Page 11 of Axel (Reed Hawthorne Security #6)

Axel

We take turns napping on the floor while one of us keeps an eye on the warehouse. Bob returns around ten in the morning. There are no visitors, and Bob leaves around dinner.

“He can’t be there all day every day because he has listings,” Stevens says, staring at her phone.

“We need to get inside,” Durango says. “There are probably more guns in there.”

“I agree,” I say.

“He leaves at night, so I’ll bet he has cameras,” Stevens says. “Or a security system.”

“How far away does he live?”

Stevens pulls up maps on her phone. “Twenty minutes.”

Durango grins. “We have twenty minutes then.” He goes to his bag and then tosses something black at me.

It’s a ski mask.

I put it on. “Good call. ”

Once his is on, Durango and I head out the back door with flashlights in hand. We go around the building and across the street. We walk down the side of the building where we have seen Bob go each day.

There’s a door with a code to get in. We continue around to the back, which faces the water. There is a large garage door and a window.

“It might be run down, but this property must be worth a lot,” I whisper.

“Agreed,” Durango says.

He tries to open the window, but it won’t budge. The garage door is old with a lock on the outside. I try to open it from the bottom, but it doesn’t move, either.

“I got this,” Durango says.

I step out of the way, and he pulls a diamond pick out of his back pocket. He attempts to pick the lock on the garage door.

“Dammit!” he says.

A man’s voice approaches. We both duck down into the shadows and peer around the corner. Two men walk by on the sidewalk. Neither is Bob.

“Let me try,” I say.

He hands me the pick, and I’m successful on my first try.

“Looks like you need more practice,” I say, handing him the pick.

“You just got lucky.”

I lift the door enough for us to get in.

“We’d better leave that way or else he’ll know someone was here,” I say .

“Based on the camera I saw as we rounded the corner, he already knows,” Durango says.

We quickly make our way through the warehouse, looking for anything incriminating.

“Over here,” Durango says.

He’s standing next to an open crate. I peer in. It is filled with different types of guns that have been tossed in haphazardly.

Durango takes a few photos with his phone. I continue on to an office space. There is a monitor, a mouse, and a keyboard, but no computer. The drawers are all empty.

Durango steps into the room. “What’s in there?”

I glance over at the door he’s pointing at. “I haven’t checked yet.”

He opens it. “You need to see this.” He takes a few photos as I walk over.

The room has a toilet and a sink in one corner. On the other are wall shackles. Three sets of them.

“Do you think he’s trafficking people, too?” Durango asks.

The floor has brown stains. Dried blood.

“No. I think he tortures people here.”

“All right, we got what we need. Let’s go,” Durango says.

“Not yet.”

I go back into the main part of the garage and check another box I didn’t see on my first pass. Inside are a few knives. Bob is much more dangerous than I originally thought.

A car door slams shut .

“We’ve overstayed,” Durango says. “We need to go now!”

We make our way out, not bothering to close the garage door. We go around the other side of the building in case that car was Bob’s.

The wind has picked up. When we get to the corner, I peer around it and spot a random car parked two buildings up.

“Someone’s parked farther up,” I say.

We turn the other way and run, staying close to the buildings and out of sight until the road curves.

We make a few turns and eventually get back into the building with Stevens. A few minutes later, Bob pulls up in front of the warehouse. Another car pulls in behind him. Two men get out of that car, each holding guns. Bob follows them.

“Wish we could have planted a listening device inside,” Stevens says.

“I took photos inside,” Durango says. “But we found more than guns.”

He explains the wall shackles and shows her all the photos.

“I wasn’t expecting that,” Stevens says. “But I shouldn’t be surprised by anything anymore. Send me a copy of those.”

“Doing it now,” Durango says as he types.

The men exit the warehouse and stand by Bob’s car.

“They must have been looking for money,” the taller man says.

“Yeah, maybe,” Bob says. “But why look here? ”

The shorter man glances around. “I wonder if they hit any of the other businesses.”

