AXEL
I slammed my heel against the door, sending it flying open with a deafening crack of splintered wood. The frame exploded inward as I ran into her apartment and straight into the room that had been her studio.
It was there that Mathew held Dakota with a knife to her throat.
He must’ve heard the front door crack open because now, rather than facing the cameras, he had spun her around so she was facing me. Like some sick show-and-tell.
One look at the terror in her eyes was all it took to shatter me completely. I quickly assessed her body for injuries, cataloging each horror: her beautiful hair chopped short and uneven; red marks circling her wrists, where she’d clearly been bound; little pinpricks on her neck, where the knife tip had already drawn blood. Fresh tears streaked down her makeup-free face.
What did he do to you?
And still, the blade pressed against her jugular.
I put my palms up in surrender. “Let her go.”
Mathew licked his lower lip, savoring the moment. “You’re too late to be the hero, Pierce.”
“Take me instead.” The words came out steady, final. I meant every syllable.
“Take another step, and she’ll bleed out faster than an ambulance can reach her.”
I ground my jaw, tasting copper where I’d bitten my tongue.
“Tell me what you want.” I forced my voice to stay calm. “My business? My money? All of it can be yours if you just let her go.”
“Axel …” Dakota’s voice cracked, and she gasped when the knife pressed harder into her throat. A thin line of red appeared.
Don’t you dare.
“She was mine first,” Mathew sneered into her ear, his breath hot against her skin. “The only reason you want her is because of what I made her into.”
Made her into?I had no idea what the hell he was talking about, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except getting that blade away from her neck.
“Put the knife down.”
Instead, he trailed it along her throat, playing games. Relishing the control he had over both of us. The sick bastard was getting off on this.
I took one careful step forward.
Mathew snickered. “You think you can save her? Look at her.” He grabbed her hair with his free hand, twisting her head to the side. “She’s ruined.”
“She’s not a doll. She’s a woman.” My voice dropped to a growl. “And no matter what you do to her, you can never break her.”
Dakota locked eyes with me and I watched her fear retreat behind a wall of pure determination. The same look she’d worn when she’d decided to fight for us.
That’s my girl.
She gave me the slightest nod, and then she brought her knee up and stomped her heel down on his foot with everything she had.
Mathew jerked with a yelp of pain.
I lunged forward, using his moment of distraction to barrel into him. We went down hard, crashing into the tripods and sending cameras flying. I landed three solid punches to his temple, the impact reverberating up my knuckles, and then I wrapped my hands around his throat.
Squeezing the life out of him felt like justice. Mathew’s eyes bulged as he clawed at my hands. He tried bucking me off, but I was straddling him with all my weight, and I had the angle.
Die, you sick fuck.
Unfortunately, he still had the knife.
