Page 22 of Stalked By Axel

“Do you want me to ask him to leave?”

“No,” I whisper. If Axel is here for me, nothing short of a dozen men will force him away. Besides, it’s probably best to clear the air now. I’ll end things, and then he can move on with his life without feeling obligated to be with me because of a promise he made. “I’ll talk to him. I’m sorry for dragging you into this.”

“We’re friends, I will always come to you when you need me.”

I smile at her, but it’s nervous at best. “Thank you, I’ll just…”

She nods when I point to the door, turning the knob and pulling it open. She doesn’t move out of the way or invite Axel inside, just stares at the man I’ve fallen desperately in love with.

“Don’t you want to know whether he has feelings for you or not? What his plans for you are? Isn’t it easier to know nowand not have the questions loom over you every time you’re together?”

My conversation with Jade and Ingrid from earlier this evening comes back to me as I look at Axel. Well, now I do know and wish I didn’t. If I could turn back time, I would have stayed at the bar with the girls and let Axel get his own beer if he wanted one. Knowing the truth, I can’t keep this man bound to me any longer. I need to absolve him of all responsibility. Free him from the promise he made to a dying man.

“I care about her.”

Somewhere out there is a girl who will be gifted this man’s whole heart, and it hurts that she is not me. That it will never be me holding his heart.

But I have to free him so he can find her.

Chapter Eleven

Axel

Flowers.

Brooke loves red tulips. It’s late and a Sunday, so I imagine that there aren’t any flower shops open, but I should have scoured the entire city until I found one that was open. If they didn’t have the tulips, then maybe they’d have something similar.

I shouldn’t have arrived empty handed. I bet I would have gotten a better reception if I’d shown up with flowers in hand, but in my race to get here, I didn’t think about it.

Getting to her was my priority. Above all, I need to see her.

“We need to talk,” I say, expecting resistance considering how hard her friend is glaring at me, but Brooke simply nods.

“Okay,” she says, turning to her friend who is practically boring holes into my skin with her piercing eyes. “Scar, I’ll call you later, okay?”

“Don’t break her heart any more than you have already, Axel, or I’ll make you pay,” she threatens, and I find myself wanting to smile. She can’t be much older than Brooke, but something about her threat seems genuine. Not that she scares me, but unlike Jade, I can tell hers are not empty threats. Thereis something about Brooke’s best friend that I can’t put a finger on, but I decide to push it to the back of my mind. Whatever her deal is, at least I know she would defend Brooke, and that is all that matters.

“I won’t,” I offer the girl before stepping out of the way. Scarlett goes back into the apartment to grab her purse from the couch, then returns to the door. She hugs Brooke and whispers something about wine in her ear, then leaves after giving me another warning look. Brooke watches her walk to the elevator before turning to me and gesturing for me to come inside.

In her living room, she crosses her arms over her stomach protectively and stares at me without a word. She’s closed off from me in a way she never has been before. This silence and the distance… I hate it.

For as long as I’ve known the Brooke, she’s never hidden her emotions from me. She could be shy as a young girl, but never around me. Not once have I seen this blank expression on her face before. I hate that I am the cause of it. I don’t know what the hell Brooke heard, but I need to fix this.

Fix us.

“How did you know I’d come home?” she asks after a prolonged silence. “I didn’t tell anyone where I was going.”

“I tracked your phone.” I imagine there’s no need to lie about it.

“Huh,” she offers emotionlessly, not bothering to question how I got access to her phone in the first place long enough to install a tracking app on it.

“Brooke—”

“I’m fine,” she cuts me off. Those pretty pale gray eyes seem determined as she fixes them on me. “I promise you, I’m fine, Axel.

I run my eyes over her. “I can see that, but you shouldn’t have left the clubhouse without—”

“No, you are not listening,” she demands. “I mean,I’m fine. Better than I was a year ago. Hell, even a month ago. I don’t cry myself to sleep anymore…or take walks alone. I don’t drink alcohol to numb the pain. I don’t spend all day feeling sorry for myself.” Her eyes fill up, but she quickly blinks back the tears. “I’m fine now, Axel. I don’t need your constant attention and protection.”

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