Adelynn pushed her way to the wooden bar. A man stood up from a stool. She quickly sat down on the warm leather.

She tapped her knuckles against the wood. She looked at the bartender.

"I need an order of fries. The cheapest ones."

The bartender looked at her dress, then looked away. He started mixing a drink for a man wearing a Rolex.

Adelynn ground her teeth together. She opened her mouth to yell at him.

A heavy smell of stale beer and sweat hit her nose.

A massive man pushed his way next to her. His face was red. Ray Kowalski. He leaned against the bar, his arm pressing against hers.

Ray looked down at her chest. He whistled.

Adelynn's stomach churned. She slid her stool to the left.

Ray moved with her. He reached out and put his thick, rough hand on her bare shoulder.

Adelynn flinched. She slapped his hand away. Her eyes burned with pure rage.

"Touch me again and I will break your fingers."

Ray laughed. He turned to his friends standing behind him and pointed at her.

Upstairs, behind the one-way glass, Axel Carrillo stood perfectly still. He held a crystal glass of whiskey.

Axel's dark eyes were locked onto the woman in the black velvet dress.

He remembered the first time he saw her. A dark jazz club in Brooklyn. She was drinking cheap beer and typing furiously on a laptop.

A man next to Axel held out a piece of paper.

"Here's the check. Let's see if you can tame that one downstairs."

Axel didn't look at the check. He tapped his index finger against the side of his glass. His jaw ticked. The bet was a convenient excuse. He had been looking for a reason to get close to her for months.

Downstairs, Ray stopped laughing. He reached out to grab Adelynn's chin.

Adelynn grabbed a half-empty glass of ice water from the bar. She threw the water directly into Ray's face.

The ice hit his cheek. The water dripped down his chin. The people around them went silent. Then, someone laughed.

Ray's face turned purple. He let out a roar. He shoved both of his hands hard against Adelynn's chest.

The force pushed her backward. Her stilettos slipped on the wet floor.

Adelynn fell. Her back hit the hard ground. Her elbow slammed into the tiles. A sharp crack of pain shot up her arm.

In the VIP room, Axel's hand crushed the crystal glass. The glass shattered. Liquor dripped down his fingers. His eyes turned black. He made a sharp, almost imperceptible gesture to Silas, his head of security, who stood in the shadows behind him. Silas tapped his earpiece and spoke a single word into his cuff microphone.

Adelynn gasped for air. She tried to push herself up. The heel of her right shoe was stuck in the gap between the floor tiles. She couldn't move her leg.

Ray stepped forward. He raised his heavy boot.

Adelynn closed her eyes. She pulled her arms over her head and curled her knees to her chest.

Two massive bouncers crashed through the crowd.

They grabbed Ray's arms. They slammed him face-first onto the wooden bar.

Adelynn opened her eyes. Her chest heaved. She stared at the bouncers holding the man down.

The crowd stepped back. A path cleared through the bodies.

Heavy, slow footsteps echoed over the music. The air in the room suddenly felt freezing cold.

The noise in the club died down. Everyone stared at the man walking out of the shadows.

Axel Carrillo wore a black suit that cost more than Adelynn's life. His face was a mask of cold stone. He walked with the absolute authority of a man who owned everything he looked at.

Adelynn sat on the wet floor. She looked up at his expensive leather shoes. She looked up at his face.

She stopped breathing.

His eyes were dark, empty, and arrogant. It was the exact same look Festus Callahan gave her when he locked her in the basement.

Adelynn's heart hammered against her ribs. Her lungs refused to take in air. Cold sweat soaked the back of her velvet dress. She rubbed her thumb over her knuckles frantically.

Axel stopped in front of her. He looked down. A muscle in his jaw twitched, but his eyes remained dead.

He didn't offer his hand.

"Dead?" His voice was deep and cut through the silence like a knife.

The mockery in his tone snapped Adelynn out of her panic. The fear turned into burning anger.

She clenched her teeth. "Sorry to disappoint you. I'm still breathing."

Axel's lips twitched. He finally bent at the waist and held out his large, clean hand.

Adelynn stared at his palm. It looked like a trap. She pulled her body backward, pressing her hands against the wet floor.