“There aren’t any businesses,” Bob says. “That place is abandoned.” He motions to the building we’re in. “And that place is seasonal and closed for now.” He points to the building next to his.

“Well, they know what you have in there now, so you need more security,” the tall guy says. “I know a guy.” He is holding his phone, and he steps toward the water and away from the road, where we can’t hear him.

But he returns shortly. “My guy is coming first thing in the morning. He’ll set you up with the best security. You sure everything is hidden enough?”

Bob nods. “Don’t worry. It will be fine. I have an idea who might have been here. You guys can go. Thanks.”

The two men leave, and Bob returns to the warehouse. The lights on the street flicker.

“I’ll bet he’s going to stay the night there,” Stevens says. “We should all go home and grab some sleep tonight. Axel, can you check on Savvy?”

“Sure.”

I check the time when Stevens drops me at home, and it’s not too late for my sister. I drive over and text her before I go to the door. My sister does not like surprise visits.

She opens the door before I get to it. “She’s not here,” she says.

“What? Where is she?”

“At our cabin. She said she wanted space to think. No one will look for her there. ”

The lights inside Maria’s place flicker as the wind picks up.

“Is there a storm in the forecast?” I ask, checking my phone.

“Yeah, a windstorm. I got some candles and flashlights ready, just in case.”

Hopefully, it isn’t too bad at the lake. “I’m heading up there. Call me if you hear from her.”

I turn, but Maria grabs my arm. “Hey, is she really in that much danger?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Please keep her safe.”

I nod and take off.

By the time I get to the cabin, it’s dark and windy.

Very windy. The lights in the cabin are on.

Hopefully, she’s still awake; otherwise, my arrival might be a bit startling.

I grab my phone to text her that I’m here, but there’s no service.

The lights inside flicker as a strong gust of wind blows through.

I unlock the door and enter, listening for any sound. Silence. Then another gust of wind blows through, and I hear a crack. I’m guessing a lot of tree limbs will be coming down tonight.

“Savvy?” I call out.

No response.

I walk into the bedroom. No one. Okay, did she leave?

Then the toilet flushes.

She did not.

The door swings open, and I’m hit with a strong scent of something. Is that strawberry? Then there is singing, off-key singing. Then Savvy comes into view wearing only a towel.

“Savvy?”

She jumps back and screams, grabbing the towel and tightening it around her.

I know I shouldn’t stare, but I can’t help it. She’s so beautiful.

I hold up my hand. “Hey, it’s me.”

“What are you doing here?” she asks. “I thought you were on an assignment all week.”

All week? Not sure where she got that idea.

“My new assignment is to protect you. That’s why I’m here.”

We stare at each other for a moment. Despite only being in a towel, she doesn’t step away to get dressed, so I continue.

“You’re supposed to be at my sister’s place. Why are you here?”

“Because I wanted to be alone to think.”

“You can’t be alone. Not now.”

“Why not? Bob will never find me here!” She blows out a breath.

She’s upset I’m here, and I don’t like how that makes me feel. But I shove that down.

She glances back down the hall. “Let me get dressed, and then we can talk.”

“Sounds good.”

I spin around and walk to the kitchen. I get myself a glass of cold water. She looked amazing in that towel. All I wanted to do was strip it off of her .

No. I need to stay focused. A few minutes later, she walks in.

“Okay, let’s talk,” Savvy says.

She’s wearing pajamas and sitting on the couch. The wind howls again as another gust blows, and the lights continue to flicker. I exhale in relief when the power stays on.

I sit down on the other end of the couch. “Do you remember something else you haven’t mentioned yet?”

She frowns. “No.”

“Then what is it you wanted to think about? Alone?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe the fact that someone I thought was a friend is now trying to kill me.”

I want to hold her and let her know she’ll be safe, but that’s not what she wants right now. Instead, I can give her space. “Okay, you won’t even know I’m here.”

