Axel: A Bad Boy Romance

by Day, Laura

  She was silent and her eyes were looking everywhere but at him. She was starting to strain with the effort. She was at forty sit-ups and struggling to come all the way up. Her face was beet red and already she was sweating. At fifty he told her she could stop.

  He pushed her hard. Not relenting, not letting up. He started with weights almost doubling the amount she had to lift. She was struggling by the end of each rep, but she refused to quit and he kept pushing her.

  Just tell me, he thought as he sparred with her. They were in the ring and he wasn’t going easy on her. He refused to let her land a hit. He easily swiped away her kicks and punches, but refused to attack. He would block her hit and wait for her to try another. He was in control the entire time, so she was forced to spend her energy trying to get through his defenses. She was growing tired, her hits were weakening, and finally she threw up her hands and quit.

  She flopped down on the mat leaning back against the harsh ropes. Her breath was coming in ragged gasps. Axel sat down beside her and rubbed her back as her breath slowed down. She guzzled water and then handed him the bottle. She swiped the sweat off her breast and off her forehead. “What the hell, man?” she finally asked, turning to look at him. “What was that for?”

  “Why were you late today?” he asked, keeping his voice even. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She continued for a moment and Axel looked at her and said, “don’t lie to me.”

  She shook her head and looked to the sky, but she didn't move. He waited, hoping she would open up to him and then, her eyes still on the ceiling, she said, “I thought I saw a man taking my picture.” She shook her head at her own foolishness and then glanced at him before continuing. “I wasn’t sure. So I followed him for a few blocks. But then he got in his car and drove away.” She shrugged her shoulders as if to say the whole thing meant nothing to her.

  “You followed him?” Axel asked. He was half mad and half impressed.

  “Yeah,” she said with a wan smile. “Probably not the best idea.”

  “No,” he said. “But it’s still pretty ballsy.”

  She laughed only it came out more like a sigh. She put her head in her hand and looked at him waiting for him to say something.

  “Was he taking your picture? Were you sure?”

  “No,” she said, shaking her head. And he was worried there was sparkle of a tear in her eye. “I don’t know. I just thought I saw something. But I feel like I see something suspicious every day. And now I’m putting this on you before your fight and I feel like a real jerk.”

  “Don’t say that.” Axel said. “It’s fine. You don’t have to worry about me.” She stood shakily to her feet and Axel gave her his hand and helped her out from between the ropes. She was shaky as she walked to the shower. “Want me to come in there with you?” he asked pointing to the women’s locker room.

  She smiled but shook her head and gave him a kiss before disappearing. Axel waited outside, his mind running in circles as he wondered if anyone actually had taken her picture or not. She came out fifteen minutes later looking fresher and a little more solid on her feet. He was worried he had pushed her too far, but he could see now that in a day or two she would only be stronger.

  “I’ll walk you home,” Axel said taking her bag. Outside on Main Street it seemed impossible that a bad thing could ever occur here. The town was like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Nineteen-fifties’ style storefronts and little old ladies taking their daily walk. There was no way a man had been taking Marie’s picture on this street, was there? He still looked. In every car, in every window, in every gesture, he looked for anything suspicious. Was anyone looking for Marie? Was that guy really a delivery man, or was he a spy in disguise? But nothing looked strange to him. The people he knew waved at him and the rest ignored him. There was nothing suspicious or dangerous he could say. Marie was just worried and she was seeing ghosts.

  She whined at every step up to her apartment. She had to stop three times and rest and she glared at him. “My legs don’t work anymore and it’s all your fault.”

  Finally, she crashed on the couch in her apartment and he made her a protein shake. She was watching one of those horrible Real Housewives shows when he came back with her drink. She managed to sit up and she drank it quickly and then fell back and closed her eyes.

  “I don’t think I saw anyone,” she said as she snuggled against him. Axel said nothing, he put his arm around her and she continued, “It was probably just an overactive imagination.” He squeezed her shoulders hoping she was right.

  What would he do if Austin showed up here? It was Axel’s nightmare: getting a late night phone call that Marie was missing. He was constantly worried he would be expecting her and she would be gone, just disappeared. He feared Austin coming in and scooping her up. If she ever left, he would never be able to stop looking for her.

  Is that was Austin thinks? some dark part of his mind asked. Axel didn't want to think about it. He didn’t want to have anything in common with a man like Austin St. Clare. But some dark part of him understood how hard it would be to lose Marie and how much he would want her back. But, no, he shook the idea off. There was nothing similar between him and Austin. Axel would never hurt Marie and if she wanted to leave him, he would let her. He would never hold her against her will. Austin wanted to control her. Axel loved her.

  He had restrained his instincts over Thomas Middlemarch. He let Marie make the choice. Axel had never mentioned Thomas’ little gambling habit that had almost cost him his house. Marie chose Axel on her own. She ended things with Thomas at a coffee shop while Axel was at the gym. Thomas had been a little sad, Marie told him, but they had only gone on one date, so it wasn’t the end of the world.

