Chapter 15
The study”s walls, lined with books and memories, close in on me. Sasha sits across from me, her eyes an open book of trust and expectation. It”s a damn safe house, but nowhere feels safe when you”re about to lay your soul bare.
”Sasha,” I start, my voice as rough as gravel. ”There”s something about Damian you don”t know. It”s a shitstorm of a tale, and it ties back to... to that mission I led.”
She tilts her head, her brows knitting together in that cute way when she”s puzzled. ”What does he have to do with your past?”
A humorless chuckle escapes me. ”Well, turns out the world is smaller than we like to think.” I run a hand over my face, the stubble scratching against my palm. ”The guy... he had a brother.”
Sasha leans forward, the candlelight casting dancing shadows across her face. She”s all in, even if she doesn”t know what she”s signing up for.
”His brother was part of my team and the collateral during an op I commanded. I tried saving him…” My throat constricts as I try to push out the words that might just sever whatever this is between us.
”And what, Axel?” Her voice is soft but insistent.
”And he died.” There it is—the ugly truth laid out like a body on the battlefield.
Her hand reaches out, hovering over mine before she pulls back slightly. ”Axel, you can”t blame yourself for?—”
”But I do, Sasha,” I cut her off more sharply than I intend. ”Every damn day.”
She bites her lip—a quirky little habit when she”s deep in thought—and finally places her hand on mine. It”s warm and grounding. ”I see you, Axel Creed,” she says firmly. ”You”re not some... some villain in a tragic backstory. You”re here with me now because you”re strong and honorable.”
I scoff at that, but she doesn”t let me wallow in self-pity.
”Strong enough to share this with me,” she insists.
Her confidence is unwavering; it”s one of those things that just knocks the wind out of me—her strength. Sasha isn”t just sunshine; she”s a fire that refuses to go out no matter how dark it gets.
The knot in my stomach loosens just a bit as I look into her eyes and see no judgment there, just a fierce determination that says we can weather any storm.
”You don”t run from the shadows,” I murmur, admiration coloring my tone despite the situation.
She smiles then, that quirky curve of her lips that tells me she”s leagues away from any damsel in distress.
”Nope,” Sasha quips with a twinkle in her eye. ”I kick their asses.”
Sasha”s gaze pierces through the bullshit, right to the heart of me. I”m braced for impact, ready for the recoil, but it doesn”t come. Instead, she”s all warmth and fierce grace under fire.
”Christ, Sunshine,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. ”I thought once you knew?—”
She cuts me off with a gentle touch to my arm, her fingers tracing over the scars beneath my shirt sleeve like she”s reading braille—a language of hurt only she understands.
”Stop,” she says firmly. ”You”re not alone in this, Axel. You”ve been carrying this shit around like a one-man army. But guess what? You”re stuck with me now.”
Her attempt at lightness doesn”t mask the storm of emotion in her eyes—it”s empathy in its purest form.
I let out a dry laugh because what else can I do when this woman sees through every layer of armor I”ve built? ”Stuck with you, huh? That doesn”t sound too bad.”
She smiles at that, the corner of her mouth quirking up in a way that knocks me sideways every damn time. ”Yeah, well, don”t get too comfortable,” she teases. ”I”m high maintenance.”
A real laugh breaks free from me then. ”You? High maintenance?” I mock-gasp. ”Never would”ve guessed.”
She rolls her eyes but leans in closer across the small table that separates us. Her scent wraps around me, something sweet and strong all at once.
”Axel,” she says, serious again, her brown eyes locked on mine. ”Your past—it”s heavy. But it doesn”t change anything about how I feel. We”ve all got ghosts; it”s about what we do with them that counts.”
Her hand finds mine on the table—warmth spreading from her palm to mine like a promise.
”Damian and his vendetta against you—it’s not your fault,” she continues, her voice as steady as her gaze. ”You”re here now, fighting for good, for me. That”s the man I see.”
I swallow hard against the lump in my throat because hell if this woman doesn”t make me feel like maybe I”m not just the sum of my fuck-ups.
”Thanks, Sunshine,” I say quietly. ”For seeing the best in me when I can”t find it myself.”
She squeezes my hand, her touch grounding me in a way nothing else does.
”That”s what I”m here for,” she replies with a soft smile that feels like coming home. ”Now come on, let’s plan our next move.”
”Damn it,Derek, if you”re messing with me...” I warn into the phone, my grip on it tight enough to leave marks.