She stands up. “Okay then. We’ll stay in the bedrooms and not bother each other.”

I stand up, too. “Sounds good. I’ll make sure the doors are locked, and then I’ll head to bed.” I yawn because I am exhausted.

She passes me and walks down the hall to the larger bedroom. Of course, that’s the one she’s taking.

Instead of going to the bedroom, I set myself up on the couch. I need to watch the entrance. The storm is making it harder to hear. Each wind gust rattles the windows, and it sounds like someone rattling the doorknob. I need to be ready in case someone does find her here.

Outside, there is a cracking and then a thud. Then the power goes off. A tree fell down. I go to the window, but with the rain now coming down in sheets, so I can’t see anything.

My eyes drift down the hallway. I hope she stays in the bedroom. If she comes out, I’m not sure I can stay focused. I close my eyes.

I wake up an hour later, shivering.

Savvy is bent in front of the fireplace where a small fire is burning. She stands up and turns. “Hey, you’re awake. It got cold, so I started a fire.”

“I didn’t even know we had any wood,” I say as I stand up and move closer to the fire.

“I stole some from next door.”

Wait! What? “You went outside?”

She wraps a nearby blanket around herself. “It was cold, and I could see a tarp over a pile next door. I knew it had to be wood.”

She’s getting defensive. But how the hell did I not hear her leave? Why didn’t I wake up? Because I’m exhausted from the surveillance of the warehouse.

“Hey, thank you.” No need for her to know how worried I really am. “But please don’t go outside again. If we need more wood, I’ll get it.”

Her eyes blaze with anger. “Seriously? You have to take control of everything. I can get my own firewood.”

“It’s not that.”

“Are you sure?” Her voice is sharp.

I grind my teeth. “Yes. I don’t want you outside in case Bob comes up here. He knows where your cabin is. What if you are outside the moment he drives by?”

Her shoulders sag, and the anger emanating from her eyes was replaced with something else. Something I wanted to comfort.

“I hadn’t thought about that.”

“That’s why I’m here. It’s my job to think about those things. But thank you for starting the fire.”

“Your job. Right.” She tosses the blanket down and turns back to the fire, placing another log on it.

I check the clock on the wall. Fortunately, it’s an old-school, battery-operated analog. “We should try to get some sleep.” I move my blanket to the rug in front of the couch. “You can have the couch.”

She goes to the bedroom and returns with a pillow and another blanket. Instead of the couch, she also lies down on the rug. She doesn’t say anything else, thankfully, and we both settle in.

“Hunter?”

I’m really not used to people calling me by my first name, but from her, it’s nice. “Yeah?”

“Do you really think Bob will come after me?” There’s fear in her voice.

I turn to face her. “I don’t know. He hasn’t in the last week so that’s a good sign.”

“Maybe he’s planning another explosion.”

The explosion. She’s not used to putting herself in danger.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I offer.

“The explosion?”

“Yeah.”

“There isn’t really anything to say. We were lucky to get out alive. I’m sorry I dragged you into all of this, though. ”

I reach out and touch her arm. Just like the prior times I’ve touched her, there is that spark. “Hey, don’t be sorry. I already told you I’m glad I was there. Otherwise, you might not be alive. Besides, you aren’t the reason I was placed on this assignment.”

The heat of her skin lingers on my fingers long after I let go. I shouldn’t have touched her. Not for that long. Not when she’s in danger and I’m supposed to be keeping her safe.

“We should get some sleep.” My pulse won’t slow, so I turn away.

“Okay. Thank you for everything.”

This woman confuses me. At first she was so rude to me, but now she’s nice. Of course, she’s in danger, and I’m the one protecting her. I need to let it go and focus on the assignment. Despite the fact that I’m intrigued by her and touching her feels amazing, she’s my sister’s best friend.

She’s off limits. But with every spark of contact, that line gets harder to hold.