Page 90 of Axel

That’s what makes me sick. The thought that a man like John ever touched me. There are so many like him, and Axel can’t punish them all. But he tries…

“Now, I’m going to take my hand away from your mouthso you can apologize to my queen.” He pushes John, “Are you ready to act like a man for the first time?”

Frantically, John nods.

“Atta boy.” Axel slowly pulls his bloody hand away. “You may speak to her, then never speak of us again, you or your little boy over there, or it won’t be a cut next time. It’ll be a kill.”

I glance at Jace, easily wrangling the other man into submission.

Jace catches my shocked stare and winks, assuring me. He’s super cute, and I fight my smile before swinging my eyes back to the threat of Axel. But I don’t fear him. No, that’s not this warm rush of emotions in my veins for him.

“I…,” John stammers, “I’m sorry, Ru… Ru… Ru…”

Axel smacks the back of John’s head. “Cat got your tongue?”

“I’m sorry, Ruby,” John rushes. “I’m sorry for high school. I’m sorry for what I said. For what I did. And for Jessica being a bitch. And I’m sorry for today.”

“…and.” Axel twirls his knife. “Don’t stop now, Johnny-boy. Cleanse thy soul.”

“And… and…” John wavers, so Axel cocks a brow. “And I won’t ever do it again. And I won’t tell anyone about this. And…” he gulps, “and I’ll donate a million dollars—” Axel smacks his skull again. “Five million dollars to a women’s charity. And?—”

“Enough.” Axel points his bloody knife toward the gate. “Shut the fuck up and leave.”

John hesitates, gesturing toward his squirming friend. “But what about…?”

Jace laughs. “I’ll let Lankenstein go one minute after you leave. Best do it now.”

Without glancing back, John runs out of the graveyard,turning right, then left, as if he doesn’t care where; he just wants to get the hell out of here.

“Now, I’m going to take your little pillowcase off.” Jace engulfs the man, binding him with only one hulking arm wrapped around him. “And you’re going to walk straight ahead, not look back, have a shitty night, and a horrible memory. But first…”

With a brutal punch, Jace hammers his beefy fist down over the guy’s groin, making him grunt, double over, and dangle like a whining noodle in Jace’s grasp.

“If I ever hear of you hurting a woman,” Jace vows, “I’ll cut it off, fry it up, and feed it to you. Shake your head if you think I’m lying.”

The guy stiffens like a board.

“Good boy.” Jace pats his head before ripping the pillowcase off of it. Then he smacks his ass. “Now, run along.”

The guy obeys, grabbing his junk, whimpering with a limp out of the graveyard, turning right, and we don’t correct his direction.

Axel sucks his teeth before swinging his glare my way. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

“I’m okay.” I swoon, “Thank you.”

Axel shakes his head. “Wildfire, I swear, I’m going to?—”

“I’m Jace.” He offers his bear paw for me to shake. “And my brother’s rude. It’s nice to meetyou…?”

His voice trails off for my name.

“Reacher.” I shake his hand. “I mean… Ruby. Yeah, Ruby. That’s my name. Sorry. You just look like that beefy actor on the show, but cuter and?—”

Axel rolls his eyes. “Not this again.”

“Nice to meet you, Ruby.” The beard. The eyes. The lips. Jace looks like Axel’s brother, with ink creeping up his neck and over his hand, too, but like Grant, he favors his mother.So, Axel must favor his father. Not only in the face but with his ferocity.

“We good?” Jace asks Axel.

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