Maggie

 

I listened for his heartbeat to slow down to the normal, pumping rhythm in his chest. I waited for his breathing to slow, for the heave of his chest to level back out. His arms were wrapped around me, but his grip relaxed as he drifted off to sleep.

 

After a few minutes, I carefully slid out of his arms and off the bed. He mumbled something in his sleep, seemed to reach for me, and rolled over onto his other side. I carefully stood up and walked away from the bed.

 

I grabbed my phone and checked the time. I only had a few minutes left to go to meet Axel. I texted him to let him know I was still coming.

 

On my way now. Finally got away.

 

I silenced my ringer and stuffed my phone in my pocket. I grabbed the key from the kitchen counter. Then, before walking out, I grabbed my beer from the table and took a swig of it, washing down Blade’s taste, still lingering in my mouth.

 

I hadn’t known what else to do to distract him. I had used oral sex before to get out of situations, so I figured it was as good a trick as any.

 

I quietly opened and closed my front door and locked it using the key. I hurried down the hallway, not knowing how much time I would have before he woke up.

 

I fished my phone back out once I got outside in the cool night air.

 

Did you happen to bring any of my things, like my ID or a jacket?

 

No. Just meet me. Hurry.

 

I made my way down the street. The lights were coming on in the shops, along the sidewalk, and in the windows in the upper floors of every building I passed. The night was dark and cold, but it was beautiful. I would have enjoyed the walk with someone like Blade, someone I actually wanted to be around, someone I was starting to have feelings for.

 

You’re doing this for him, though, I reminded myself as I walked down the sidewalk.

 

I brushed by other pedestrians, huddled in their coats from the incessant winter chill in the air. There were only a few people walking around, and they seemed to blend in with their surroundings.

 

When I spotted the sidewalk dining in front of the café, Axel stood up from his table so I would see him. I actually considered turning and running back to the safehouse. I considered waking Blade up and telling him everything that was going on. If I weren’t sure of the danger he would be in had I done that, I would have. But I couldn’t risk it.

 

Instead of running, I decided to see the plan through, except I realized I didn’t have a plan. I was going to spy on Blade and the Marauders until I figured out a way to used it against Axel. The thing was, I hadn’t figured out a way yet.

 

“You look cold,” Axel said, towering over me. “Let’s get a table inside where it’s warm.”

 

He held the door for me and let me walk in front of him. Where the hell had this version of Axel been the whole time we were together? I wondered, did he exist the whole time? Was he showing the world this version of himself while he was giving me the worst he had to offer?

 

Inside the café, the warmth and the smell of coffee enveloped me. I realized I craved the warm beverage. I breathed in the smell of the different brews all going at once. It was a warm, comforting scent. It made me feel safe, even though I was there with one of the most despicable men in the city.

 

“Here, let’s have a seat,” Axel said. “They’ll send someone to us.”

 

The café wasn’t like any café I’d ever been in before. Most cafés were tiny, offering just a few seats at a few small tables, but the place we were in was as large as any other restaurant. They even had full menus at each table, detailing everything they sold, from coffee to pastries to deli sandwiches.

 

“So, are they not giving you jackets at the safehouse?” Axel asked as he picked up his menu to glance over it quickly.

 

I should have known he wasn’t going to be able to resist taking jabs at me. “I’ve got one. I just forgot to bring it with me,” I told him, not looking up from the menu. I fought back the blush that tried to break out across my face at the mention of something that was so typical of me – forgetting things I actually needed.

 

“Well, look, if you want a nicer one, I can get you one tonight,” he bragged.

 

I did look up at him this time, as I put the menu down on the table. “I’m not going to order anything,” I told him.

 

“What? Why not? You should see some of the holiday flavors they have,” he said.

 

“I don’t plan on staying long enough to enjoy one of their drinks,” I told him flatly.

 

“Nonsense.” His cheerful tone left. “You’ll stay as long as I tell you to, or else you’ll have to suffer the consequences. And so will your little lover boy. So, if I tell you you’re going to stay to have a coffee with me, you’re going to.”

 

I picked the menu back up and shifted my eyes around the room, looking for anyone who might have been with him.

 

“I’m alone,” he said, watching my face. Then, he leaned forward and whispered, “But you’re still being watched.” He leaned back in his chair again with a smile after that.

 

I ordered a peppermint latte, simple and plain. Axel ordered a cappuccino.

 

“Okay, I ordered. Why am I here?” I asked him.

 

He shook his head. “Shame on you, Maggie. You’re all business all of a sudden. Why don’t we take some time to talk? It sounds like we might have some catching up to do.”

