Chapter 5

5

AXEL

T he ringing of my phone wakes me up like a slap to the face. It's pitch black, and when I grab the shrieking device, I see that it's two in the morning. Nobody would call me this late if it wasn't an emergency.

Instantly, I'm fully awake, adrenaline already pumping through my body as I slip out of bed, careful not to disturb the sleeping angel beside me.

The second I swipe to answer, Jace's voice fills my ears.

"We found them, Boss," he says straight to the point.

I'm already tugging on clothes, the plain black outfit we always wear on missions like this. I slip out of the bedroom and jog to the storage room where we keep our weapons and vests. Putting Jace on speaker, I load up on everything I need and tug on a bulletproof vest and black mask that obscures the bottom half of my face.

"Send me the location and meet me there," I tell him. "We need to hit them hard. They can't get away."

"Understood."

We hang up, and when I exit the storage room, I nearly run into Nick. I'm never alone, and ever since Ava arrived, I've made sure there are always other people here to protect her.

"I woke up when I heard you running about," he explains, and I quickly fill him in on what's happening.

"Stay here and protect my girl at all costs," I demand. I hate to leave her, but I know it's to keep her safe. If we can take these guys down, she'll be free to live a life without fear. If all goes well, I'll be back before she's awake with good news to wish her good morning.

Nick nods, grabbing a gun and shoving it in his waistband. He knows better than to be trusted to watch the thing that's most precious to me in the entire world unarmed.

With one last nod in his direction, I rush out to my bike.

I ignore the speed limit, the engine revving and dust flying up behind me. I skid to a stop and dismount at the meeting place, yanking my helmet off and greeting my men who are waiting for me already.

It takes us mere minutes to arrange a plan and head out. The seemingly abandoned cabin our mark was spotted at is dark and quiet, but I know better than to assume that means it's empty.

I give the signal, and we swarm. The front door gets kicked in, and in seconds I'm leading my men inside, guns raised.

I expect to be greeted by a spray of bullets or at least some shouting, but … nothing happens.

"Search it," I order, and two of my men peel off to obey. With all the exits covered, there's nothing to do but wait until the two who were searching return, both shaking their heads.

"It's empty," one of them confirms.

The second rushes to add, "They were here earlier. I'm sure of it."

I know they wouldn't lie to me. My men are loyal to the death, which means that our mark was here. But he's not now.

My blood turns to ice as realization washes over me.

Fuck!

"It's a setup," I say, loud enough that my team can hear me. I'm sure they ask questions, but I can't focus on anything but the dread curdling my stomach. I yank my phone out of my pocket and call Nick. He picks up on the second ring.

"Nick—"

"GET HERE NOW!" Nick's voice is so loud in my ear it makes me jolt, but it's not his words that choke me with fear. It's the unmistakable sound of gunshots in the background.

Before I can answer, he hangs up, and red clouds my vision. Utter rage fills me, melting the ice in my blood and lighting me on fire.

"Move out!" I shout, turning on my heel and sprinting back to my bike. The team follows me immediately, and I take the road back so fast my bike flies over any small bump.

I don't wait for my men to catch up. No, the second my bike hits the driveway, I leap off, weapons drawn. The lights are on inside my home, and through the front window, I see a blur of movement. A bang vibrates the whole structure as I run inside, following the noise of the gunshot.

There's only one thing on my mind as I race down the hallway. Ava. I need to find Ava.

I turn the corner to the living space, and a man dressed in all black, so similar to my own outfit, turns to look at me over his shoulder. He shoots, but I dart to the right, and the bullet grazes my arm. It burns, but I barely feel it. Before he can get off another shot, I slam into him, knocking him to the ground and sending his weapon skittering away from us. I smash the butt of my gun into his temple, rendering him unconscious, before abandoning him on the floor like the trash he is.

"Ava!" I bellow, uncaring about stealth. I'll kill anyone who threatens her. Let them come to the sound of my voice. I'll make them regret their choices.

A soft whimper cuts through the noise of fighting from upstairs, which I can only assume is Nick wrestling with the other intruders. Trusting him to hold his own, I rush towards the soft sound, my heart pounding so loud I can feel it slam against my ribs.

I find her in the kitchen. The scene before my eyes makes me fucking feral. Ava is backed into a corner by a large man in the same all-black outfit as the other, a knife in his hand and a gun strapped to his waistband. From here, I can't see his face, but I can see the fear in Ava's.

