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“Now is not the time, Axel!”

Grinning from ear to ear because he’s worried about me, I start searching through the different crates. It’s the same as the last warehouse. I know for sure he’s planning something, and this just confirms it. I just don’t know where he’s going to find the manpower to pull something like this off. I start searching the rest of the warehouse to make sure I don’t miss anything.

“Axel, I can’t see you back there.”

“It’s fine. It’s empty.”

“Are you trying to give me a heart attack at twenty-one? Because I feel like it’s going to fucking happen.”

“You’re never this nervous any other time. Take a breath.”

“Because you don’t go in alone!”

With a roll of my eyes, I turn around to head back to the door. I hear a door creak, and before I can react, the place erupts in gunfire.Not empty, then.

I dive behind a crate, bullets whizzing past me.Well, shit.

“Axel!”

I pull my automatic in front of me and wait for the right opportunity. The gunfire ceases thinking that they hit me. Dumbasses. I jump up from my hiding spot and light it up. One of the guys drops while the other dives in the other direction.

“Come out, you pussy!” I yell. My answer is several shots fired in my general direction. “Is that all you’ve got?” I start walking that way, ready for anything. “Come out, come out, wherever you are!”

“You’re insane. Jesus fuck.” He’s probably right.

I jump around the corner where the shots came from, and no one is there. “Do you see them?”

“Hold on.” I hear him clicking through the feeds. “No. He must be out of view.”

I step around the corner, and a white hot pain sears through my leg. I look down at the knife sticking out of my thigh and then at the dead motherfucker that put it there. His eyes are wide because he knows he just fucked up. I pull the trigger and watch his body jerk, then slump against the crates.

“Motherfucker,” I hiss. I can feel the blood dripping down my leg. I know through my training not to pull the knife from my leg. “Nolan. I need you to get a first aid kit ready.” I rip the long sleeve from my shirt and wrap it around the knife to stabilize it the best I can.

“What?” Nolan squeaks.

“I just got stabbed.”

“And you’re calm. Of course, you’re calm because you’re insane!” I can hear the panic in his voice and can’t stop the little flip my heart does.Maybe he’s onto something.

“I’m on my way.”

Hopefully, I’ll get there before I bleed to death.

Chapter23

Sean

Even after the talk, Chelsea wanted to go on our date. It’s something we could have waited to do, but I know she wanted to move on from it.

I’ve had to control my temper since she told us what the sick motherfucker did to her. I don’t intend on breaking my promise, but if I just so happen to be in Grover and run into him? It’s game over.

Kai pulls into the fairgrounds, and I watch Chelsea’s face light up. I was hoping tonight would be her favorite. The opening day has fireworks at dusk, so we have plenty of time to do whatever her little heart desires. She mentioned going to the fair with Axel and Cole every year growing up, and it was a stroke of luck that it was this weekend.

Even though I’m excited to bring her, I know this will be the hardest for Kai. We’ve kept it lowkey with dinner, the lake, and movies. This one is out in the open, where he feels the most uncomfortable. But he insisted he wanted to do this for her.

“I can’t believe you brought me here,” Chelsea says, looking through the windshield.

I lean up between the seats. “We listened, Gorgeous. You said you used to come here on opening night.”