Chapter Two - The Men At The Door
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"No, we won't be coming this weekend either," I told my mom. I had the phone pressed to my ear while I ate my macaroni and cheese. I sat on the white marble counter stuffing my face with the cheesiest goodness known to humankind.
"What? But you haven't come in so long!" my mother complained. I could imagine her face scrunching up in disappointment.
"Mom, we came last week," I reminded her, as I took another bite.
"It's been seven days since I last saw my baby," my mother cried out.
"Oh? Are you talking about your daughter? Or my husband that you seem to love more than me?" I asked.
"What? Of course, I love you more than him," my mother said in an unconvincing tone. My mother loved Axel when I first introduced him to her. She saw him as the son she always wanted and treated him like he was the Queen of England, who she also adores very much.
Where does that leave me? Not first, that's where.
"Very convincing, Mom," I told her, as I hopped down from the counter with the empty bowl in my hand. I walked around it and placed my bowl in the sink, opening the faucet on it quickly before closing it.
"Wash it," I heard my mother ordered. I groaned into the phone before putting her on speaker and began to wash the silver bowl properly.
"Seriously, Blaire? You're almost thirty and you still put your dishes in the sink, expecting someone to wash it for you," she grumbled. "Don't tell me you make Axel clean after you."
"I'm only twenty-five and of course not!"
Yes, he did. But only sometimes!
"Yes, he does, doesn't he? You're dead to me," my mother said, and I could literally imagine her shaking her head. "What if one day he gets tired of your messiness and decides to leave you?"
"He'd leave for an hour and then come running back because he'll realize what a big mistake that was," I answered with the same reply I always use when my mother asked me this question, which was all the time when she wasn't gushing about Axel.
I looked at the sink and noticed that I didn't wash the fork. I looked at the phone and shrugged before clothing the dishwasher.
"Wash your fork," my mother scolded.
"Yes, ma'am."
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After speaking to my mother and washing that damn fork, I went back upstairs and laid down on my bed. Axel was currently at the gym, his third home after here and his office. The man just loved to work out and show off his abs, reminding me that I don't even have one pack.
Show off.
"Do you want to come with?" Axel asked me while he tied his shoes. He wore his Gucci jogging sweatshirt and pants, his hair ruffled from the activities we did earlier.
"No," I replied, and to further emphasize my point, I stuffed a handful of skittles into my mouth and moaned as it's fruity flavor invaded my taste senses. He shook his head and ruffled my hair, managing to not get his fingers stuck in my mane of curls.
I held the bag of skittles in my hand and watched him from the hallways that lead to the front door. He pressed me against the wall and kissed my lips once more. His hands trailed down my waist and gripped my hips, pulling me even closer to him. I almost dropped my skittles bag.
"You taste good," he replied, before moving away from me.
"Yeah, because I'm eating skittles," I answered him, trying to calm down my racing heart. "I'll see you when you get back."
"I love you," he told me, caressing my cheek.
"Love you, too," I replied, ruffling his soft blond hair even more.
I watched as he walked out the door and closed it after him.
Currently, I was watching Arrow and inhaling my bag of skittles like drugs. I popped them into my mouth like an addict would with pills. I jumped when I heard the sound of someone banging on the front door.
Jesus! We have a doorbell!
I paused the episode and sat up, my eyebrows narrowing in confusion. Axel has the keys to the house, it wouldn't make any sense of him to knock. Unless both his hands were decapitated by exercising equipment. Yeah, that's probably not the case.
I didn't order any food...or maybe I did subconsciously and I just forgot. Wouldn't surprise me. I grabbed the IPad from the side of the bed and opened the security camera app we had installed two years ago.
The screen revealed three men dressed in suits, they wore black shades and their expressions clear of emotion. They stood with their arms crossed in front of them and seemed to be waiting for someone to answer the door. One was slightly taller than the other two and looked familiar. Welp, guess I didn't order food. Dammit.
Ha, like I have time to go down the stairs and open the door.