"Your father owes us for what he's done," the man spits out, and Ava flinches, trying to put distance between them, but it's impossible with her back to the cupboards. "You'll be coming with us, girl. We'll have some fun with you, at least. It'll take the sting off your father's betrayal."

"You'll never take me," Ava cries, and pride fills me as she raises her hand and rakes her nails down the guy's face. She catches his eye, and he curses, stumbling back and clutching his face.

I pounce, using the distraction to our advantage. I grab the back of his neck, spin him around, and knee him hard between the legs. He goes down, and I press my gun to his forehead just as he drops his hands from his face. He's bleeding, his eye bloodshot and cheek marked from Ava's nails.

I glance up at my girl.

"Good fucking girl, angel," I praise, hoping she can tell just how proud of her I am. She offers me a shaky smile, relief making her shoulders slump. In the background, I can hear the rest of my men taking out the last of the intruders, and knowing they're taken care of, I turn my attention back to the asshole in front of me who dared to lay a hand on what's mine.

I shove my gun under his chin to force him to look at me, getting a good look at his face. I recognize him. This is the fucker we've been looking for, the one we just searched that damn cabin for.

"I don't give a single fuck what her pathetic excuse for a father owes you," I growl, sneering down at the man. He tries to reach for his gun, and I slam the sole of my boot into his chest, sending him sprawling. I step on his wrist, pinning him to the floor, training my gun on his head again. "Ava is mine. And I'm sure you know exactly what happens to people who try to take my things."

The man's eyes widen as I pull the trigger, then turn glassy as he slumps. I drop my weapon, rushing straight to Ava. She's pale and shaking a little, but she doesn't seem hurt.

"Angel," I breathe, gathering her up into my arms. "Fuck, are you okay?"

She clings to me, breathing heavily. "I'm okay now that you're here," she says, burying her face in my chest. She doesn't seem to care that I just killed a man right in front of her, doesn't seem afraid even now. God, she's perfect for me.

We pull away from each other as Nick enters the kitchen, eye swelling shut and blood covering his clothes.

"You look like shit," I tell him, but I can't deny how relieved I am to see him alive.

"You should see the other guy," he jokes back, grinning despite his split lip.

With my arm around Ava's waist, I head into the living room. Some of my guys are clearing up the mess the intruders have made, and after quickly confirming none of my guys are gravely injured, I sit beside my girl and pull her onto my lap.

Nick gives me the rundown, with Ava chiming in occasionally.

Ava was woken by the men breaking in, and Nick fought them off as best he could. He's a beast of a fighter, but he's still only one man, and there were at least ten intruders. Their goal was clear—to take Ava, to spite her father for the fact he's pissed off every criminal leader in the city.

When I called, Nick had just enough time to answer and tell me to come back before he was tackled. He told Ava to run, and she tried, but the leader was waiting by the front door, anticipating it. She tried to grab a knife in the kitchen to fight, but he cornered her.

"It's over now," I whisper to her, kissing her hair. I dismiss everyone else, thanking Nick profusely for defending her.

In a rare show of seriousness, he pats my shoulder and says, "She's important to you, so she's important to all of us." He grins and adds, "Plus, she's a better friend than you. She's never beat me up or anything!"

I roll my eyes at him, and Ava giggles in my hold.

"Go shower and sleep," I tell him. "I'll call in a clean-up crew in the morning."

With everyone out, I lock up and carry Ava to bed. Thankfully, this room is untouched, and I lock the door behind us, shutting out the chaos that is the rest of the house. The clean-up crew will have it looking normal by tomorrow evening, but for now, I don't want Ava to have to lay eyes on any of the blood stains that no doubt are splattered over my floors.

We shower and climb into bed, both of us exhausted. I cup her face, stroking her soft skin and pushing her damp hair out of her eyes. She smiles softly at me, leaning into my touch.

"My brave girl," I whisper, kissing her softly. "I'm so fucking glad you're okay. I couldn't live with myself if you were hurt. I love you too much for that, Ava."

Her breath hitches. "I love you, too," she whispers back, making my chest crack open. "I promise I'm okay. Shaken up and tired, sure. But I'm in your arms, Axel. Nothing scares me when I have you."

"You've changed my life, angel," I tell her as she starts to drift to sleep. "And now, it's time to change your life, too. I'll protect you forever, Ava. Just you wait, I'm gonna give you everything you can dream of."

"You're all I dream of," she says sleepily before succumbing to sleep.