Damaged Queen (Darkness Within Duet 2)

“Please, I can’t go back there.”

He chuckled. “You seem to think this is some kind of polite request. There’s no request here, Harper. I’m telling you. You’re going back to Stonewall.” He grabbed her hand, and she cried out.

“You’re hurting me.”

“We’ve not even come close to hurting you.”

She cried out, and as her cell phone rang, he wrapped his fingers around her throat once again.

He lifted up her cell phone, and she saw it was Ethan.

“Ethan, who is this? Is this your new little boyfriend?”

“He has nothing to do with this. He’s innocent,” she said, gasping for breath.

“Well, let’s see if he wants to have something to do with this. I wonder how much Ethan knows about you. Does he know what those names mean on your back?”

She cried out as he let her go but only long enough to turn her and to fist a hand in her shirt, twisting it out of his way.

The tears were coming thick and fast now. Her cell phone stopped ringing. If she knew Ethan, he’d call again.

Axel slammed her back against the wall. His hand was on her neck, but he wasn’t squeezing this time.

She knew she’d have bruises from where he touched her. This Axel, she didn’t know him, and he was determined to make her hurt. The pain took her by surprise as he kept on holding her.

“Do you love him?”

“Just leave him alone.” Her cell phone started to ring again, and she whimpered. This wasn’t what she wanted. Why was Axel even here?

“The poor bastard doesn’t even know that you don’t love him. I’ll put him out of his misery.”

She cried out as he drew a gun and pressed it against her temple.

The intent was there as he ran it down her face to under her chin.

“I will kill this motherfucker if you don’t end things now. If you don’t tell him that you’re leaving and want nothing more to do with him.”

“Please,” she said.

“I’m not going anywhere. You’ll do as I say or you will hate the consequences. What’s it going to be?”

Her cell phone stopped ringing, but she knew it would only be a few seconds before it started again.

Sure enough, it rang again.

“Wow, this guy is persistent. I imagine he thinks your pussy is made of gold.”

Taking the cell phone from Axel, she answered it. How she was able to press the tiny button was beyond her. Her hands shook from her fear, and with Axel breathing down her neck, she couldn’t focus.

“Hello,” she said. Her voice was croaky from Axel’s grip.

“Harper, baby, you okay? You sound different?”

“I’m fine. Just … got a cold I think.” She flinched as Axel pressed the gun against her head.

He’d do it as well.

“So, I’m thinking you and I should go to that cute little Italian place I saw around the corner from your shop. What do you think?”

“Actually, Ethan, I … I can’t see you anymore.”

Ethan burst out laughing. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“I don’t love you. I’ve never loved you, and I don’t see this going anywhere. I’m sorry. But I’m leaving your engagement ring in the apartment. Bye, Ethan. I hope you find someone else who deserves you.”

She turned off her cell phone.

Axel took it from her, dropping the device to the floor and stamping on it. She heard the plastic crush beneath his foot.

“Take it off.”

“Why don’t you leave me alone?”

“What’s the matter, Harper? Am I playing too rough for you?”

“This isn’t you.”

“You don’t know who the hell you’re even dealing with.”

“I knew you once.”

“A lifetime ago.”

“Ten years is not that long.” She didn’t know why she was arguing with him, trying to reach to him, make him remember she wasn’t the enemy.

You are.

He slammed his hand against her head, and it took everything in her not to scream. She’d never seen him like this, or at least, his anger was never directed at her.

“Do you know how many people can die in that time? What can happen? Look at my face, sweetheart. Do you even remember what I looked like before this?”

“What happened?”

“None of your business. You’ll find out all in good time.” He grabbed her arm. Just as they got to the door, he glared at her. “Make a sound. Scream. If you draw attention to us, I will make you wish you never made a sound. Anyone who dies from this moment forward, is your fucking fault.”

She didn’t fight him as he pulled her along, waiting for the elevator.

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him about the stairs being faster. As she opened her mouth, the doors pinged, and they stepped into the empty metal cage.

She took a deep breath, and Axel smirked.

“You got even hotter,” he said.

She glanced down at her body. Torn jeans, Ethan’s old faded shirt, and her hair falling around her and messy. She’d not had the time to run a brush through it. She’d gained some weight in the past few months, and her hips and ass had filled out some. She always had large breasts, and that hadn’t changed. Most of the time, she hid her curvy body in jeans and a large shirt, but with Axel pressing against her, no doubt he could feel it.