Page 153 of F*ckboys

I spear a tomato with more force than necessary. "As long as Mia's happy, that's all that matters to me."

"Glad to hear it." Liam's eyes glint with challenge. "May the best company win, then. We'll see who keeps Dart Technologies after this week's depositions…"

I can't believe he's blatantly mentioning the asset his family's company is trying to seize from mine.

"Liam!" Mia scolds. "Be nice!"

My jaw clenches. The gauntlet has been thrown. "May the best company win," I echo coolly.

Oh, it's on. And Liam has no idea who he's up against. No one challenges me or my family and gets away with it.

Not even Mia's precious boyfriend.

Chapter 85

Aksel

I'm sautéing mushrooms in garlic and butter when a loud bang reverberates through Fallon's condo. My heart kicks. What the hell was that?

Fallon's out picking up wine. I'm alone, or I thought I was.

Another thud. A muffled cry. The sounds are coming from below.

The basement. An intruder. Thank goodness Fallon isn't here so I can take care of this situation without endangering her.

I grab a knife from the block and creep toward the basement door. At the bottom of the stairs, my breath catches.

A man is trapped in a cage, clutching the bars. Bruises mottle his face and there are crusty incisions on his torso and arms. His eyes widen at the sight of me.

It's Harvey Maxwell, a man I recognize as the owner of one of the companies King Enterprises works with closely. An unscrupulous man known for his underhanded business dealings, but who has a monopoly on the supplies he brings into the city.

"Help me," he rasps.

My grip tightens on the knife as I stride toward the cage. "Harvey Maxwell? What on earth are you doing here?"

"You tell me," the man grits, the spit at the corners of his mouth indicating dehydration.

The door slams upstairs. "Aksel?" Fallon calls.

Shit. I stash the knife in my jacket and quietly but quickly make my way back up the stairs and gently close the basement door behind me. I make it into the kitchen just before she reaches the room, grabbing the spatula as if I'm laser-focused on cooking, and none the wiser that she has a goddamn man trapped in her basement.

"Sorry that took so long," she says breezily. "Did I miss anything?" She glances over at the frying pan where the mushrooms are getting a little golden and crispy. "Mmm, that looks divine." Whew, she changed the subject herself.

My heart hammers. How am I going to hide this from her while I figure out how to question her about it? "Yep, just cooking the mushrooms," I say, hoping my voice sounds normal. "They're basically done, so we can just keep them warm while we finish the rest of it."

Fallon glances at the basement door and narrows her eyes. "Why is that door open?"

Shit. It's slightly ajar. I must not have closed it properly, or it clicked back open.

"Oh yeah, uh—"Think fast, Aksel. "I, uh, made the mushrooms steam up too much so I was trying to get more free air through here."

"Fresh air…" She arches a brow. "From the windowless basement?"

Shit. She's too smart for excuses. I'll have to tell her the truth—that I've seen what's happening down there. I have so many questions, but I'm willing to hear her out.

But if I do, it could destroy everything we've built. The trust. The love. The new life we're trying to forge together.

I stare at Fallon, the woman I was ready to marry, but who I just found out is holding a man captive in her basement. A dangerous man at that.

---