Chapter Four

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Axel

Harlan and Griffin walked into my office, quietly shutting the door behind them. Griffin was my second in command and also a dear friend of mine, just as Harlan was. I trusted them with my entire life, which in turn meant they were the only people I trusted to protect Novella while Dexter was being taken care of.

"What's the plan here?" Griffin asked, speaking up first. "Heard the lady of the house is finally home."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Novella was beaten half to damn death." Griffin grimaced. "She is now mine, but her piece of shit ex is now underground."

"Smart man, even if it's annoying," Harlan commented. "He's not answering your calls?"

I shook my head. "All of them are going unanswered. I've tracked his phone, but it's been left at his house—must've gone home and seen Novella gone and put two and two together. I had someone go check on the house. Car was left abandoned as well. So, wherever he went, he went on foot, and he was smart enough to avoid most cameras."

"Fuck," Griffin muttered.

I scrubbed my hand along my jaw where my beard was beginning to grow, which annoyed the fuck out of me. "Our plan at this moment is to keep Novella as safe as possible." I looked at Harlan, since he was the head of my security team. "Get men on the ground. I want Dexter found, and I want him alive. He'll pay for what the fuck he did to my woman before he dies."

Harlan nodded once. I looked at Griffin. "Novella is now our family, and that extends to her brother as well." Griffin just arched a brow at me. It was no secret that Griffin wasn't a fan of Kyle Eastyn due to Kyle's personality... or lack there-of. And his inability to really give a shit about anyone but Novella. Kyle was deadly all on his own. "Make sure money is deposited into Kyle's account every week, and work your magic to make sure he's as comfortable as possible in prison while I work on getting him out."

"And then what?" Griffin grunted. "Surely you're not giving that fucker a job here."

I arched a brow at him. "That's exactly what the fuck I plan on doing. Once he's out, I'm appointing him as Novella's personal guard. I know he'll do whatever it takes to protect her—it's the reason he's currently inside."

Griffin's face screwed up in distaste, but he didn't comment further. He knew how far to push me, and my patience was thin as fuck at the moment. I probably wouldn't feel any better until Novella wasn't covered in bruises.

A light knock sounded on my office door, and Harlan got up to open it before smiling and stepping back. I frowned at him in confusion until I saw Novella nervously standing in the doorway of my office, wringing her fingers together in front of her as she shuffled from foot to foot. I leaned back in my chair and steepled my fingers together. "What is it, baby?"

Her cheeks flushed, my cock plumped just a bit at the sight. I desperately wanted to see if her body turned that pretty pink color when she was turned on.

"I, uhm... I'm hungry," she finally managed just as her stomach rumbled loud enough for me to hear it.

Harlan grabbed his phone out of his pocket. "I'll order pizzas and go pick them up," he told me. He looked at Novella. "Anything in particular you want on yours?"

She shook her head. "Whatever you order is fine," she softly told him.

He looked at me then, and when I nodded once, he left the room. Griffin stood and stretched. "We'll finish this later," he told me before following Harlan out, giving me and Novella some privacy. She continued awkwardly standing right inside of the doorway, her side flush with the frame from when she let Harlan and Griffin slip past her.

Fuck, she was so small compared to me and my friends. I wanted to wrap her up in my arms and never let her out of them for fear of her getting harmed more than she already had been.

"Did you manage to order everything you needed and wanted?" I asked her.

She sank her teeth into her plump bottom lip, and fuck, the way my dick hardened. Happened so damn fast, I went light-headed with it. She shook her head, casting her eyes down to the floor.

"Why not?" I demanded.

She shrank into herself, and I mentally cursed myself for not softening my tone. I couldn't talk to her like I did everyone else, even when I was irritable that she hadn't followed my directions. Novella came from a long history of abuse, and I had to protect her, which meant also protecting her from me.

"I—" She swallowed thickly, her fingers beginning to tremble, even as she clenched them tightly together to try to hide it from me. "I didn't feel comfortable."

I sighed then—a quiet sound that was barely audible even to my own ears. "Go get your laptop and come back to me," I gently told her. "And the credit card, baby."

She looked up then, her eyes brightening the tiniest bit, some of the tension and fear seeping from her shoulders. When I offered her a small smile, she pushed off the door frame and turned on her heel, quickly leaving the room to do as I said. I barely had time to clear space off my desk for her laptop before she was back, clutching the device in her hands.

"Come here." She quickly moved forward, eager to follow my directions. Fuck, she was such a good girl. So damn perfect for me. And I couldn't wait to bring her out of her shell. To slowly give her structure. Rules to follow. She clearly needed them. Thrived within boundaries clearly set.

Honestly, she was the perfect fucking submissive, and I would show her how to live within the life I gave her. The life I planned to introduce to her.

I took the laptop from her and opened it up before holding my hand out for the credit card. She placed it in my palm, and I set it down as well before gently clasping her hips and tugging her onto my lap. And fuck yes, her entire body went a light shade of pink. The color seeped down her chest, disappearing beneath her shirt. Her hands and fingers went pink.

I wanted to do nothing more than kiss her. Show her how much I appreciated her openness. Her responsiveness.

"Show me what you've saved to your cart, baby," I murmured, resting my chin on her shoulder.

So, she did. And every site we went to, I purchased everything she wanted, even if she only glanced at it for a moment. I could see she wanted to protest, but she wisely kept her mouth closed. And after a little while, her body relaxed into my hold and she sank into me, allowing me to support her.

And when Harlan showed up with the pizza, Griffin following him into the office, she didn't tense in the slightest. She remained on my lap even after I shut her laptop and put two slices of pizza in front of her. And after she ate while Griffin, Harlan, and I discussed business, she fell asleep. Right there in my fucking arms like the perfect little princess she was.