 

“Look, you little shit, I don’t know who you think you are now, with your nice suits and your hair slicked back, but I remember nights when you were curled up on the bathroom floor because you were sampling the shit you were supposed to be selling. So don’t come at me with this smug-ass attitude of yours.”

 

“I’ve always been this person, Maggie. You were just too strung out to leave the house and see who I really was,” he countered.

 

“Bullshit. I was never strung out. You kept me locked away. The few times…” I stopped and lowered my voice, embarrassed to say what I was about to tell him out loud. “The few times I did leave the house, you beat the ever-loving shit out of me when I got home.”

 

He chuckled. “And you earned every bit of your punishment.”

 

“You’re a horrible person, Axel. I don’t know what I ever saw in you,” I said.

 

“I’m sorry about all of that, Maggie. It’s true, we brought out the worst in each other. We really did.”

 

“You talk like it was ancient history. I only walked out two days ago.” Saying it, I realized just how long those days had been. It felt like it had been weeks since I’d left.

 

“True, but when you walked through that door, everything changed for me. As I’m sure it did for you,” he said with a sneaky little grin on his face. He was thinking something, working some scheme in his mind.

 

Our drinks arrived, offering a much-needed break in our twisted little conversation. We thanked our server and sipped our drinks carefully, despite knowing how hot they must have been. Getting coffee together was something we never would have done while we were dating. And I assumed the only reason we were doing it then was because I factored into some plan of his.

 

“So, Blade, huh?” Axel said after he set his cup down.

 

“Yep. He helped me out after I left you, and I really haven’t left his side for the last couple of days,” I said, and I felt my chest swell with pride.

 

“Good. I’m glad you’ve found someone to help you. You can’t do it on your own.”

 

I tilted my head. “Are you going to turn everything I say into an insult?” I asked him.

 

“I don’t know. I didn’t realize I was insulting you. I thought I was just expressing my opinion.” He kept looking at me with that smug little grin on his face, like he knew everything he said was getting under my skin.

 

“Fuck it. I’m gone. I don’t have time for your games.” I got up from the table, carrying my coffee to keep me warm for the walk home, and I started to walk away.

 

“Sit. Down,” he said, grabbing my arm and pulling me back. “If you try to walk out of here, you won’t make it past the door.”

 

“What?” My jaw hit the floor.

 

“You heard me. If you don’t hear me out tonight and keep me entertained long enough, you will not make it out of here alive,” he reiterated.

 

“So, what else did you want to talk to me about?” I asked.

 

“Have you slept with him?” Axel asked.

 

“What? That’s none of your business, Axel. We’re over. You and I? We’re done.”

 

“You’re right. I don’t want to know, but tell me. How much did he pay for you at the auction?” Still, that smug little grin.

 

I wanted to reach across the table and slap him. “How do you know about the auction?”

 

“I’ve got people everywhere, Maggie. Anything you do, I see it. Hell, some of what you do, I control.” His smiled grew wider.

 

“You’re an asshole,” I told him. “A straight-up asshole.”

 

“I’ve been told that before,” he said.

 

“I’m sure you have.”

 

His eyes sparkled as he laughed. He was actually tickled by being called an asshole. My skin crawled just being near him. I was ready to leave.

 

“So, are you going to tell me why I’m here?” I asked.

 

“Maybe. How was the auction?”

 

“Get off the auction,” I growled. It was a horrible experience, being exposed for all those people. He didn’t deserve to know how I felt about it. He was just the man I’d left prior to it. He wasn’t privy to my knowledge and my experiences.

 

“Okay, fine. I was just wondering because I’ve been trying to get into one for a while, but they won’t let me,” he said to justify his question.

 

“Well, I’m so sad for you, Axel. I really am. Get to the damn point already,” I said.

 

He took a slow sip of his coffee and stared at me over the rim of his cup. It took and annoying eternity for him to take his drink. Then, he slowly put his cup down. “I’ll tell you why you’re here,” he finally said.

 

“Thank you,’ I said in exasperation.

 

“I have a new plan for you,” he informed me.

 

“Okay, what is it?”

 

“When Blade leaves, I need you to open the back window to your room.”

 

“But what is that going to do? I’m not on the ground floor.”

 

“One of my men will come in that way. Don’t worry, we’ve already worked it out. He knows how to get in,” Axel answered. I felt like I was in a comic book movie listening to the evil villain lay out his plan.

 

I listened, horrified. He was asking me to let someone into the safehouse, to endanger the people who had been helping me. I couldn’t do that. “Okay, but tell me something first,” I countered. “Why are you asking me to do all of this?”

