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Yes, hedemandedinstead of asking like a normal person.Hismannerisms were so ridiculous thatIcould no longer help it.Ithrew my head back and laughed.
“Yourname,” he insisted.
Didthis guy ever take a hint?
Ishook my head. “Goodbye,DJAxl.”
ChapterFive
* * *
Piya
Thefirst andlast timeImetDJAxelTrimalchiowas at my brother’s wedding.Whywas he suddenly back in my life?Whatdid he want?Mostimportantly…Didhe know?
Tighteningmy black satin bathrobe,Iplaced two trembling hands on the bathroom counter and stared at the text that had popped up two minutes ago.
“Youcan run, butI’llalways find you.”
Thenumber might be unknown, but the context was a dead giveaway about the identity of the sender.
Upondiscovering he had adopted the nameIdubbed him,ItrackedAxel’srise to fame, granted he added an “e” toAxl.Iassumed it was for copyright reasons, though the nod to the nicknameIhad dubbed didn’t go unnoticed.
Axelstarted as a localDJand gained enough following to do bigger shows.Thebig break came in the form of aDJresidency inLasVegas.Axel'swork ethic was renowned between the residency and playing tirelessly at festivals and international shows.
Despitethe success in his chosen profession,Axelventured outside the music industry to build an empire unmatched by others.Usingfame as collateral, he created a brand and put his name on everything.Restaurants, hotels, clubs, e-commerce, you name it.
Oncein a blue moon,Axelstill played at select shows if the price was right.Otherwise, the recluse superstar had outgrown shows and focused on his ever-growing kingdom.
Noneof it explained his presence inLongIsland, however.Thesleepy suburbs were no match for glamorousManhattan, only an hour away.Itwas difficult to acceptAxel’ssudden appearance was a coincidence.Asmall, terrified part of me screamed,he knows,althoughIstifled the paranoia.
Icould hearJaygetting dressed for his flight on the other side of the door and prayed he couldn’t hear the phone alerting me of another text.
Axel:Thereis no point in hiding from me,Princess.
Piya:Howdid you get this number?
Axel:FromJordan.
Bullshit.
ItrustedJordanwith my life.Shemight not have recognizedAxelfrom the minute glance years ago, but she’d never compromise my privacy.Refusingto give him an inch,Iset a formal tone.
Piya:Howdid you really get this number,Mr.Trimalchio?
Axel:Usinga formal tone doesn’t create a wall between two people.
Hedidn’t miss much, did he?
Axel:Andit was easy to find your number onceIlearned your name.
Onimpulse,Ihurried to the bathroom door and locked it, before putting my phone on vibrate.Withmy back pressed against the door,Itried to steady my racing heart.
Perhapshe’ll stop texting ifIdon’t engage.
Istared at the screen without responding.Minutespassed.Thephone in my hand lay dormant, andIsighed in relief.Iwas ready to turn around and unlock the bathroom door when the phone buzzed.Drythroat, winded breaths, and the heavy rise and fall of my chest weren’t enough to distract me from the incoming text.
Axel:Ialso learned your home address.Ifyou keep ignoring me,I’llcome over, and we can have this conversation in person.
