Page 158 of Between Passion and Revenge: Part Two

“Am I all right? Sure. But arethingsall right? No,” he replies cryptically, tapping on the keyboard as the desk rises to its standing position. Browser windows pop up on the screen infront of him, about five in rapid succession. He navigates from page to page, muttering to himself.

I give Riale a look, and he sighs, his mouth going into a straight line as he grabs a chair and pulls it up next to mine.

I don’t get a chance to ask Riale for more information because Axel twists around and pins me with a hard look.

“Storm, were you serious about getting your cousin?”

My mouth drops open as my eyebrows screw up.

“Uh, I mean, at the time it felt like a good idea, but it’s a moot point now, yeah?”

Riale shifts, but I give Axel my attention.

“Okay, good,” he replies, ignoring the last part of my statement. “I’ve been working with Misha’s team on cleaning up the digital footprint around the explosion, and I came across this.”

He grabs the mouse and pulls up a picture.

“Laura Sandoval, but she goes by Skai. Found wandering downtown Detroit by DPD and transferred to a psychiatric hospital a week ago,” he says, pointing at the image of a rail-thin girl wearing hospital clothes and a surly expression.

“Look, assholes,” he says, growling and moving to his computer. After tapping a few keys, he pulls up what looks to be medical records and session summaries from mental health professionals.

“She’s sixteen, Storm. Still a kid, and she doesn’t have anyone to get her out. She’s listed as a runaway, and the only name she keeps repeating isyours, Storm.”

The fuck?

“She didn’t have anyone looking out for her besides Lakeland?” I ask, a weird feeling settling on the back of my neck.

Axel shrugs, agitated.

“Who knows? Not really relevant because Lakeland’s dead. Whatisrelevant is he left an orphan, your kin, who’s sick and needs your help,” he states.

I lean back, giving him an assessing look.

“Lakeland’s daughter, Axel. You really think I’m just gonna roll up and claim her like some feel-good redemption arc? Why are you even pushing this so hard?”

Axel seems to vibrate, looking at me as if I just sprouted devil horns and a pitchfork.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” he says, his voice deadly in its softness. “You know what I do in my line of work, but you don’t know half of what I’ve seen—the horrors I’ve witnessed. I’m not like you, Storm. I care about what happens to people, even if they aren’t connected to me.”

This again.

“Idocare about people. I care about alotof people. Just not at the expense of my family,” I reiterate, so fucking tired of this merry-go-round. Axel waves off the words.

“Listen, I get she’s my family,how-ev-er, don’t you think it’s weird as fuck she’s asking formewhen I barely remember what she looks like? C’mon now. This situation has Lakeland all over it.”

Riale shifts in his chair next to mine.

“I have to say I agree with Storm,” he says. I nod, already dismissing the topic.

“No,” Axel says. “Storm, I know you have no good feelings toward Lakeland, but I can promise you, neither does Skai. She’s not on his side.”

“How do you know?” I throw back.

“Because she’s been hurt so deeply by Lakeland, I can’t see her having any good feelings toward him.”

Axel’s jaw flexes, and his voice takes a tone I’veneverheard from him.

“Lakeland trafficked her for years,” he grinds out, his fists clenched tight. “She’s been so abused, her medical records from intake—” Sucking in a breath, Axel pinches the bridge of his nose.