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Iclosed my eyes, praying for patience.Tryingto speak to him and make him understand was pointless;Ihad learned the hard way. “Axel, you are so close to getting out; it’d be stupid to jeopardize it now.Imean, you only have one more show left.It’llbe over before you know it—”
“Thencome with me,” he said through clenched teeth.
“Ican’t,”Igritted out.
“I’mnot letting you out of my sight again!” he yelled so loud thatIjumped.Myheart rate accelerated, andIhad suddenly never been more grateful for the clause in his contract to toss him in jail if he violated it.
“It’sonly two days,”Isaid meekly.
“That’stoo fucking long.”
“Thereis no other choice.Ihave to attendPoppy’sparent-teacher conference, and you have to do your show.”
Hisjaw ticked, acceptance tentatively settling in. “Thisis the last time.We’vealready been apart for too long,” he said so quietly thatIhad to perk my ears.
Inodded in acquiescence, watching him carefully.Axeldidn’t have to verbalize what he meant; it was apparent in his words and actions.Hehad reached his goals and had finally found me.Afterthis last show, nothing would keep him from his reward ever again.
PartThree
Secrets
ChapterEighteen
* * *
Axel
Thesummer sun,mixed with theChicagowind, made for comfortable weather.IwatchedPiyastrut around her sunroom with purpose, watering the hanging potted plants with a gardening can.Shewas dressed in black yoga pants, a matching tank top, and a headband with an unmistakable line of glitter along the edges.Herhair hung like a glossy black curtain down her back.Icould almost feel the heat radiating off her body with every step she took.Despitemy anger, the hypnotization she held was difficult to deny.
Fuck, she was beautiful.
Ithad been two days sincePiyaran away.Thehordes of text messages and missed calls fromLevididn't come through because the festival was held at a remote location, andIfound out too late thatPiyahad fled toChicago.Irealized the extreme measuresPiyahad taken to deceive me.Icalled her nonstop, leaving every imaginable threat on her voicemail, and the moment my show ended,Iflew toChicagoand drove to theAmbaniresidence outside the city.
Thehouse sat at the end of the paved driveway.UnlikePiya’shome inNewYork, it wasn't heavily fortified since it was surrounded by numerous acres of land.PerhapsAmbanithought the seclusion provided enough safety.
Itwas easy bypassing the large gate and round the house to inspect how to break in.FindingPiyahanging out on the sunporch was simply a stroke of luck.
Ifought the urge to break down the door, march inside, and drag her out by her hair.Didshe think running to a different city would keep her safe?
Ihad waited years to find her, only for her to run at the first opportunity.Itwas time to pluck her out of this life once and for all and further submerse her into mine.Ifshe thought whatIhad done so far to corner her was bad,I'dprove her wrong.Ihad nothing but time to make her bend to my will.
ThemomentI’dfoundPiyaagain,Ihad put the word out thatI’dno longer be doing shows.Thisfestival marked the end of my last contractual agreement.Famewould be a hindrance to my new life withPiya.Wecouldn’t go anywhere without being recognized, andIhad a feelingPoppywasn’t the kind to appreciate the limelight.She’ddefinitely break one or two of the paparazzi’s cameras if they came near her.
I’donly remained in the spotlight for so long becauseIknewPiyawas in the music industry.Mygoal was to maintain a public presence soI’dstay visible on her radar, and she could get in touch with me.NowthatI’dfound her, the shows no longer served me a purpose.Fromnow on, we'd only create music when we pleased without the hassle of deadlines or fulfilling demands.
Withfame no longer standing in the way, only one obstacle remained.Ambani.Ina shocking turn of events, the situation had resolved itself.OrsoIthought.Ihad writtenAmbanioff, believing him to be a lost cause.Therewas no point in beating a dead horse becauseAmbanihad taken himself out of the game.
Itturned out that my mistake was in downplayingPiya’sloyalty to him.Nomatter how muchI’dtried to eradicate the thirteen years they had spent together,Piyawanted closure.Asmuch asIhate to admit it,Irealized she might fight me every step of the way until receiving it.Piyamust’ve seenAmbaniby now and was privy to the situation.
Myeyes burned with rage, jaw set firmly in a menacing grimace.Iwanted to shakePiyauntil she stopped giving a shit aboutAmbani.Myrigid body moved to the glass door, ready to lunge if she didn’t open it.
Feelingthe weight of my stare,Piyaset down the green gardening can and rotated her head to locate the origin.Adeep furrow appeared between her brows, and her back went ramrod straight when she looked outside the glass casement doors of her sunroom.Shecaught my gaze with her own whenIstepped into view.Evenfrom here,Icould see her breath hitching.Sheshook her head as if willing my presence away or asking me not to do whateverIhad planned.Piyaassumed there'd be retribution for her actions.Shewas right.
“Axel,” she spoke from behind the pane of glass.Iexpected her voice to come out muffled.Instead,Iheard her loud and clear despite the door separating us.Glancingabove the glass door,Isaw the open vent to allow air circulation into the sunroom.Itseemed the room wasn’t part of the central air-conditioning system of the house.
Unlikethe room, the air between us was thick with tension, hot and oppressive, and heavy.Istepped closer.Smoothskin, soft like velvet, made me want to reach out and touch her.Scratchthat.Iwould touch her.
“Openthe door,Piya,” my voice was a low rumble like thunder, each word punctuated with a sharp intake of breath, trying to control my rage.Iknew she could hear me perfectly clear through the door.
