete on where or who this guy is.”

  “Fucking computers,” Austin said shaking his head. “Business was easier without them.” Austin ran his hands through his short dark hair. He handed the phone back to Charlie and began to pace up and down the room. He always paced when he was thinking. There was something about the step and repeat that was almost hypnotizing to him; it cleared his mind and helped him focus. His hands behind his back, he walked up and down his office while Charlie followed him with his eyes.

  “It’s come to my attention that you are looking for Marie DeSantos and her daughter. I know where they are and I would be more than willing to share that information with you. I think twenty-thousand is a fair price for what I know. I’ve attached a photo to prove I’ve seen her.”

  The email ended suddenly. There was no sign off, no contact information. Nothing.

  “It could be a trap,” Charlie said. “She might have gone to the police and now they’re trying to prove you’re dangerous. Paying information to know where she is, that doesn't look good.”

  “Comes too close to entrapment, the cops would never do it,” Austin said shaking his head. No, Marie wasn’t that smart. She would be too scared to reach out to the police, scared they would take Cate away. Marie was hiding somewhere. She was probably holed up in some motel watching trashy TV and being lazy while Austin searched the world for her. She was enjoying it, no doubt. She always loved to push his buttons.

  He thought she would have come home by now. She liked to argue with him and she had threatened to leave before, but Austin knew she could never survive in the world on her own. She was too weak and delicate. She let people walk all over her. She was too easy to please. The real world was going to chew her up and spit her out. Austin had been ready for her to come crawling home, begging him to take her back but she still hadn’t.

  He had started looking for her right away, of course. That bitch was not leaving and taking his kid with just a note for an explanation. Didn’t she have any idea all of the work that Austin did for her? Did she really think she could treat him like this? And what was she doing for money? Did she think money just fell out of the sky? She certainly spent it like she did. Austin worked hard all day and what did Marie do other than play with Cate? She had claimed once that taking care of one kid was just as hard as running a company. Austin had laughed right in her face when she said that

  Then she ran off crying, of course. She was always crying. In a small way it had been nice having her gone at first. But the house quickly grew messy, he missed having a home cooked meal every night, and after a week he had no clean clothes. Now he had to take his laundry to a service and hire a cleaning lady. Clearly things had gone too far. It was time for Marie to come home and get back to work. This was enough playing around.

  “You return the email?” Austin asked. He had no idea how this person had got in touch with him, but the picture was legit. It was Marie and Cate; she was wearing workout gear and they were walking down the street hand in hand. It could be an elaborate fake, or an old picture, but there was only one way to find out.

  “Not yet. I was waiting to hear what you had to say.”

  “Tell him I’m interested, but he’s kidding himself if he thinks I’m paying twenty-thousand dollars for Marie. She’s not worth all that. Get a phone number.”

  Austin handed the phone back to Charlie. They were in his office, mid-level in a tall Phoenix skyscraper. A bright window to his left gave an impressive view of the skyline. There was a set of dumbbells by his desk and he grabbed twenty-five pounds and began to press.

  Within ten minutes his phone was ringing. Austin took his time putting his dumbbell down, walking over to his desk and sitting before answering the phone with a slow, drawn-out, bored sounding, “yes?”

  “Hello, I’m the gentleman who sent you the email earlier today. It’s good to hear from you.”

  “Where are you?” Austin demanded. Something about the man’s oily voice turned him off. Austin imagined him to be a small man with a weasel-shaped face. From the voice alone Austin did not like the man on the other end of the line.

  “I’m about two blocks away from the mother of your child. I could go and see her right now if I wanted to,” the other voice said.

  “What’s your name? Your real name.”

  “Not a chance, I’m not telling you anything until I see some money. You can call me H.”

  Austin snorted and debated hanging up the phone. He hated code names and jerks who liked to play spy. They had no idea how the real world of security and espionage worked. Austin smoothed his tie and ran his hand along the clean-cut line of his jaw before continuing. “Tell me where you are and I’ll bring you the money,” Austin said, restraining the anger in his voice.

  “Meet me in Philadelphia with the money and I will give you proof of where your girl is.”

  “How did you hear about me?” Austin asked. “Has Marie been running around and telling lies?”

  “No,” H said. “She hasn’t mentioned you once. But she’s interfering in some business of mine. Her act seemed shady, so I did some digging and I learned that you’ve been digging, as well. You haven't gone to the police yet. That’s rather strange. This woman has kidnapped your daughter. Why don’t you just have the kid listed as kidnapped?”

