Instead, he found Zeb, one of his fellow Dominants and Dungeon Monitors, standing in the doorway, looking deeply concerned. “We’ve got a . . . situation. You need to check this out pronto.”

Chapter Twelve

AXEL’S chattiness evaporated in an instant. “Go back to your room and lock the door. You should be safe. I’ll find out what’s going on and come back for you.”

He didn’t give her a chance to argue or the opportunity to follow. Before Mystery even rose from her chair, he’d left the room.

With a frown, she looked into the open doorway, then sighed as she jogged back down the hall. If someone had broken into the club and was wreaking havoc, wouldn’t alarms have gone off or something?

As she reached the main hallway leading from the back door to the club’s main floor, Mystery didn’t see anything out of place. She resisted ducking into her room and locking herself in. If something dangerous was happening, how would she know it and escape?

For a few minutes, she paced the hallway, torn between following Axel’s demands and tiptoeing around to see what the devil was going on. She didn’t like the jerky beat of her heart and the sick worry knotting her belly. What was taking Axel so long? Had he been hurt defending her? They’d been so careful putting out a cover story that she was leaving the country, both to the hotel staff and Twitter. So how the hell could anyone have found her here?

She was still wringing her hands in indecision when Heath came storming toward her, wearing a furious scowl that made her cringe inside.

When he spotted her, his frown deepened to a full glower of disapproval. He grabbed her arm. “What did that man do to you?”

She didn’t play dumb or pretend she didn’t know what he meant. “You heard us.”

“How could I possibly avoid it?” he drilled sharply. “You haven’t seen him in forever, and suddenly you decide to—”

“Heath, I appreciate your concern, but it’s really none of your business. My father sent you along to keep me safe, not to guard my chastity. I’m not having this argument with you.”

He paused, worked his jaw, looking as if he waded through his words carefully. But he didn’t let up or let go of her arm. “Did it ever occur to you that you might not be able to trust him? That someone you can trust is standing right in front of you?”

Mystery reared back. Was he talking strictly about her safety or had he drifted into romantic territory? Heath had never given her a reason to think of him as anything other than a protective uncle . . . who just happened to be a badass. Had she misread the situation all along?

“What are you saying?”

“You’ve seen your ‘hero’ at his best and built him up in your mind. Mystery, you’ve just given him every part of you, especially your trust. And your body.” And he looked as if that disturbed him. “But you’ve never seen him as just a man with all the other flaws you’re terribly familiar with.”

“Meaning?” she snapped. “He’d never hurt me.”

Heath cursed and looked upward, seemingly for divine intervention. Then he shook his head at her. “You can be the most bloody stubborn woman . . . Come with me.”

He dragged her down the hall toward Thorpe’s office. He held his finger over his lips to signal her silence.

As they reached the threshold, Heath held out a hand to stop her, and pointed to the far side of the room. Thinking that he must be losing his mind, Mystery shrugged and peeked around the corner. What she saw made her heart stop completely.

Axel sat with his back to the door in a chair, his shoulders eclipsing the backrest. A small woman cuddled in his lap, wrapped up in his big arms. He held her as if no one in the world was more important to him than her.

“How do you feel about that, Sweet Pea?” he asked softly, intently.

Sweet Pea? Who was she? He didn’t have a sister that she knew of. Was she a friend? Or his lover?

Mystery’s blood went cold.

“I’m willing to do whatever you want.” She blinked big brown eyes at him, looking very comfortable in his arms. “I want you to be happy.”

He caressed the woman’s cheek. “I want you happy, too.”

She curled small fingers over his broad shoulder and squeezed. “You’ve done your best to make me happy for the last two years. I . . . don’t have words for how wonderful you are. Your devotion has meant so much to me. I’ve been so lucky to have you.”

Every word out of the woman’s mouth was a stab in Mystery’s heart. She’d been thinking about love and forever with Axel. She had basically invited him to get her pregnant because she’d been stupidly envisioning what a beautiful family the three of them would make and how happy they could be sharing their tomorrows. With him, she’d feel protected and loved. In return, she would adore and satisfy him.

Now the wretched, crushing humiliation ripping her heart from her chest reminded her of the devastating lesson her mother had learned at her father’s hands: Men always strayed.

No, Axel hadn’t promised her anything or committed to any sort of future. Mystery had been the one to make naïve assumptions. But never again. Obviously, he’d been committed to this woman he called Sweet Pea for two years—how had her private investigator missed that?—and Axel had cheated. Mystery was the “other woman” in this scenario, and she felt used.

“It’s been my pleasure and privilege.” Axel pulled the woman closer and laid a soft kiss on her forehead.

Their exchange lacked passion, but all that told Mystery was that, while he cared for his girlfriend too much to let her go . . . he slaked his lust with other women. Typical. That had always been her father’s approach to relationships, too.

Mystery couldn’t breathe. She felt dizzy and sick to her stomach. And so fucking betrayed, though she probably had no right to. She shoved back hot tears stabbing her eyes and threatening to spill.

“Have you seen enough?” Heath murmured in her ear.

She didn’t even want to speak right now. And she certainly appreciated that Heath didn’t say “I told you so” at that moment. He certainly could have, and she would have deserved it.

Why had she thought she’d truly known Axel after so little time together? Mystery shook her head. That was the last time she’d let her hopes and stupid romantic fantasies get the better of her. Heath had been right about her idealizing Axel. She had to stop thinking like a girl and become a woman.

She had to save herself.

Heath curled a gentle hand around her arm and led her back down the hall. She was grateful she didn’t have to witness the affection passing between he and the petite brunette anymore. And when they reached Heath’s bedroom, Mystery was even more relieved that she didn’t have to look at the rumpled bed she’d shared with Axel and smell the sex that undoubtedly still hung in the air. She couldn’t have managed that without falling to her knees and sobbing.

“I’m assuming you want nothing more to do with the man?” he asked gently.

The thought of never seeing him again choked her, tore at her heart. But she’d done without him for over six years. She’d manage for the rest of her life somehow because she’d never be the victim her mother had been. “Nothing.”

“Pack up anything you’ve unpacked. Give me . . . ten minutes. I’ll have you out of here.”

As he turned to leave, she grabbed his arm. “Thank you.”

Heath glanced at her hand on him, then at her face. “Anything for you.”

*   *   *

AXEL turned suddenly in his chair, looking into the hall behind him. The hair stood on the back of his neck. He would have sworn he’d heard someone back there. But he saw nothing.