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“What’s going on?” I ask Axel when he finally returns to the table. He ordered me to stay put when The General left after Odi and against my better judgement I listened to him. I’ve been distracted, unable to get my mind off of Odile the last few days. “Where’s Odi and Kaiden? And my dad?”
I frown, wondering why they haven’t returned. Something’s going on.
“Odi isn’t feeling well so Kaiden has taken her home. Your father has been called away on urgent business unfortunately.”
“Do you really expect me to believe that?” I snap. I’m so sick of still being kept out of the loop. Things improved once we got away from Deathfall, but now with Odi back on the scene it’s starting to feel like we’re slipping into old habits.
Take the fight night for example, I was sent away to deal with Rob while Axel and Kaiden stayed together. And that was after being made to play chauffeur to The Doe.
Although I guess that wasn’t entirely a bad thing. I did get to kiss her after all. I’ve not been able to get the feel and taste and smell of her out of my mind ever since.
Once we were at the hotel though, I didn’t miss the way Kaiden draped himself all over Odi like a blanket…something has happened there. They’re way too chummy with each other. And yet she’s still holding me at arm’s length, acting like I ripped her heart out and killed her puppy while shitting on her doorstep. What gives? We all left. Why am I being held accountable when Kaiden and Axel are as much to blame? More so, in Axel’s case. Two years is a long time to hold a grudge, we can’t help being older and needing to leave.
“Do you really want the truth right now? Here?” That question fills me with dread.
Do I want the truth?
“If it involves my father and Odi, then I think I have a right to know.”
Axel sighs and scrubs a hand over his face, a sure sign of how stressed he is. My gut sinks. This can’t be good; Axel never lets his emotions show in public.
“I don’t know.”
“Axel—”
“No. That’s the truth. I don’t know. When I went to find Odi I found her with The General and he had hold of her arm.”
“He what?” My chair scrapes across the parquet flooring as I unconsciously get to my feet, my blood instantly simmering.
“Sit down,” he snaps, grabbing my wrist. “People are staring. Eat.”
I do as he says, sitting down, but I can’t bring myself to eat. Instead I stare at him expectantly, silently urging him to go on.
It takes a moment for him to continue and I swear I visibly age in the time frame.
“I don’t think he was hurting her but she…she looked absolutely petrified. She was clammy and shaking.”
“Why would she still be so scared of him?”
“After all this time? I don’t know. That’s what I was wondering. I can imagine and with all the places my mind’s taking me right now…none of them are good.”
“But, you had eyes on her the last two years, right? You said she was fine, so—”
“I lied.”
“What?!” I bang my fist on the table and it earns me another warning glare from Axel as people turn around stare and immediately start whispering.
With forced calm, Axel picks up his cutlery, poignantly looks at me to do the same, and then begins eating. I gape at him, incredulous. What does he mean, he lied? Lied about what? Odi being fine?
“What does that mean?” I force out from between my gritted teeth.
“It doesn’t matter. She’s clearly not fine and there’s more history there with The General than we first thought. I’ll handle it. I’ll keep a closer eye on him and now that he knows Odi’s The Doe, he wouldn’t dare come near her.”
I laugh at that but it’s a humourless sound. Axel glowers at me. “Yeah, okay, you tell yourself that.”
“If you’ve got something to say, just spit it out,” Axel snaps.
“Forget it.”