  “I know how to discipline my woman,” Austin said. “I don’t need the cops’ help on that and now I don’t need their help finding her either.”

  “For twenty-thousand dollars she’s all yours.”

  “I’ll give you five.”

  “This isn’t a negotiation.”

  “You just said she’s interfering with your business, so it’s in your best interest to get rid of her as quickly as possible. So why don’t we do five and we’ll both be happy.”

  “Fine, ten, but not a penny less. Bearer bonds.”

  “I’ll give you five in Philly and the other five once I have Marie.”

  “No chance,” H replied. “You’re going to get your girl and get right back on the plane and I’m going to get screwed. No way. I don’t know you or if I can trust you. I’ll give you more proof and her address and then you give me the ten thousand.”

  Austin let out a long sigh. He leaned back in his chair and did some mental calculation. Ten thousand dollars was a lot of money. But he knew he would have to pay. Marie was out there somewhere having a hell of time. She was making Austin look like a fool. He was sitting at home waiting for her like a chump. He couldn’t do it anymore. He needed to get her back. She was coming home whether she liked it or not. “Fine, where do we meet?”

  “There’s a bar on Samson Street called Nodding Head. You say the time and place and I’ll be waiting at the bar.

  “Tomorrow at noon,” Austin said.

  “See you then.”

  The call ended and Austin looked up at Charlie, “Prep the alpha team. We’re getting on a plane to Philly. I’ll have the girls get hotel rooms and plane tickets.”

  “Last minute plane trips and ten thousand dollars. This is getting a little expensive, don’t you think, Austin? If she wants to go, let her g
o. You can find a dozen girls better than Marie.”

  “Is this called Wills Security, or St. Clare Security?” Austin demanded turning on Charlie with a snarl. “Don’t question me again.”

  With a nod Charlie walked out of the room and with a yell Austin grabbed his coffee mug and crashed it against the opposite wall of the office. He was going to make Marie pay. He was spending a lot of money on her and she would regret every last penny. But once he was done with her she would never run again. He would beat the urge out of her. This was an expensive lesson, but it was one she would be forced to learn well.

  Chapter Thirty

  Elmsworth College, it sounded stately and elegant and a little beyond Marie’s means. But she shook that thought away. No more putting herself down. It was just a name for Pete’s sake. She couldn’t let herself get dissuaded just from a name. So she checked it out online and it looked perfect. It was a local college where she could get a good hotel management degree. Marie liked running the Hawks’ mansion, but the history stuff wasn’t her favorite part. She liked when tours came in and she could show other people around; she liked the party and hosting. She could see herself running a small inn one day, if she were lucky.

  So with Cate in tow, Marie went to check out the college in person. Axel was there, too, of course. He had called and asked what she had been planning for the day and then invited himself along. She was glad he was there. Marie was turning over quite a few new leaves, but she still felt shy and nervous most of the time. Having Axel there would help give her more confidence and make her feel safe.

  The school was about forty minutes away from Harksburg and Marie felt a twinge of sadness once they passed the town limits. This would be the first time she would leave Harksburg since declaring it home. She felt safe and enjoyed the little town and she was sad to see it recede in her rearview mirror.

  But any sadness or hesitation was washed away once they actually arrived at Elmsworth College. It was situated on a low hill with a lovely view of the mountainous country around it. It had been a woman’s college once and it still held that antique charm. The exterior of the buildings were brick and the walks were lined with stately and large oaks. The paths were made of cobblestone and lined with peonies and daffodils.

  “It’s so pretty!” Cate exclaimed as she leaned over to smell a flower.

  “It looks like something out of a chick flick,” Axel said as he glanced at a bulletin board covered in flyers advertising empty rooms and guitar lessons.

  “Is there something so wrong with that?” Marie asked. “You can’t expect the entire world to look like a boxing gym.”

  “Now that is a world I want to live in. Nothing but gyms as far as the eye can see,” Axel said as he pulled Marie close and planted a kiss on her lips.

  She gave him a crooked smiled and pushed him away. She could tell he was just teasing because he was pleased. This was a good idea. This could be a good thing.

  They walked inside one of the buildings, which Marie was surprised and pleased to see was very modern. All of the classrooms were “smart” classrooms with computers and projectors. She flipped through one of the course books and saw listings for entrepreneurship, accounting, sales, taxes, record keeping, and vendor selection. It all looked intense, but they were things she wanted to learn more about.

