Once the sadist had gone, he stood and paced. Looking for calm was pointless. Whatever his fuckups in this situation had been, they didn't mitigate Zak's sins. Those couldn't go unpunished.
Wrenching open his office door, he stormed down the hall and into the dungeon. Across the room, Zak was halfheartedly flogging a sub.
Axel suspected the manwhore had joined Shadows not to engage in the power exchange but to tag as much pussy as possible.
As he strode Zak's way, Axel barely resisted the urge to wrench the flogger from the asshole's grip and beat him.
Instead, he crossed his arms over his chest. "Let's talk. Outside."
"I'm busy," Zak pointed out with a wave of his hand. "You can wait."
Axel clenched his jaw. "Now."
Without waiting for Zak's reply, he released the carabiner hooks from the sub's cuffs, snatched up a blanket, and wrapped it around the girl before leading her to a couch where several other subs sat.
"Take care of her, please," Axel instructed the girls, ignoring Zak's protests.
"Yes, Sir," one murmured.
As soon as she was settled, he grabbed the cocksucker by the arm and hauled him to the back door.
"What the fuck?" Zak growled. "Why are you embarrassing me in front of that sub?"
"You broke my rules." Axel dragged him into the alley, shoved him against the dumpster, then lunged until they stood nose to nose.
The rat bastard smirked. "Oh, so this is about Gemma? Before you bust my balls, you should know she wanted it. Give your overbearing daddy complex a rest."
Zak hadn't begun to see his daddy complex in action. "Shut the fuck up or you won't like what happens next."
"You plan on taking a swing at me, old man?" Zak taunted.
"No." One swing would never be enough.
"Look, it just happened. We were talking, you know? Then one thing led to another, and we fucked." He shrugged. "It was no big deal."
Zak was wrong.
Axel's hands curled into fists. "Shut up."
"C'mon, man. She..."
"I said shut up."
"I only plucked what was ripe for the taking. Since you weren't going to plow that field, you had to know someone was going to run his tool through her soil. Why not me?"
Axel's control ripped off its chain. Zak had just dug his own grave.
"She was strictly off-limits."
"Why?" Zak cocked his head. "Oh, because you wanted to be the first inside that tight, juicy piece of virgin pussy, isn't that right, daddy? You're jealous I beat you to it."
In a fiery red haze, Axel threw a brutal right hook to Zak's jaw.
The asshole flailed back, landing with a thud on the ground, howling like a bitch. "Jesus!"
Axel was done talking. He leapt on top of Zak and wrapped his fist in the shitbag's shirt, then punched him again. Then again. And again, until his knuckles throbbed and blood slicked them as it spewed from Zak's mouth and broken nose.
Until the prick did nothing but cower and whine.
Axel only stopped when he felt another hand clamp down on his shoulder. "That's enough."
Beck. The man's familiar voice barely penetrated his rage.
"Go away."
"You can't kill him."
Oh, but he fucking wanted to.
"I'm saving you from yourself." Beck tightened his fingers on his arm. "Let him go, Axel."
It took every ounce of his restraint to unclench his fist and stand over Zak's prone body. Breathing harsh, he glared at the douchebag. "If you ever try to see or talk to Gemma again, I will finish what I started. I'll smile as I cut off that cock you're so proud of and shove it down your throat.
Then I'll bury your body where no one will ever find you. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"
Zak tried to scowl. "You threatened and assaulted me. I'm calling the cops."
"I dare you. Won't they be interested to hear that you had sex with one of your little sister's friends a few weeks ago. What was she, barely sixteen?"
Zak reared back in shock. "How did you..."
"Know? I have ways. Don't fuck with me. Or I'll hunt you down and make you wish I'd killed you today. You got it?"
Zak nodded, whimpering as he rose slowly, then limped down the alley.
Beside him, Beck sighed.
Reluctantly, Axel turned the sadist's way. "I'm fine. You can go in now."
"No, you need a few minutes to cool off before you talk to Gemma. She needs you."
Yeah? How was he supposed to talk to her without losing his shit?
As Beck turned away, Axel plopped onto the cement steps by the back door, wiping the crimson dripping from his knuckles on his bloodstained shirt.
The dumpster beside him caught his attention. He could still feel the heat of that August night he'd taken Gemma in pressing all around him. She'd been huddled here, hiding and hoping no one found her.
After he'd cut through her wall of defiance and reached the fragile, shivering girl behind it, he'd known she was in trouble and that no one else would help. So he'd offered Gemma a safe haven, figuring that, one day, she would spread her wings and fly.
For the first time, Axel was forced to consider what he would do when that day came. He could no longer imagine his world without her.