Chapter 002

Axle's POV

I opened my eyes to see myself surrounded in a burning room. I could remember what happened in this room. If I could take a few steps forward, I would plummet down 50 feet and die. I turned around, and she was there, smiling. Blood drenched her clothes, and half her face was still burning. I could hear the sound of sizzling as the fire kicked its way across her face, turning it into dark stratas of charcoal flakes.

"Run, Axle!"

I woke up with a jolt, and I noticed Ian, my best friend and right hand, standing beside my bed, a megaphone in his hands.

"Can you not speak into that?" I pleaded, and he smiled, tossing the megaphone to a guard who was just behind him. I turned to my side, and I suddenly remembered having a good time at a bar and closing out the vibrant night to f*cking city vibe Indonesian girls. Their legs were still warped around mine under the duvet. Irritation suddenly clouded my senses, I kicked my legs out either way, not caring if I broke the jaw of one girl or how the other had carelessly crashed on the marble floor.

"Tell someone to show them off to the bathroom?" I barked at Ian, who was smiling for reasons I had no time to decipher. The girls were picking up whatever they could find to hide their nudity. It made me scoff; the same girls who had straps of fabric hugging their bodies and didn't rethink before throwing it off. Why the shame then?

"You are supposed to be in a good mood today, remember?" Ian chirped, motioning for the girls to wait. "I don't think they need the bathroom."

The Bathroom was our code word for showing the girls — well the ones I occasionally take in for a good time — to a room where they never make it out alive. If there was any reason my eight-year reign as the Lord of Salvatore clan has lasted this long, it was because I knew of no one who knew as little as what I looked like who exists outside the house. So many rival clans will latch onto them and force the truth out of their guts. Sluts were the easiest to fit this bracket.

"You do not object to me when my boys are present," I growled, "how many times do I have to say this?"

Ian raised his hands in surrender, a mischievous smirk on his face. "My Lord, I'm still your best friend, remember? I think I'm permitted to be the only one who dares to commit such an offense."

Ian is a pain in the ass, no doubt about that. I stretched my hands out to fetch a cigarette stick, and Ian had a lighter at my service. "Any big fish rolling in today?"

Ian's smile faded, "Nah. We dealt with the biggest ones yesterday. Heard about the new rumors of pirates closing in on Mexican borders? If we close in on them the right way …"

"They could be a good force to have under our wings," I thought out loud.

"Or they could be seeking to attain a seat on the table," Ian said, his eyes fixated on the window. "Not to worry, I have our clan settling down with other fishes coming in from France. They're stashing them using the bunkers we designed, and so far, there's nothing to worry about."

Ian was not just theist efficient, he was reliable. I heaved a sigh of relief, exhaling as my first long drag danced out of my lips in twirls, the smoke immediately dissipating into the streak of sunlight illuminating the room. I noticed Ian was still standing close, and I knew he had more to say.

"Now what?" I rolled my eyes, trying my best to not get irritated.

"She's moving in today, remember?"

Arie Burnlow. The only bridge to my last step to exerting revenge on Burnlow's clan. I took in a sharp breath, rubbing my hands against my temple. My fingers nursed the moon-shaped scar on my left brow, and it was a symbol that kept reminding me of what needs to be done.

Arie's POV

I tried not to think about Nani's worried look when Michael's men came to drag me out of the cabin. Despite living through the same feeling of emptiness daily, I began to feel different as I rode in the back seat of one of the many armored vehicles that tore through the streets of Mexico. The glass needed not be lowered, the locals knew I was being transported to the ruthless Axle, a legend whose story thrived on rumors, whispers and assumptions. I had a new fuel driving my mind, and I slowly felt the knots in my belly loosen.

This, after all, was to keep Nina safe.

***

It took 10 whole minutes to navigate my way from the entrance to the gigantic doors to what I assumed to be the lair of the ruthless Lord. The doors open to reveal a man who appeared to be in his late twenties, clad in a simple black coat and pants which complemented his ginger mullet hairstyle. His eyes seemed almost empty and dark like the hue of my heart the past few days. He immediately broke into a smile, and if I for once forgot to warn myself that I was in the presence of the slave dogs to a mafia lord, I would have been convinced they meant me no harm.

"Follow my lead, beautiful," he cooed, "My Lord is waiting." I let him lead the way, scared I was about to be led into an abandoned room and then pushed to fall into an abyss whose walls were embedded with sharp-pointed spikes so sharp they would sink through my ribs and puncture every functioning organ.

Instead, I found myself marveling at the grand mystique and aura within the mansion. The space felt like it held a story and many secrets on its own, and the intricate designs woven onto pillars and arches seemed to stretch forever. I almost bumped into Ian without realizing we were before someone. He gave me a quick nod before exiting the mansion alongside the boys.

Black clothing, short curly hair … It was the typical vibe of maniacal mafia lords, but something about him felt odd and cold, just like how Ian had opened the doors with a gentle smile on his face. I tried to stop my mind from getting overly excited. I was sold to the man before me. To be used and discarded as he wishes. I had my mission to fulfill, and that …

My thoughts flew out the window when he turned to face me. His dark blue eyes were enough to send me into a trance, his face looking like a chiseled work of art. He had a bump on his brow similar to a crescent moon so beautiful I wanted to know the story behind it.

Here I was, falling into a theory I've never believed in. I was supposed to feel dread, but here I am, tongue-tied, immobile and completely taken away by the man when stood before me.