Page 115 of Devour

I don’t know how long I cry. Long enough that the pillow is soaked and my ribs ache from the force of it. I’m furious at Axl, but I still want him here to hold me so bad my chest hurts. I cry for the baby I’ll never hold.

CHAPTER 48

AXL

The last thing I want to do is to leave Saylor alone right now. I want to put my fist through a wall and then hold her and make sure she knows I’m not going anywhere.

I’ve never hid that I’m a selfish asshole when it comes to her. And now it’s cost both of us. I switched her pills knowing exactly what I was doing. I wanted her tied to me in every way that couldn’t be undone.

She can hate me for the rest of her life, but she’ll be mine. I meant it when I said I can’t let her go.

And I don’t even deserve her forgiveness. I should’ve known what was happening to her.

Three years, I’ve watched my girl. I killed every man that touched her and tracked her every move. And I fucking missed what that sick fuck was doing to her.

“Is she going to be alright?” Priest asks.

“I’ll make sure she is.”

He doesn’t push. Priest has been beside me long enough to know when I’m past talking and into the part where I start fucking breaking things.

The meeting room is at the end of the corridor. Dane Sinclair set up this building because of all the shit we get into. It makes it faster to get medical attention since we’re far outside of the city. I’ve been here several times throughout the years. All of us have.

I push through the door, and Dane is standing at the head of the table. He looks like he’s been waiting. His arms are crossed, and he has that look he gets when he’s about to start handing out orders.

“How is she?” Dane asks.

“Alive.” I don’t sit down. I don’t have any intention of being here longer than necessary so I can get back to Saylor. “What’s so goddamn urgent that it couldn’t wait?”

Dane studies me for a second, as if he’s trying to determine if he’s going to let my tone slide. My patience is thin, and right now I want to grab him by the collar and tell him to fucking spit it out.

“I need to know what she told you about her attack, Axl.”

I stare at him. “Why? What’s your interest in Saylor?”

“My interest is in the safety of my family as well as taking down the onslaught of sick fucks we’ve been dealing with.” Dane uncrosses his arms and braces both hands on the table. “And my suspicion is that her brother tried to kill her, and I want to know why.”

My pulse is in my ears. “What makes you suspect her brother?”

“Answer my question first. Then I promise I’ll answer yours.”

I don’t want to say any of this out loud, and I don’t want any of it to be true. But I’m going to need all of the help and resources I can get to find the bastard. And I need to know what Dane knows about Justin.

“Justin has been assaulting Saylor for years.” They don’t need the details. Priest’s boots shift on the floor beside me, but I don’t look at him. My body is already wound so tight from needing to kill the bastard that I have to force myself to continue. “She figured it out a few days ago, and he tried to kill her to ensure her silence.”

Dane’s expression doesn’t change, but his jaw tightens.

“He’s been trying to have me killed to keep me away from her.”

Dane sighs. “I knew he was trying to kill you. He’s working with the traffickers too.”

“You—” I stop. My hands are shaking, and I can’t tell if it’s rage or the effort it’s taking not to flip this fucking table. “You knew he tried to have me killed. And you just let him keep walking the halls and sleeping in the room next to mine?”

“It’s not that simple, and you know it.”

“Fuck simple, Dane.” I’m in his face now. “That piece of shit had access to her while you were setting me up to see what he would do next.”

“Axl, back off, son.” He shoves me back, and Priest puts himself between us. “My boys have been watching him. We hoped he’d lead us to the bigger players. And he did. One of his errands for his father is how we got the lead on the missing girls.”