  Now she was Axel’s. But that still wasn’t right. She didn’t belong to him and he didn’t belong to her. They were together because they wanted to be. They wanted the other to be happy and being with each other made them happy. There was no jealousy or anger in their relationship. They were simply ecstatically happy with each other.

  She fell asleep on the couch. Axel lifted her slight frame up in his arms and carried her to her bedroom. She fell onto bed and crawled between the sheets with Axel close behind. He snuggled next to her, kissing the back of her neck, but listening for any strange footfalls in the apartment.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  The daycare had re-opened, the lice thankfully eradicated. Marie was grateful she and Cate had managed to avoid the infestation. They, and the mansion, were lice free. Cate knew the way to her daycare by heart and she was always eager to go. She would race up the block, running as fast as she could, her little arms pumping fiercely, until coming to an intersection where she would be forced to impatiently wait for her mother. She wasn’t yet allowed to cross the street on her own. Once Marie was there, she would take Cate’s hand and together they looked both ways making sure the way was clear and then they would cross the street together. Once they were on the other side Cate would run to the next corner and wait and they did this all the way to the daycare.

  Marie was sore as hell. She had taken a couple of ibuprofen, but her legs still cried out with every step. Lifting a coffee cup was agony, and she cursed any steps she encountered on the way. Axel had put her through the ringer yesterday and she was wondering when she would finally recover. It was a good sort of sore, however. It was the kind that came from hard work. She had pushed herself farther than she knew she could go. She would have to keep pushing herself if she wanted to really change. She understood Axel a little better after that last training. He did that every day. He did it of his own accord. He pushed and urged himself on. His strength was amazing to her. After that last day in the gym all she wanted to do was sit on the couch and watch TV. She couldn't imagine doing that day in and day out.

  She hadn’t felt this sore since her original training. She knew she was stronger than ever, but she still wasn’t as strong as Axel. When they had been sparring in the ring he
had easily batted her best hits away. She hadn’t landed a single punch or kick. Sometimes, ensconced in their sleepy town, she forgot he was a professional fighter. She had seen the evidence firsthand. It was like she had to get through a brick wall before she could even touch him. Marie was jealous of that power. She wanted to be that good. She wanted to be able to protect herself from the worst kind of hits, both the verbal and physical kind. Once she could do that, no one could stop her. She wouldn’t need to be afraid of Austin; she would be able to handle him. But she still had a long way to go before she was that good.

  They were on the block with the daycare and an excited Cate careened inside leaving Marie on the sidewalk. With a shake of her head Marie walked inside and gave her a kiss on her head before heading back out. It was a good thing Cate liked daycare; ever since the success of the fundraiser Marie had been given a lot of additional work at the museum. She was in the process of updating all of their donor information. She was putting together a comprehensive list of everyone who had ever given money to the mansion with names, email addresses, everything.

  Lost in thought she didn’t bother with the man who was blocking her path on the sidewalk. Thinking he was lost she simply stepped around him as she debated the best way to sort and filter through hundreds of names.

  “Marie DeSantos?”

  Marie froze. She literally froze. Every atom in her body stopped moving as she achieved absolute zero on the sidewalk. Her stomach clenched and then dropped as her limbs began to shake. A thousand questions went through her mind and then finally she was able to move and slowly she turned around to face the other man. “Yes,” Marie said. “Can I help you?” Without realizing it she slipped into a fighting stance. Her feet were shoulder width apart and she was light on them. Her hands formed into fists as she looked at the other man. He was short with a weasel-shaped face. He looked familiar, like she had seen him around town, but she couldn’t quite place him.

  “I’m Hayden Walker,” the man said. If he noticed Marie’s pose, he chose to ignore it. He kept his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth on his heels as he spoke. “I’m Axel’s coach.”

  That was where she knew him from. This was the Hayden Walker, the one Axel had been arguing with. She had only seen him in passing at the gym. He seemed to always be out when Marie was there. She had wanted to meet him, but Axel felt that was a bad idea and she hadn’t wanted to push him.

  “It’s nice to finally meet you,” Marie said, relaxing a little. She had wanted to make a good impression on Axel’s coach. She knew how important Hayden was to Axel’s career and she wanted the two of them to start off on a good foot.

  He didn’t respond to her pleasantries. Instead he stared into her face as if he were looking for something there. Marie felt cold under gaze, like a piece of meat in a butcher’s case. It felt like he was looking her over trying to pinpoint her every flaw, noting and cataloguing them for later. He didn’t speak for a very long time. Marie grew uncomfortable under his gaze and she shifted on her feet. How long was she expected to stand in the street with this man?

  “Your boyfriend’s looking for you, and his daughter.”