Maybe they worked for Axel? But Axel would have told me if they were coming. Wouldn't they call their boss first before coming unannounced? I checked my phone for any messages and frowned when I found none. I almost drop my phone when the door is banged on again.
I dialed Axel's number and pressed the phone to my ear. For some reason, I had a sinking feeling about this and my heart began to beat a little bit faster. Am I really freaking out for no reason? I have to stop watching Mafia movies.
"Babe?" I heard Axel's baritone voice in my ear.
"Axel, there are three men outside knocking on the door. Are they guests-"
"F---!" Axel cursed, making me jerk the phone away from my ear. Axel cursing is never a good thing and usually meant a sign of impending doom. How do I know this? Last time he cursed was when I accidentally left the chicken on broil for over an hour. It was also then established that I wouldn't ever cook again because it was deemed as a danger to humanity and myself.
"Axel?" I questioned, growing slightly nervous. The banging on the door became even louder and from the corner of my eye, the IPad showed that the men were growing restless.
"Baby. Listen to me closely, alright?" Axel began to say, and I could tell that he was running by the way his breath heaved whenever he spoke. "Don't open the door."
"Alright, but why? Should I call the police?"
"No! I can't explain right now but I need you to do me something, okay? I want you to go to our closet. Do that now."
I shut off the IPad and quickly made my way toward the closet doors beside the bed. The closet stretched farther than the end of the bed and was spacious inside. I opened the door with my left hand, my right hand held the phone to my ear.
"Remember that cabinet deep inside the closet? I want you to hide there," Axel told me quickly, his breathing becoming more haggard. I moved Axel's clothes to the side, and I could smell his cologne which brought me a little bit of comfort. I opened the cabinet and climbed inside.
We found this cabinet when we're moving in. It wasn't big but I could fit in it, just barely. It locked from the inside and wasn't noticeable unless you were looking for it. I closed the door behind me just as the front door was opened. The sound of heavy footsteps entered my home, and I took in a shuddering breath at the thought of them finding me.
"A-Axel, they're inside," I whispered, pressing the phone to my ear with both his hands. My knees were pushed to my chest and my head rested on the ceiling of the cabinet.
"Schatz. Sweetheart, I'll be there soon but I need you to close the phone or else they might track the signal," Axel murmured. (Sweetheart.)
"A-Axel. I swear if this is a prank, then you win. I won't ever prank you again," I told him, hoping he would burst out laughing and tell me that almost got me.
"Love, I swear with everything inside of me that this isn't a joke. I promise I'll explain later. Don't open the cabinet door unless you hear my voice telling you it's safe, okay?"
"Okay. Y-You'll be here soon, yes?" I asked, looking around at the darkness, hoping my eyes would adjust to the darkness soon.
"Yes, darling, very soon! Close the phone now," he whispered.
I closed the phone and shut it down, before pressing it to my chest. My heart beat erratically and I let out a shuddering breath. I was scared. I didn't know what was happening or what was going to happen. I listened quietly as the unfamiliar men walked into my home and walked where I once walked, uninvited.
My eyes pricked with tears and I blinked them back furiously. Oh, how I wished this was just a terrible dream.
I froze when I heard pounding footsteps coming up the stairs. I listened silently as they forced open what I believed was the guest room. They slammed open all the doors to the guest room. I held my breath when I heard footsteps coming toward my bedroom.
The sound of the front door slamming open made me jump.
"Komm raus, du verdammte Scheißkerle!" I heard Axel yell in German. (Come out, you damn bastards.) The footsteps suddenly disappeared and there was a loud crash. I realized that one of them had jumped from the railing. My heart pounded furiously at the thought of Axel getting hurt.
All of a sudden I felt cold and my skin erupted with goosebumps from under my sweatshirt. The sound of gunshots made me jump and I held a hand to my mouth to stop myself from screaming.
I heaved in shock and forgot how to breathe for a minute. I reached to open the door before I remembered Axel's voice telling me not to open the door. Instead, I placed my hands over my ears, and I prayed for Axel's safety and for my sanity.
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Authors Note:
It has begun.
*Begins to hysterically laugh while rolling on the ground.*
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