Page 231 of Ruthless Desires: Vol. Two

“Maybe,” I say slowly, “but you burning down the Grille doesn’t help me. It’ll piss Ludo off, sure, but it doesn’t get us to safety or anywhere near close to it.”

“Not yet,” Axel corrects. “But this is just one step of many. Eventually, the only thing left of Ludo’s empire will be smoldering ashes, and I’m the last person he’ll suspect lit the match.”

In theory, that sounds good, but I doubt Ludo will keep us alive for much longer. I’m serving a purpose for now, but how long will that last?

“Unless you’re planning on doing it fairly quickly, we’ll be dead before that happens.” I cross my arms. “I’ll say it again—that doesn’t help me at all.”

The smile on Axel’s face vanishes, and he pulls off onto a dark side street and cuts the headlights. When he turns to me, I can’t see most of his face, but his tone is threatening enough. “You can gather all the bargaining chips in the world, and it still won’t be enough for Ludo to let you go. This doesn’t change anything.”

“But you don’t know that for sure,” I say.

“Don’t make me regret hiring someone to doyourjob tonight,” he growls.

“I won’t,” I say quickly. “As long as you let me help you.”

Silence fills the SUV for a few seconds before Axel responds, “In exchange for what?”

“You get us out of that damn mansion before he kills us. Andrew and Benny, too.”

“That’s asking for a lot, Elliot.”

I give myself a few seconds to think. To convince Axel to help us, I’ll have to play my cards right. Problem is, I don’t have many.

“There’s a reason you haven’t killed Holloway yet,” I say. “Something’s holding you back.”

“I don’t want him dead,” Axel replies. “I want out. Completely and totally out. I’ll have to kill him to do it, and I have no reservations about doing so. I just… can’t yet.”

“Why?” I ask, hoping I’m not pushing him into clamming up. I need to understand his motivations.

Thankfully, Axel seems willing to take a chance on me.

“If Ludo dies, I’m stuck. His men will look tomefor leadership. His partners will come tomewhen their invoices go unpaid. When I leave, I won’t be looking back—and I need to make sure no one comes looking for me, either.”

“I take it just quitting isn’t an option,” I say dryly.

A shadow crosses over Axel’s face. “Let’s just say that Ludo has me right where he wants me.”

“For now,” I add.

Slowly, Axel nods. “The process has been slow-going, but I’ve made progress. I have to be careful. Every move I make, I have to double- and triple-check. There’s no room for error. If I get caught, I’m dead.”

I know that’s true. To cross Ludo, you need vicious precision—even more so if you have to actively deceive him with your every move. Axel is playing a risky game here, but it’s my best shot at freedom.

“We can take him down faster together,” I say. “We’ve been working at this for ten years. We already have a plan in place.”

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I’m worried that this is another trap. That Ludo and Axel set up this elaborate, multiple-night scheme to trick me into giving Axel information. But would Ludo really go as far as burning down the Grille just to get me to let my guard down?

I need more answers.

Just as Axel is about to speak, I cut him off. “Why the Grille? Ludo has so many properties. Why are you targeting this one?”

“He hasn’t earned back his investment on the restaurant yet,” Axel says. “He’s barely owned it for a month. Gotta hit him where it hurts.”

Slowly, I nod. “How do I know I can trust you?”

Rolling his eyes, Axel leans back in his seat. “You’re the one who’s offering to help me, not the other way around.”

I sigh. Of course Axel can trust me. He knows he’s my only option out of this mess. But me trusting him? He already tried to frame us once.