Page 61 of 5000 Nights of Obsession

Axelsped up without answering me.Istared at him expectantly until something in my peripheral made me realizeAxelhad driven past my street.

“Wait, you missed my street.”

“Iknow.”

Mybreath caught in my throat as a familiar-looking property came into view. “Thisisn’t my house,”Istated the obvious.

“No, it’s mine.”

ChapterFourteen

* * *

Piya

“Getout of the car,Piya,”Axelrepeated.Hehad parked the car in the underground garage of his mansion and held open the passenger side door, patiently waiting for me to exit.

Never.Trust.Axel.Trimalchio.

Icouldn’t repeat this mantra enough, yet hereIwas.

“Noway in hell amIgoing inside your house.Takeme home.”Isat stubbornly inside the car, arms crossed across my chest.Nothinggood would come out of followingAxelinside.Iwanted to learn howAxel’sbrain operated forPoppy’ssake, but currently, self-preservation was more important.Irefused to leave the sanctuary of this car.

Axelwas a master manipulator and dangled my kid as bait, knowingI’dfall for it.Iwas distracted and didn’t throw a fit when he sped past my house.Hedrove through the iron gates of his property, which closed immediately upon our entrance, then drove us into his underground garage, which also shut.Unlikelast time, the house was fortified today with closed gates and surrounding fences.EvenifImade a run for it,Icouldn’t get off this property withoutAxel’spermission.Iwas trapped.

Iglared at him. “Yousaid you’d take me home.”

“Iwill afterIshow you something.So, get out of the fucking car beforeIreach inside.”

Feartrickled down my spine from the coolness in his voice. “Ineed to hear the words that you won’t try any funny business.”

“Thereis no danger to you,” was his abstract answer.

Yeah, right.Ihad ended up at the stalker’s lair, and no one knew whereIwas.Evenmy phone was dead.Theperilous situation dawned on me, my insides quivering with fear.Iwas at the mercy of this man, and stirring his ire would only work against me.

Atlong last,Istepped out of the car, taking my sweet time brushing non-existent lint off my skirt.Itallowed me a moment to take in my surroundings.Thegarage was just as ostentatious as expected from a home of this scale.Severalshiny cars were lined up in perfect symmetry, begging to be taken for a spin.

Axelpaid no mind to his expensive showroom, eyes lasered on me as he grabbed my hand.BeforeIcould protest,Axelhad already dragged me across the garage.Hepunched in a code to call the elevator but was too quick for my prying eyes to catch the numbers.

Nervesrattled,Ientered the elevator as the doors opened.Hishouse was so huge that an elevator was required for a smooth transition between the various floors.Accordingto the numbers listed, there were seven floors.

Thesecurity in this house was top-notch, and another code was required to operate the elevator.Axellet go of my hand to select floor five on the keypad, swiftly inputting a few more numbers on the second touchpad underneath.

Thedoors closed on cue, leaving me hyperaware of his presence in the intimate space.Perusual,Ifelt his heated gaze on me as we rode the elevator.Wedidn’t bother with pleasantries.Nomore cat-and-mouse games were left to play; it was time for a frank conversation.Onceand for all,Ineeded to know whatAxelTrimalchiowanted from me.

Theelevator doors reopened to the fifth floor ofAxel’slavish mansion.SinceIhad already received a sneak peek of his home,Ididn’t thinkI’dbe stumped during my second visit.

Iwas wrong.

Thisfloor of the mansion was just as impressive as the grand ballroom downstairs, more so without drunk people stumbling around.Thelong corridor was furnished with tufted benches and paintings on the wall.Built-in bookshelves and hanging potted plants dangled from the ceiling, giving the modern space a homey feel.Thishouse screamed luxury, and allIhad seen thus far was the hallway.

Myheels clicked against the expensive, polished marble asAxelled me out of the elevator.Tomy chagrin, he suddenly turned talkative.Axelwent into great detail, explaining the history of the land the house was built on.Hestopped at each expensive piece of art hanging on the wall and disclosed vast information about the artists.

Thiswas his grand plan for kidnapping me; he wanted to show me his home?

Allthe whileAxelspoke,Itried, unsuccessfully, to locate the exits.Thedoors that could lead to an exit were sealed shut.Theyeach had lock pads and it appeared you needed a code to open them.

Fuck.Iwas effectively imprisoned in this house.Iquietly watched him out of the corner of my eye, trying to assess his mood.Axelgave nothing away, keeping up the “walking tour” and describing every facet of his home.

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