Page 113 of Total Obsession

Axe moved closer to me, and I let him hold me. I needed the comfort and in some way, because he'd gone through what I was going through, it felt more meaningful coming from him.

* * *

I drifted off into an uneasy sleep for the rest of that day. By the evening, Axe roused me from my sleep.

"Hey," he said. "I'm sorry to do this to you, but we've got to move."

"Move?" I asked, wiping sleep from my eyes. "Move where?"

"It will all make sense when we get there," he said to me.

I frowned at him. "I don't like you keeping more secrets from me."

"I know," he said. "But, I promise. This is the last one that I'll ever keep. It's safer for you if you don't know."

"Okay," I said, relenting to his request. There wasn't anything to pack, so we were leaving the motel room within a few minutes. The air was crisp and the night was pitch black.

I wished I could ask questions, but I knew he wouldn't tell me anything. When Axe made up his mind, it was final. We drove in silence, and I watched for clues about where we were going.

When we crossed over a bridge, I furrowed my brow and looked at him. "Why are we heading back into the city? Is that safe for us?"

"It'll be fine," he said. "Just trust me."

I didn't answer. I just watched the slow crawl of traffic as we made our way into lower Manhattan. Finally, Axe parked the car just outside of the last building I ever expected.

"Here?" I asked, and he nodded. "You're serious?"

"It's the only way," he said getting out of the car. He circled around to my side and opened the door, offering me his hand. "Come on."

I didn't let go of his grip the entire time we walked through the doors of the FBI building.

thirty-five

AXE

I knew that if I told Zoey I intended to turn myself in, she would never agree to it. That's why I couldn't tell her where we were headed, and I couldn't just leave her alone at a seedy motel in New Jersey.

While I'd been the one to help build up her life, I'd also been the one to destroy it. I couldn't let that stand. She deserved everything she'd worked for. The television series, the movie deal, the fame, the fortune. I wanted her to have all of it.

Most of all, I just wanted her to be happy. If that meant that I couldn't be a part of her life anymore, then I'd willingly sacrifice my own life for hers.

I had a lot of information on the criminal activities that took place across the East Coast and beyond. I intended to use that as a bargaining chip for her benefit. Whatever happened to me, whether prison or worse, I'd face it.

She was worth it.

I also knew that there were a few rats in the FBI. I knew because I'd worked with them on occasion. With that knowledge, I knew exactly who I had to go to.

The security detail tried to tell me that Zoey should wait here in the lobby, but I refused. "She stays with me the entire time," I said, squeezing her hand. "Otherwise, I walk."

They each grumbled at one another, said something into an earpiece, and then nodded at me. "This way."

We walked through the lofty hallways, and I could sense Zoey's apprehension the entire time. The guards sat us down in an empty conference room and told us to wait there.

"Are you sure about this, Axe?" she asked me again. "What are they going to do to you?"

I smiled at her. "Nothing. We're just going to talk."

After about thirty minutes of patiently waiting, the man I was waiting for walked in.

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