Page 15 of Ravaged Soul
I suppose I can’t blame him for that. As team leader, it falls on his shoulders to ensure everyone’s protected. That’s why it cut so deep, that Luis was able to get into Tom’s apartment at all. He had security measures in place, but that didn’t stop him from being targeted.
Before I can scan my prints and toss the front door open with an excuse ready to roll off my tongue, the alarm disengages. Front door crashing open, a blur of purple-dyed, overactive energy escapes.
“Dimples! You’re home!”
“Jesus, Ax.”
Gangly limbs ensconced in ripped jeans and an oversized slogan tee almost knock me over. The impact causes me to huff as Axel envelopes me in a rib-grinding hug.
“You’ve been gone for seven hours!” he whines, words stretched with exaggeration. “And you didn’t reply to my text messages either.”
“Been… busy,” I choke out.
Despite being my height, Axel is a hellhound packing the power of a violent, cocaine-fuelled army in his numerousstacked muscles. No one could ever accuse him of being downbeat or lacking enthusiasm.
In fact, he’s a self-confessed whirlwind of playful energy who always craves attention. Whether he’s cracking wise or cracking skulls, Axel never fails to make an impact on the world. The degree of violence that impact entails depends on his mood.
“What kept you so busy that you couldn’t even reply to my messages?”
“I was working,” I wheeze through constricted breaths. “Dude, let me go.”
“No! You’ll run off again.”
“Ax—”
“Ugh. Fine.”
Surrendering me, Axel plants a sloppy kiss on my cheek then takes a step back. I glance over his soft baby face, bee-stung lips and vivid-honey eyes, standing in stark contrast to the visible tattoos that reach his throat and beyond.
With his solid build being covered in more ink than skin, his amethyst faux hawk and perpetual grin create a confusing parallel. He vibrates with infectious energy, managing to look both threatening and adorable at the same time.
“I was stuck here with the convict all day, combing through CCTV feeds,” he grumbles sulkily. “Alone! With that insane twat!”
“Blaine isn’t that bad.”
“He’s lucky I haven’t tossed his severed limbs off the roof yet. I’m not some psycho-sitting nanny, you know?”
“Did you find anything on the feeds?”
“Couldn’t even get a couple hours of rest because I can’t sleep in the same apartment as that freak show. He’ll gut me the first chance he gets.”
“Axel,” I groan impatiently. “Focus. The CCTV feeds.”
“Still nothing in Tom’s building.” He audibly sighs. “The footage is completely corrupted. Whoever’s running Luis’s tech, they’re good. In and out without a single second of video evidence.”
“Shit!”
“The intelligence team is working on the building opposite his to see if they can ID anyone leaving. They’ll have an update for us by morning.”
“We can’t wait that long!”
Huffing, I stomp inside the penthouse, ditching my backpack by the entrance. After a week spent cataloguing every last bit of forensic evidence we could unearth in Tom’s apartment, scouring public camera feeds and running facial recognition, we still have nothing.
Luis and his crew are skilled enough to crack a top-end security system and vanish without a trace. I have no doubt that Gael has the financial arsenal to hire the best in the business, but even if he’s got a master techie working for him, this is impressive work.
“Where are the others?” Axel clicks the door shut, re-engaging the alarm with a quiet beep.
“Not a clue.”
