Page 107 of Trapped Truth

Silent, Blaine nods sluggishly.

“Coming right up. Want one, dimples?”

“Yeah.” Using my index finger, I trace a vein in the marble counter in front of me.

“You should both try to eat something.”

The mere prospect curls my lip. “I don’t think I can stomach it.”

“Blaine?” Axel casts him a wary look.

This time, he shakes his head. Still silent.

“I’ll throw together some sandwiches,” Axel decides, mostly to himself. “In case you’re hungry later. It’s about all I’m good at making anyway.”

“Did you hear from Hyland?” I accept the liquor then drink deeply.

In the kitchen, Axel bustles about collecting ingredients. He seems wide awake despite the late hour. By the time we cleared the scene and transported casualties to London’s trauma centre, the sun had long disappeared.

“They arrived at the hospital to relieve Hudson and Gunnar about an hour ago, no sign of trouble. We’re waiting on the fire department’s report. Apparently, the blaze is still burning.”

“A lot of product to fuel it.” Blaine summons his first smoke-tinged words. “Some sort of accelerant must’ve been used.”

“Seems so,” Axel agrees.

“I should be at the hospital, not hiding out here.”

“That’s the first place your father would look if he wanted to take another shot.” I almost give myself whiplash, rotating my head to gawp at him.

“I don’t care. Let him try.”

“You’re hurting, Blaine. Being rash doesn’t help anyone.”

“Spyder and the other survivors are there alone!” His bar stool crashes against the kitchen floor where it’s thrown off-kilter.

The fact there’s a handful of his crew still alive is a miracle in itself. I didn’t anticipate anyone else being pulled from the wreckage, let alone alive. To make matters worse, Spyder revealed some were taken hostage before he succumbed to unconsciousness.

“No, they’re not.” Axel folds his arms, flexing tatted skin. “Our team is there providing additional security along with Sabre’s finest. They will be protected.”

“Protected,” Blaine scoffs. “Like we’ve been?”

Swirling whiskey around my glass while he begins to pace the length of the room, I knock back another shot, wincing at the burn. After breathing in fumes, my sore throat isn’t happy about the drink choice. But frankly, my nerves are equally fried, and they need the relief.

If given half a chance, I’m in no doubt that Blaine would be camped out in that emergency department. The same would’ve occurred to his father. This was a crippling blow in their war, but I’m not going to let Blaine’s vulnerability give Madden even more of an advantage.

Instead, I have to make my peace with watching him pace up and down so aggressively, it’s a wonder he doesn’t wear a hole into the penthouse floor. While throwing together some sandwiches, Axel eyes him too. We’re alone with a ticking time bomb until the others come home.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t wait for the rest of you,” I whisper to Axel. “We had to move fast.”

“I know, babe. I didn’t love it, but I understood.”

“Your brother stuck to me like glue the entire time.”

“Then he received my threat.” Axel flashes a toothy, shark-like grin.

“You requested him for backup?”

“When you didn’t answer your phone, Hyland called the directors. I asked Hudson to send Gunnar in. He’s a violent psychopath, but on our side, that’s a lot of firepower.”