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“She’s mine, not yours.” Time to stake my claim.
Axl smiled, enigmatically. “Ours. If you want to cut her ties, here.”
He tossed a sheathed knife that landed beside my foot.
“What else are you armed with? An RPG?
“Not today.”
I placed the gun on the deck as I cut the ties on her wrists, then carefully unwound the blindfold and helped her to her feet. She swayed, and I tucked her into my body with my free arm and retained the gun in my other hand.
“You want me to kill him.”
“He killed her friend, took Emme without permission.”
As if anyone could give that permission. On the other hand…
I catalogued things. I had Emme, alive and well, if mentally distraught, yet why had Axl summoned me? He could have kept me out of the loop. Friendship, and…he still wanted Emme.
“Both of us keep her?”
“Yes. But I need you to kill this one, first.”
I frowned. “Does that earn me brownie points?”
“It lets me trust you, more. I’m sorry, Grayson.”
I grunted, thinking. “Leverage,” I whispered and smiled at Axl. “You swear you didn’t plan this?”
He shook his head. But I did not quite know him as well as I thought.
“Considering this man, was your friend, I should let Emme choose who to shoot. You or him. We both know she can.”
I heard her suck in a breath.
Axl raised an eyebrow. “Go on.”
“I know Martelle kidnapped them and deserves this, because fuck trials and the snail-slow arm of the law. I’m sure you would never be involved in what was done to Charity. You brought me into this because you’re offering me a piece of Emme.” I pulled her closer when she stiffened. “Shhh, girl.”
Axl nodded. “We both get to have her.”
“Except.” I studied the deck, the tied man. “This is back to square one. We have to keep her hidden and under control or risk exposure. Which is why I am letting Emme choose who to shoot.”
I handed her the pistol.
“Oh.” She was silent and cradled the gun. Undoubtedly, she was stunned, and so was Axl.
His face cleared, though, and he glanced at me. The man had an inkling of what I intended here.
She raised the pistol, let it waver from Axl to Martelle, and back, and I was fucking impressed. Shaken, devastated, she was still threatening Axl, and yet I was certain she would not shoot him.
“Swear to me you had nothing to do with Charity being…” As she spoke each word, her voice had firmed. She inhaled, and her shoulders heaved. The gun shook. “Tell me you had nothing to do with her being hurt.”
Axl nodded imperceptibly, and a sober expression appeared. Steady gaze, no mockery, nothing but what I saw as his honest face. “I did not. I would never have done this or ordered it to be done, Emme.”
Of course an honest face did not, infallibly, show all the nuances. He knew this Martelle far too well and had kept so much from me.
“Okay.” She sniffled, swallowed, then moved her aim and put a bullet into Martelle, who jerked and groaned. Then she advanced a couple of steps until she was over him and shot point blank into his head.