Derek”s voice crackles through the speaker, ”Axel, I wouldn”t joke about this. Damian knows how to hit where it hurts. He”s figured out Sasha”s your Achilles” heel.”
A low growl rumbles in my throat. ”He thinks he can use her to get to me?” I slam my fist on the table, a surge of protective rage flooding my veins.
Sasha jumps at the sound, her eyes wide but her spirit unshaken. ”Axel, what”s going on?”
I meet her gaze, and the fury I feel is matched only by the ironclad resolve setting in. ”Damian”s playing a dangerous game,” I say through gritted teeth. ”He believes he can use you to settle some twisted score.”
Her lips press into a thin line, but she doesn”t cower. Instead, she squares her shoulders and steps closer. ”Then we end this game on our terms.”
I nod, admiration mixing with the storm inside me. ”We will.” My declaration isn”t just a promise; it”s a vow etched into every fiber of my being.
She reaches out, placing a steady hand on my arm. ”Together,” she adds firmly.
Her touch ignites something in me—a spark that fuels my need to protect her and torches the remnants of doubt clinging to my soul.
”I let shadows dictate my life for too damn long,” I confess, staring into her unwavering eyes. ”But not anymore. Not with you here.”
Sasha smiles, but it”s no fragile thing—it”s fierce and full of fire. ”Your demons had their time, Axel. Now it”s our turn.”
I can”t help but crack a smile at her tenacity. ”You sure are a stubborn one.”
”And you love it,” she teases back, her humor a light in the darkness that has nothing on her.
”Guilty as charged.” My hand covers hers, our fingers intertwining naturally. ”But here”s the deal—we play this smart. We keep you safe and draw this bastard out.”
Her brows draw together, her brown eyes reflecting the same steel that fortifies my spine. ”I don’t like waiting around to be rescued,” she says.
”I know,” I try to reassure her. ”You”re not a damsel in distress—you’re the queen ready to go to war.”
”And you”re my...” She trails off with a playful glint in her eye.
”Your what? Knight in shining armor?” I tease back.
She laughs, and it”s like music amidst chaos. ”More like my badass bodyguard with a heart of gold.”
I lean in closer, drawn by her laughter and strength alike. ”For you? I”ll be anything you need.”
The study is no longer just a room; it”s a battleground in waiting, with maps and notes strewn across the table like a warlord”s plans. Sasha stands beside me, her fierce gaze scanning the documents. She”s a damn force of nature—her strength doesn”t just surprise me anymore; it”s what I bank on.
”So, what”s the play, Cap?” Sasha asks, her voice steady despite the storm we”re walking into.
I lean over the table, my finger tracing a line on the map. ”We need to think like Damian. Anticipate his moves.”
She nods, her brow furrowed in concentration. ”He wants to unnerve you, get under your skin.”
I chuckle despite the gravity of our situation. ”Joke”s on him then—he”s not the first to try.”
Sasha grins at that, and hell if it doesn”t lighten the weight on my shoulders. ”Oh, I bet.”
She leans into the table, studying the map. ”I don’t think he’ll come to the house—there couldn’t be more security there. He’ll probably try to get us when we have to leave, since he was able to find us at the diner. What about here or here?”
I study the spot she indicates—the small grocery store near the edge of town and an old bridge we have to pass to get into town. ”Not bad for a pop star,” I admit grudgingly.
”Pop star slash strategic genius,” she corrects with mock arrogance.
I can”t fight the smirk that tugs at my lips. She brings light to this dim room, even with danger breathing down our necks.
”Okay,” I concede, ”let”s run with that theory.” My hand hovers over another area of the map. ”We”ll set up surveillance here and here—make sure we”ve got eyes on every possible angle.”
Sasha nods in agreement, her fingers drumming against the tabletop—a rhythmic counterpoint to our tense planning session.
”We”re a good team,” she muses out loud.
”Yeah,” I agree without hesitation. ”We are.”
Her eyes meet mine, and there”s something there—an understanding that goes beyond words. She knows what it costs me to share this burden; knows how fiercely I guard my demons.
”Hey,” she says softly, breaking through my thoughts with her gentle tenacity. ”You”re not in this alone anymore.”
Her hand finds mine among the chaos of papers and plans—a simple touch that seals our unspoken pact.
”Never thought I”d say this,” I confess as I squeeze her hand back, ”but having you here makes me believe we might just win this damn war.”