Page 44 of Always A Villain

“Small towns, mostly Spain and Portugal. Most are married with kids, nothing out of the ordinary.”

“So, why would a bunch of nobodies shoot up the Sovereign?” I ask, trying to piece it all together.

“We don’t know.” His frustration is palpable.

“What else have you learned about the nobodies?” I ask, sensing the tension in his grip tightening around me.

“One was a dentist in Spain. Married, three kids, and a missing daughter. No criminal record—didn’t even have a parking ticket. The others are similar—just average folks with families and regular jobs.”

“It’s tragic about the missing daughter,” I murmur. “I doubt they’ll ever find her.”

“Why do you say that?”

“She was probably trafficked. That was my mom's biggest fear whenever we traveled.” The air between us grows heavy with his silence. I glance up, a nervous churning in my stomach. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No,” he replies, head shaking slightly. “I was thinking about another profile I looked at today, one involving a missing child.”

I lay my head back down. “Well, if I cracked the mystery connection, I want the credit,” I say with a playful smile.

He falls silent, and I can almost hear his mind whirring,thoughts racing behind those intense eyes. I press closer, and his arms tighten protectively around me.

“I’ll make sure you get the credit.” He chuckles. “We’ll uncover who did this. They’ll pay for it.” His tone darkens, and I can’t shake the feeling that he’s contemplating something worse than death.

“Axe?”

“Yeah, little siren?”

“Will you tell me a story about yourself?” I whisper, uncertain if he'll open up. He remains silent, his chest rising and falling with each breath.

“My stories don't make for good bedtime stories.”

“Please.”

“What do you want to know?” I think for a moment. I have a million questions, but I don't know where to start. He's never offered up information; I have no idea what he’s willing to share.

“Why do you have Kane?” It seems like an easy enough question, something I’ve been curious about since I first laid eyes on the massive dog. “He seems too gentle to just be a guard dog,” I tease, feeling his smirk against me.

“He's only gentle with you. He’s very much an attack dog.”

“I’ve never seen him attack anything.” I giggle.

“That’s because no one would be stupid enough to break into my house.”

“Okay, then why him? What’s the story behind the big, bad dog?” I watch as his smile fades and he goes quiet, thoughts racing behind his eyes.

“My brother had a dog named Zeus. Kane looks just likehim.”

“Your brother?” I can’t help the surprise in my voice, especially since Griffen mentioned Axe never talks about him. I feel him tense, his jaw tightening.

“Yeah. My twin, Lucas.” Each word is measured. “He found Zeus as a puppy, starving. Lucas took him in, nursed him back to health. We were about thirteen.” He takes a deep breath before continuing. “Lucas was a good brother. A better brother.”

“What happened to him?” I whisper, tracing small circles over his chest. The silence stretches before he speaks again.

“My uncle, Griffen’s dad, had a house along the coastline in Maine. Our father would drop us off there when he went on missions. There were cliffs along the beach, and we used to climb them.” The strain in his tone makes me nervous about what’s coming. “One day, we were climbing as usual, probably the fiftieth time. It was getting dark. Lucas wanted to go home, but I wanted to keep going. I was fearless; the higher we climbed, the better. We argued, and I was angry, so I decided to climb alone. I knew he would follow; he always did.” He falls silent again.

“What happened?”

“It was getting dark. Wind picking up. Lucas slipped, hit the rocks, and...he was gone before he even touched the water.” His voice cracks, and for a second, the cold assassin in him vanishes, replaced by pain.