Page 115 of Total Obsession

"I don't care about any of that, Axe. I told you, I don’t care about any of that stuff. The money, the fame, the career. It’s not what matters to me. You’re what matters to me!” she said, tugging at my sleeve. I grunted slightly at the pain in my ribs. "Sorry!" she exclaimed.

"Zoey," I said, turning to her. "Don't you see, all these years, you're the only reason I had for living. I thought it was revenge that I wanted, but that wasn't it. I just wanted to be close to you. I just wanted to be a part of your life, so I made my way into it the only way I knew how.

"I've made so many mistakes when it's come to you. I need to make things right. You're my everything. Without you, there's nothing for me in this world."

"Alright," James said, walking back into the room and interrupting our conversation. He sat back down and looked between the two of us. "Here's what's going to happen. You," he said, pointing at me, "are going to become an FBI informant. This is going to be announced publicly, which will take care of one of her," he pointed at Zoey, "problems. The other one we'll handle on the back end. Sound good?"

I was about to respond, but Zoey stopped me. "Almost," she said. "Axe gets immunity, too. You're not going to have him open up about all of this stuff and then cart him off to prison."

James turned to look at Zoey, then back at me.

"He gets immunity for as long as he's an informant, and we'll agree not to prosecute for anything he shares with us. That's the best I can do."

Zoey nodded, and I sat there, stunned that she had just sweetened the deal by that much.

"Great," James said, standing back up. "We're going to need to move you both into witness protection while all of this blows over," he said. "Wait here and someone will be in shortly to get you situated."

I stood, and James and I shook hands.

"You've got a good woman there, Axe," James said. "Most people don't fight for one another."

"I know," I replied.

James made his way to the door, and just as he was about to pull the handle, he turned back around.

"Oh, thought you might like to know," he said. "I talked to the NYPD. They knew about the alleyway incident. The whole thing was caught on nearby security cameras. It was a clear-cut case of self-defense. As soon as he's discharged from the hospital, he'll be taken into custody for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and attempted rape."

"Wait, who will be taken into custody?" Zoey asked, spinning around in her chair.

"The man that attacked you," James said, not understanding her question.

"He's alive?" she asked with wide eyes.

James chuckled. "Just barely. You certainly did a number on him but missed his vital organs. Someone was still in the shop and saw the whole thing on the camera as they were shutting things down. Called 911 and he was able to get treated soon enough, not that someone like that really deserved it. Lucky bastard."

"I don't want her named as a witness," I said.

James nodded. "Yes, I know. There won't be a need for it. The camera footage plus the testimony of the coffee shop employee will be enough. Her features can't be made out on the tape."

"Thank you," I said, and James nodded, exiting the room.

I turned back to look at Zoey and she was already sobbing. I made my way over to her and wrapped my arms around her. I rocked her gently in my embrace, just letting her cry out all of the emotions that had accumulated in her system over the last few weeks.

My insides twisted with the realization that what I'd just done for her wasn't enough. I wasn't sure that anything I did would ever be enough to make up for what I'd put her through.

"I can't believe it's finally all over," she said to me through heaving breaths.

I kissed the top of her head and didn't respond. She didn't understand but for me, my life was just beginning.

epilogue

AXE

Zoey and I had been living in a little house in a suburb outside of the city for about a month now. We'd been placed there by witness protection and when we'd first moved in, it left a lot to be desired in terms of decorations, but Zoey had managed to make the place feel like a true home.

It was an odd feeling for a man like me. I'd never really had a home before.

Sure, I'd had houses, apartments, penthouses, boats, you name it. Interestingly enough, many of those places were still in my name. Will worked fast but even he couldn't spoof land records that easily. Even still, none of those really felt likehome.

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