  Nausea swelled in her stomach, she felt light headed, and her vision went fuzzy. For a moment she almost lost her balance and she came dangerously close to toppling over into the street. But then the moment passed and she looked at the man across from her. She reached down into herself and searched for the strength she knew was there. She was not some meek little mouse who was going to let Austin scare her from afar. She was a lion now. Her vision cleared, her nausea disappeared, and she took a step towards Hayden. “He’s my ex and I don’t care what he wants anymore. You should be wary of contacting him. He is a dangerous and violent man. You shouldn’t meddle in things that are none of your concern.” She was in his face now, her lips pressed together as she breathed through her nose. Her fear was replaced with anger. Did Austin really think she was going to go back to him? Never. She was done letting him intimidate her.

  “The thing is,” Hayden responded, “it is my concern. Axel is my concern. I’m his coach and his manager and you are bad for him.” Marie took a step back as if she had been slapped. What did he mean? “You’re ruining his career,” Hayden continued. “Ever since he’s met you he’s been a mess. Missing practices, crapping out on his trainings. He’s not looking good for this fight with Castellano. He’s not ready. Being with you is ruining him.”

  “But he said he was fighting better than ever...” Marie said, her voice trailing off. Had Axel meant those things, or was being with Marie actually hurting him?

  “Oh I’m sure he has. This is typical Axel. He gets nervous before a big fight and finds some girl to help him relax. But it doesn’t really help. It’s more he’s running from his problem than dealing with it. Then he gets too involved with this girl, because he’s nervous about the fight, and his training goes to shit and everything implodes. I hate to break it to you, but you’re far from the first girl Axel’s gotten himself all tangled up in. This is what he does. He’s gonna bomb this fight, blame it on you, break it off with you, and then get back to work.

  “The problem is, fighting is a young man’s game and Axel is at his peak, but he ain’t getting any younger. I don’t know if his career can take this hit. If he stays with you he’s going to lose the fight and his title and his career might be over for good.”

  Marie was shocked. Axel hadn’t told her any of this. He told her he had been a lifelong bachelor with just a few flings here and there. He told her his training was going great and he was going to beat the snot out of Castellano. Was he lying to her? Was he trying to cover up his insecurity with empty promises? Marie didn’t know what to think or who to believe.

  “And what happens when your boyfriend comes here and sees you and the kid with Axel? Think he’ll take kindly to that? Or do you think that will make him very, very angry? What happens if he takes that out on Axel? You could get him killed. Is that really what you want?”

  “No,” Marie whispered, shaking her head. She looked into Hayden’s beady eyes. She still wasn't quite sure what was happening. How had her nice day turned into this? Where had she gone wrong?

  “I get that you have problems you’re running from. But the thing is: those are your problems. You made them. It’s not fair to dump those all on Axel. He works hard and he deserves success; he doesn’t need your added drama. It’s only going to ruin him. I think you need to take care of your own house before you go getting involved with other people. Those problems aren’t going away. They’re going to follow you and then what are you going to do? Just keep ruining lives until you finally end things with your ex for real?”

  Marie fought back tears. He was right. That was the worst part. She was ruining other people’s lives. She had run away from her problems instead of dealing with them and now they were coming to get her. But not just her. Axel, too, Axel who had been so good to her and Cate, so kind. She didn’t want to ruin him. She didn’t want to be the thing that undid him. She could never live with herself if she was. This man was right; she would have to leave.

  “Your boyfriend doesn't know where you are – yet. But he’s going to find out. I suggest you leave town before he does.”

  Hayden turned and walked away. Her mouth hanging open Marie watched him retreat. The wind picked up and lifted Marie’s hair off her neck as a car drove slowly past her. From the driver’s seat an unknown man stared her down. Austin was coming for her and Cate. Hayden had just said that. He was coming and every instinct in Marie’s body was telling her to run.

  Marie couldn't depend on Axel for this. It wasn’t fair to him. This could ruin his career and any chances for future success. Axel wasn't the one who had got himself involved in some crappy relationship – Marie was. He wasn’t the one who should have to deal with this. It was Marie’s problem. Marie looked up and down the street and at that moment she knew she would have to leave. She loved this town and Axel and she couldn’t let h
erself bring danger to them. She would have to leave to keep everyone else safe.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  The garage was almost done. Contractors had come in and completed the work Axel couldn’t do on his own. Now it was clean and empty and structurally sound and his mother could actually park her car in it. Axel watched as she carefully and slowly drove her old Honda into the garage. She seemed nervous – as if she didn’t trust it or herself, but she finally managed to park the car and then stepped out and looked around.

  “It certainly is larger in here than I remember,” she said, fidgeting nervously with the hem of her shirt.

  “I know,” Axel said, a hint of exasperation in his voice. “That’s why I cleaned it out. Now you have all this extra space in here for storage.”

  “It seems strange after all these years to have those old cars gone,” she said walking around the empty space as if she had never really seen it before. “I was so used to seeing them. Not that I’m not grateful for all of your help, I am, but it’s just going to take some getting used to.” She looked around with a sigh and then smiled up at Axel. “Come on, I’ll fix you something for lunch.”