 

“Because you are useful to me again,” he said with a widening grin.

 

“But what if I don’t, Axel? What if I tell Blade, and his men are waiting for your guy? I don’t have to cower anymore. I don’t have to be afraid of what you’ll do to me. I’ve got people who will stick up for me now, people who won’t allow you to do the kind of things you used to do to me,” I said defiantly.

 

“Fine. Do as you will,” he said with a shrug. “But how do you think your new boyfriend is going to react when I tell him you’ve been spying on him for me? What happens when I show him the burner phone I bought for you? What then, Maggie?”

 

I opened my mouth to speak several times, but nothing came out. I would have liked to have believed that Blade would have seen through Axel’s little games, but, at the same time, he didn’t know me that well. Why would he have believed me over Axel? It hadn’t been that long since he’d expressed concerns that I might have been working for Axel to try to take down the MC.

 

“Just as usual, I’ve got you pinned in a corner, and there’s nothing you can do about it. Now, finish your coffee and run along. My man will be watching the house for Blade to leave. If you fail to help me, you will suffer,” he said with cruel delight in his eyes.

 

“You’re a sick individual,” I told him.

 

“Thanks. I’m glad you noticed,” Axel told me. “Now, finish your drink. You don’t want anyone asking questions about the coffee.”

 

He was excellent at introducing doubt and tearing people down. With just a few words, he had me regretting getting a drink, a drink he had convinced me to order in the first place with just a few words. I felt stuck between a rock and a hard place. I had to worry about doing things the way he wanted me to, and about what everyone else would think if they found out I was helping my ex set the Marauders up.

 

“At least tell me the coffee’s good here,” he added after letting me stew for a minute.

 

I took another sip, as if I didn’t already know my opinion of the brew. It was pretty good, but I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of telling him what he wanted to hear. I told myself I was going to have to remember this little coffee shop once all was said and done. I was going to have to come back on my own or with Blade.

 

“You know, he’s not my boyfriend,” I said, suddenly filled with the need to set the record straight.

 

Axel laughed. It was an honest laugh, not the harsh noise he made to try to intimidate me. “How long has that been bothering you? How long have you been sitting on that response?”

 

Before I could answer, he answered for me.

 

“Don’t worry. I don’t really want to know. Thank you for the laugh, though. That’s pretty good. Look, I’ve got work to do, other places to be.” He tossed a couple of bills on the table and got up. “Don’t take too much longer. How do you know he’s going to sleep through the night? Don’t want him waking up and wondering where his newest piece of ass went.”

 

He walked past me, still chuckling about my boyfriend comment, and disappeared through the door to the café. I got up to follow him, to watch where he went, but by the time I made it outside, he’d vanished into the shadows beyond the lights of the café.

 

My phone buzzed. I pulled it out to check the text that had just come in from Axel.

 

Hurry home. What will you tell him if he finds you gone?

 

I rolled my eyes and sighed. Always trying to get in my head. Even now that I was gone and obviously trying to move on, he was still trying to manipulate my thoughts. The frustrating part was that it was working.

 

I tossed my cup in the trash. I couldn’t finish it. I couldn’t drink another drop. Each sip was like acknowledging his control over me. I hugged myself as I walked back to the safehouse. It was getting even colder as the night wore on. I wished I had brought a jacket.

 

I wished I had simply stayed in bed with Blade, inside those strong, protective arms. I knew, deep down, if I had managed to ignore Axel, there wasn’t a whole lot he could do to me. That puny bastard didn’t stand a chance face-to-face with someone like Blade or any of the other guys I’d seen in the Marauders.

 

If I only had the guts to stand up to him, I had people around me who could have protected me from him. That was why I had been moved to the safehouse in the first place. And to think I was on my way back so I could let someone into my room who didn’t belong there, whose presence threatened my safety and everyone else’s.

 

But what was I going to say? Was I going to tell Blade I had been meeting with Axel on the side? No matter what, he’d backed my ass into another corner where I would look bad if I said anything or did anything to try to stop him. He controlled me.

 

I stopped in front of the house and looked up at the lights shining in the night. Even from the outside, I could feel the security and the warmth of the place. Beyond the front door of that old house was a safe haven for people like me, people who were running from their decisions. It was a place for people who had been dealt a bad hand and needed to fold without necessarily leaving the game.

 

That house was my protection against the cold, dark night, in many ways. Blade and the Marauders were all I had left. They were my last stop on the way back to the streets. I owed them so much more than I was giving them. No, I was giving their due to Axel, a man who had abused me both physically and emotionally, by helping him come after them.

 

But what else was I going to do?