  “Cate starts school next fall,” Marie said to Axel. “Then I won’t have to worry about daycare and I’ll have some free time during the day.”

  “Sounds perfect,” Axel said. “You should apply now.” He reached for a pamphlet that listed the materials she would need.

  But that was the problem: she would be starting a real life here and a real life was one Austin could track. Could he find her this way? Marie looked over to Cate who was gleefully running around a fountain, getting the occasional splash of water on her. She was trapped. She needed to get a good job so she could always provide for Cate. But, even more than that, she deserved a real life – a life where she wasn’t looking over her shoulder or hiding. But what if that new life put her and Cate in danger? She didn’t want anything to happen to her daughter, but she also knew she couldn’t spend her life doing nothing.

  “I can see you changing your mind,” Axel chided gently.

  “I know. But I have to think of Cate.”

  “Cate wants you to do this. You know she wouldn’t want you to put your life on hold for her.”

  “It’s about her safety. He could find me through this.”

  “He might, but he might not and I will be here for you, no matter what. If Austin comes here, I will deal with him for you.”

  Marie put the pamphlet back and turned away angrily. They had been having the same discussion for weeks now. Axel didn't understand. It was all too easy for him to be tough and brave, but it was different for Marie. She didn’t have to worry about just herself, but Cate, as well. She couldn’t put her daughter in danger.

  She was halfway out the door when Axel grabbed her wrist and stopped her. His touch was loose and she could have escaped at any moment, but instead she sighed and looked at him. He pulled her into a hug and she leaned against his strong chest and breathed in the scent of him. He was so solid and real; she still couldn't quite get enough of him.

  “I’m not going to tell you what to do. It is your decision; I just want you to know that you aren’t alone in this.”

  Marie nodded into his chest and watched Cate play. “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” she admitted. “I never know what the right thing to do is.”

  “You seem to be doing an okay job so far. You landed me, didn’t you?”

  Marie giggled and pushed him away. “That’s quite the ego you got there, Connelly,” she said.

  “Hey, I earned this ego.”

  She shook her head and watched as he ran out in front of her and then swooped Cate up into his arms and lifted her about his head. She squealed in delight and spread her arms as they played airplane and he carried around the fountain one last time.

  “You should go to this school, Mommy,” Cate said breathlessly as Axel set her down on the pavements. “I like it here.”

  “Thank you, sweetie, I’m going to think about it,” Marie said. They began a long slow walk back to the car. She could do this. She knew that now. She could go to this school and get great grades and then go out and have a career. No more asking anyone for money. No more being dependent on the whims of some man.

  So why did she feel this uncomfortable drop in her stomach? It felt like she was standing at the edge of a cliff and peering down. This could be so dangerous. And was it just her imagination, or were people staring at her? It seemed every person she passed had a cellphone out and pointed her way. The kid with the skateboard lounging on a bench, an old woman standing for the bus. They went from passive to dangerous with the smallest of gestures.

  She still couldn’t quite believe he hadn’t found her yet. So, maybe that meant she was safe. Maybe the cliff she was standing on wasn’t that high. Maybe there was no danger. What if she put her life on hold forever only to discover Austin had forgotten about her almost immediately?

  The not knowing was getting to her. She had no answers for where Austin was or what he was thinking. She had no idea what he was planning, only guesses. In her mind these ideas spun out to dangerous ends where everyone she met was a plant from Austin and they were all watching her and reporting her movements back. It was a dangerous road to tread down – go too far and she would be too scared to even leave the house.

  She wouldn’t know what the line was until she crossed it. That was the problem. Any one thing could lead Austin to her. So she was stuck doing nothing. But she didn’t like doing nothing. She had a job and a new boyfriend and she wanted more. She wanted a degree and a career and everything life had to offer. It would happen eventually; she couldn’t hide from Austin forever. She would have to take one step and then another and hope for best each time. It was nerve wracking, but it was the only way forward.

&nb
sp; Chapter Thirty-One

  He knocked Rafael out in two rounds. The other man sat up from the mat with his eyes crossed and Axel helped him up. He was feeling great. He was at his physical and mental peak. He wished the fight was that day. He was ready for it. He was ready to meet Castellano in the ring and take him out. It would be his greatest fight to date.

  Axel had spent all day in training and he could have gone another couple of hours. Not that he wasn’t tired and sore, he was, but it was the good kind of tired and sore. His body had gone through a punishing hell and come out stronger on the other side. He was ready for more. He was ready to push himself even further and get even stronger.