Page 140 of EX

An abandoned building, well off any main roads or even any side roads. Probably owned by some fake shell company that claims to have no interest other than the value of the property.

Axel isn’t stupid. He’s just dumb. And, yeah, there’s a difference.

I have to ignore my Katie girl, which weighs on my heart.

She’s scared over something that happened at home.

Now I’m thinking about her fucking fiancé.

Shit.

Axel comes walking out of the building, his arm around some skinny blonde who needs to swallow a cheeseburger instead of some cock for heroin.

Along with Axel comes one bodyguard.

Just one.

Not a smart move, but one that gives me a small sense of relief.

I push from the building and step out of the darkness, into a small floodlight above the door.

“Let’s talk,” I say, gaining everyone’s attention.

When Axel sees me, he pushes his junkie whore right at me.

I don’t worry about her.

Before his bodyguard can reach for a weapon, I lunge at the man and drive the knife into his neck. It cuts into his skin easily, blood spraying toward the building, some actually hitting the door.

The bodyguard makes it two steps back before he falls.

Grabbing at his neck, mouth open, death warming over in his eyes, he goes to his knees, and then topples back.

Axel’s junkie whore starts to scream.

I look at Axel. “Shut her up.”

Axel curls his lip and swings his hand at his junkie whore.

One backhand to the face knocks her out.

Now it’s just Axel and me.

“No other weapons on me,” I say. “I just wanted to return your knife. The one buried in my cousin’s shoulder.”

Axel swallows hard.

“Don’t play fucking games either,” I say. “You know what you did. You wanted to send a message. I received your message.” I point to Axel’s dead bodyguard on the ground. “Now you have my response.”

“I didn’t kill anyone,” Axel says.

I step toward him. “Let this be a lesson to you. Let it be a warning. Whatever you do to me, I’ll come right back at you with worse. Stab my cousin? I’ll kill your bodyguard.”

“You’re a fucking psycho, man. This whole thing worked before you showed up.”

“It worked for you,” I say. “Not for my cousin. Not for my family. What you did was wrong, Axel. You took advantage of a dumb person. I get it. That’s how this works. But you fucked with me. For years.”

“I don’t even know you!” Axel cries out. “What the fuck do we do here, man?”