Page 64 of Wallflower No More

A knock sounds on the door. A man enters, and one must be blind not to guess that this is Scarlett's dad. They have the same eyes, cheeks, and hair. I cautiously get up and shake Mr. Rufus' hand. "Hello, sir, I'm Axel, Scarlett's boyfriend. I wish we were meeting under better circumstances."

Her dad looks me over, trying to measure what kind of man I am. Maybe he won't find me good enough. Mr. Rufus extends his hand to shake mine. His grip is firm but not overly so. "What happened to my baby girl, Axel?"

There's no reason to go into great detail with him, but I'm as honest as possible. "We won't have all the details until Scarlett wakes up, but from what I understand, she was targeted by two individuals. They broke into her office, kidnapped her and they planned to kill her. Their names are Brody McDougall and Jenson Avery. They've gone missing, and nobody knows what's happened to them. The police have looked at all available surveillance cameras and are doing a thorough investigation."

Mr. Rufus claps his hand on my shoulder and gently squeezes it. "Son, thank you for being there for my daughter. I won't sleep until those fuckers are brought to justice, though."

I give him a menacing smile. "They will be." He'll never know how justice will come, but it will be served.

Mr. Rufus looks at me and gives a sad smile. "Son, you've been here all night. Why don’t you go shower and get a little rest, and when you get back, we'll talk and get to know one another." I can tell he's a hardworking, simple man. His accent is more Cajun sounding than my Wallflower's.

If there weren't the issue of Scarlett's attackers to deal with, there wouldn't be a snowball chance in hell I'd leave her, but this needs to be dealt with today before the cops get any more involved. I look at her, and my emotions get the best of me. Part of me is in agony because I have to leave. However, the other part, the darker part, is happy that the rage will be coming out of its cage soon. Reluctantly, my lips find hers for a quick kiss. I look at her dad and say, "Thank you, sir, I won't be long."

Her dad smiles at me. "I'm glad she's found you, Axel. Now rest, she'll be okay. I've got it from her."

Taking out my burner cell, I call Dex as my truck leaves the parking lot.

Dex: Hello

Me: On the way.

I hang up quickly and throw the burner out of the window. The traffic will take care of the phone, and it'll never be traced. Nate visited Scarlett last night and told me where to go. Nothing could be written down, so I'm driving to my destination from memory. That's how they do things, moving in and out like ghosts. I've never asked them how they dispose of the bodies, but there’s no time like the present to find out.

Brody and Jenson’s debt will be paid in full soon. What will Scarlett think when she finds out what I’ve done? Who will I be on the other side of this, and will I still be someone that Scarlett wants? I have to believe Scarlett will understand and won't ever leave me. She has told me as much, and my Wallflower is always faithful to her word.

Pulling up to an abandoned marina near Lake Austin, as instructed, I walk to the last dock on the right and await my ride. The men of Murders Ink have always been solid guys. Dex was the first person I ever fought at Sully's. The memory makes me laugh because he kicked my ass. After that, he took me under his wing and taught me so much about proper form and mixed martial arts. Through him, I've developed a friendship with Ridge and Nate. They are inseparable and have been since their military days. The guys know a lot about everything and have taught me so much.

Ridge speeds up to the dock, and I climb in his boat. It's an older model that's seen better days, but it seems efficient and fast. He nods his head in greeting. Quiet and mysterious is Ridge's whole personality. The only person I've ever seen him smile at is Charlie, the sweet receptionist at the tattoo shop.

When Nate visited the hospital, he didn't divulge any secrets about anything other than the directions to the marina. As we ride, Ridge explains we are heading to an old distillery turned plant sanctuary that his family once owned and became his when they passed away. He has a green thumb and told me once that he liked plants more than people because he understood them better. The sanctuary hosts over twenty endangered plants that thrive in this Texas heat, it’s even government sanctioned. The thought of that is kind of wild, makes me wonder if this where all the bodies are buried.

The water ripples as we speed down the lake, which has a claiming effect on me. My mind works differently than most people. Where they see chaos, I find solace. When we've been traveling for about thirty minutes, a clearing with a dock comes into view. The Sanctuary is named Memento Mori and sits upon two hills. I’m curious about what it means. I know it’s Latin. There are two greenhouses, a shop, and ten different gardens. "It's beautiful here, Ridge."

He nods in agreement. "Follow me this way."

At the back of the shop is a room with a floor latch opening to a basement. Ridge lifts the covering, and we take the steps downward. As we descend, I hear the muffled cries of Jenson and Brody. When they come into view, I see that they are duck-taped to chairs positioned back-to-back. Nate is taunting them both with a knife, switching between the two.

Dex has told me in passing that Nate's code name was Jekyll and Hyde when he was the head interrogator for the special ops team they were all a part of. Dex said that he was known for being able to flip a switch from charming to the cold-hearted killer that he was trained to be in an instant. Nate could get anyone to spill their secrets at any time. I've never witnessed this part of him. It's almost a shock at the contrast between personas. Dex is in the corner, trying to hide his amusement, and all Ridge does is grunt behind me. Nate smiles at me, transforming back to the personality that I'm familiar with. "Axel, you've finally made it." He looks back at our captives. "Look, boys, your time is almost up."

They both look at me with hope in their eyes. I can't muster the energy to feel sorry for them because the only emotion inside me right now is hatred. Not only were they going to take Scarlett away from me, but they were to extinguish a great light from this world, and I won't stand for it. She's my much better half. Where she'd want mercy, I'll choose vengeance. For her, because she will always be mine and, therefore, under my protection.

Dex's deep voice sounds through the room. "It's your call, Axel."

Looking at Nate, I smile. "Give Brody your knife."

He chuckles and cuts through the duct tape. Nate hands Brody the knife, no questions asked. Brody looks at me, and it's my turn to smile. "Brody, if you cut me even once, I'll let you go, but if I cut you... you’re dead."

He looks at me with a snarl. "Where's your knife, Axel?"

Dex hands me his pearl-handled blade. Brody's eyes widen a fraction before turning back into slits. "I'm going to enjoy watching you bleed, and I'll enjoy killing Scarlett next, but not before I fuck her first."

This motherfucker. I'm going to enjoy sticking this into his heart. Wasting no time, I lunge for him, almost connecting with his face. Brody goes on the offense and tries to bury his knife deep into my stomach, but his arrogance has him unaware of my capabilities. I sweep his legs out from under him. Done with his nonsense, and without any other thought, I plant my knife to the hilt inside his chest. Blood flows freely from the wound, and Brody dies instantly. Jenson squeals in his chair and looks toward me in horror.

Shock sets in, making me numb about what's taken place, but I don't have any regrets. Brody deserved to die. For Scarlett, London, and any other woman he's ever touched. I look at Nate and point at Jenson. "I don't care how you kill him. He's all yours." I turn my back on the scene and head off toward my future. Toward my Wallflower.

***

Axel Creed is insane, and I couldn't love him anymore. -Scarlett