Page 63 of It Destroys Me

Theo claimed he struggled to love, but I saw the way he loved Axel so effortlessly, the way he wore his heart on his sleeve the way I did for him. I could be angry about that, or I could be patient. I could wait until he was ready to love me the same way. “Yeah, he would.”

Chapter 12

Theo

When I showed up at the house, the guys had already searched it from top to bottom.

The only evidence that someone had been there were a couple doors were left open, like my closet door, all the guest bedrooms. Pantries had been searched. Everything that could hide a person was opened.

Because they were looking for Astrid.

My shoulder was wrapped tight by the doctor I had on staff. He was always around, kept several miles away with his own security in case one of us needed medical attention. The bullet itself wasn’t a threat to my life, but the loss of blood could have been.

Now, the scar from Bolton’s knife had been ripped open once more. Another round of ink could only cover so much. I stood in my foyer and looked at the stairs. “Where is he?”

Nico crossed his arms over his chest. “Looks like he left with Bolton’s guys.”

My own butler had stabbed me in the back. I paid him well. Treated him well. And once Bolton waved a wad of cash in his face, he was willing to let Astrid be kidnapped and me be killed. “Find him.”

“We will,” Nico said confidently.

“And don’t kill him,” I said. “That honor is reserved for me.”

Nico nodded then stepped away.

I continued to look at the stairs. Bolton thought he’d blindsided me by waiting for me to leave the house before hitting my home, but the joke was on him because I wasn’t stupid enough to leave Astrid there. But the joke was on me too, because I’d assumed I’d be able to kill him…and I didn’t.

I should run straight to Astrid so she could see that I was okay, but a part of me didn’t want to face her. Didn’t want to face her disappointment. When I texted her, I barely said a few words to her because I didn’t want to open up the conversation. Should have called instead of texting, but I wasn’t man enough to do it.

My phone rang in my pocket, and when I looked at the screen, I saw it was a blocked number.

Expected it to be Astrid, but it was Bolton.

I took the call. “I hoped you choked on that poison gas.”

“And I hoped you broke your spine. Life is full of disappointments, isn’t it?”

My brother wouldn’t be disappointed that I’d sacrificed his remains. But he would be disappointed if I didn’t put this motherfucker in the ground. If I let him kill me, Killian would give me an earful if we saw each other again. “What do you want, Bolton?”

“It’s not what I want. It’s what you want.”

“I wanted you dead, but I didn’t get my wish.”

“But I’m sure you want your butler back.”

More than anything…almost.

“He took the cash and booked it. But I have a tracker on the bag, so I know where he is.”

I wasn’t gonna play this game.

“I’ll give you the tracking information, but you know what I want in return.”

Not gonna happen. “Your girlfriend just died, and that’s all you care about?”

“I don’t have a girlfriend. I have a wife—and I want her back.”

“Why do you want a woman who doesn’t want you?”