Page 62 of Dangerous Silence
I would never win this argument, but I needed to understand. To know why he chose this life. Because I cared for him, so what did that say about me? I had killed someone for him. And deep down, I knew I would do it again. I wanted to help him, in whatever way I could. Even if it meant arguing his choice to death.
Because in the end, I had chosen Axe.
“You chose the knife,” I said. “You told me yourself. Dad gave you the option.” I put a hand on his arm. “You didn’t have to.”
He shook me away as if he couldn’t stand to be beside me. “And so what if I choose this life? I’ve told you, Demi. You shouldn’t stick around to see if I turn out to be a nice guy. Because I’m not, and I never will be.” He grabbed my arms, holding me tight, forcing me to lock eyes with him. “There’s nothing left inside of my soul. Absolutely nothing. I made sure of that.”
His eyes were glossy with anger, ripping apart what little I had left. But I saw it there. He hated that he cared, but he did. He cared about his family. And he also cared about me. And not because of some stupid promise he made to my dad.
“Why was Maddie saying to tell me?” he asked, still beaming into my face.
My gut wrenched. He wasn’t going to like this.
“There was a guy,” I said.
“A guy?”
I shrugged. “Behind the building.”
“Demi,” he scowled. I swallowed a gulp.
“He may have attacked me.”
He clenched his fists, then brought them to the wall, knocking a dent into the wall. “Get your shit,” he growled. My heart leaped in my chest. I grabbed my bag and Axe took the other one and the backpack out of the closet. “Let’s go.”
“Where?”
“To the workroom.”
This time, inside of the workroom, he got a blowup mattress from one of the cabinets, then filled it until it was a full size. He crossed his arms, then pointed to the bed.
“Sleep,” he said. Was I a dog, now?
“That’s it? That’s what we’re doing?” I crossed my arms. “You can still choose the right thing. Call the police—”
“I am choosingthis,” his voice boomed. He grabbed my face. “Don’t you see, Demi? Being in this workroom? I am choosing to be here. It’s one of the safest places I know.” He pointed to the door. “I don’t see you leaving.”
I stared at the door. It was right there.
“I could,” I said, “if I wanted to.”
“But you’re choosing to stay here.”
We stared at each other for a moment, unsure of what to say. My eyes fell down, looking at the ground between our feet: the scuffed floor, the trails of dried brown blood, the scratches in the cement. Axe went to the side of the room and started sharpening one of his knives, the slick slide of the metal like a pendulum swinging back and forth. His chest breathed in deeply, then exhaled, resuming his calm rhythm.
I could have walked out. Could have left this hell hole and never looked back. He was right.
So why couldn’t I make myself leave?
There was so much here that I wasn’t willing to let go. Not until I understood.
CHAPTER 20
Axe
Once Demi was asleep, I left a note on the table:Out. Back later. I nodded at my men waiting on each corner of the workroom, then set the alarm for the place. There was no way anyone was getting anywhere near Demi.
On the way back to the apartment, I armed myself with more than necessary. I wanted to torture this man, but I knew I couldn’t indulge; it needed to be quick. We had more pressing matters to figure out than some stupid henchman following Demi around. In the darkness of the apartment, I waited, watching the sky get darker as night settled in above the storm clouds. A man, dressed in black with a large hood over his head, hovered by the back window. Once he moved away, I moved underneath that window and waited. A few minutes later, his shadow crossed again. I leaped up and shot my hand through the glass, grabbing him by the throat.