She yanked her foot hard. The heel of her shoe snapped off in the floor tile. She ignored it. She pushed herself up, standing unevenly on one heel and one bare foot.

Axel's hand stayed in the air. His eyes darkened. The temperature around them dropped.

He slowly pulled his hand back and shoved it into his pocket. He tapped his index finger against his thigh through the fabric.

Jax pushed his way through the crowd. He was sweating.

Jax pointed a shaking finger at the bouncers holding Ray. "Get him out of my sight. And you two are fired." Then he turned to Axel, bowing slightly. "Mr. Carrillo, my deepest apologies for this disruption. Please, allow me to handle this properly."

Adelynn didn't care what Jax said. She just wanted to get away from Axel. His presence was crushing her chest.

She kept her head down. She turned and started limping toward the front door.

Axel stepped to the side. His massive body blocked her path. He was a solid wall of muscle and expensive wool.

Adelynn almost crashed into his chest. She stumbled back. She glared up at him.

Axel leaned down. His face was inches from hers.

"You crash my club, and you think you can just walk away?" His voice was a low whisper meant only for her.

Adelynn's eyes widened. "This is Jax's club."

"Adelynn!"

Beatrice pushed through the crowd. She grabbed Adelynn's bare arm. Beatrice looked at Axel and smiled a fake, terrified smile.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Carrillo. My friend had too much to drink."

Adelynn tried to pull her arm away. "I am going home."

Beatrice dug her nails into Adelynn's skin. She leaned in close. "Do not piss him off. He will ruin us."

Axel watched them struggle. He looked at Jax.

"Take everyone who was disturbed by this mess up to my private room. Now."

Adelynn froze. He wasn't offering them a drink. He was trapping her.

Beatrice dragged Adelynn up the stairs and into the massive VIP room at the end of the hall.

The heavy door clicked shut. The loud bass from downstairs disappeared completely. The silence made Adelynn's ears ring.

The room smelled like cedarwood and expensive cigars. Axel's scent.

Axel walked to the single leather chair in the center of the room. He sat down. He crossed his long legs. He watched everyone else.

Jax, Beatrice, Kindra, and Gilbert sat on the long couches. They moved carefully, afraid to make a sound.

Adelynn walked to the darkest corner of the room. She sat on the edge of a small sofa, as far away from Axel as possible.

Waiters walked in. They placed silver trays on the marble tables. Black truffle caviar. Slices of raw Wagyu beef. Bottles of wine that cost thousands of dollars.

Adelynn stared at the beef. Her empty stomach contracted violently.

A loud, hollow growl echoed from her stomach.

In the dead silence of the room, the sound was deafening. Everyone stopped moving. They all turned to look at Adelynn.

Beatrice's face turned bright red. She glared at Adelynn.

Adelynn felt the heat rise in her cheeks, but she refused to look away. She was terrified of Axel. She was surrounded by people she hated. But she was starving.

She grabbed a silver fork. She stabbed a large piece of Wagyu beef and shoved it into her mouth. She chewed aggressively.

Jax curled his lip in disgust. Beatrice looked away. They started whispering to each other. Kindra sat frozen on the couch, her eyes darting between Adelynn and Axel, her face pale with fear for her friend. She clutched her tiny purse, clearly wanting to say something but too terrified to speak.

Axel sat in his chair. He held a glass of red wine. His dark eyes were fixed on Adelynn. He watched her cheeks puff out as she chewed. He tapped his index finger against the crystal glass. A tiny, almost invisible smile touched the corner of his mouth.

Beatrice cleared her throat. She looked at Jax, then spoke loudly.

"Adelynn, I was thinking. You should move in with me."

Kindra looked confused. "I thought you hated Brooklyn."

Beatrice smiled and touched Jax's arm. "Jax's apartment is so big. I get lonely. I need a friend there."

Adelynn swallowed the meat. She looked at Beatrice.

She knew exactly what Beatrice was doing. Beatrice wanted to live in Jax's mansion, but she needed an excuse. She wanted Adelynn to be her free maid and her shield.

Adelynn wiped her mouth with a napkin. Her voice was ice cold.

"I have zero interest in being your free cleaner or your excuse to sleep in a rich man's bed."

Beatrice's smile vanished. Her face turned white, then red.

Jax slammed his hand on the table. "You ungrateful bitch. You belong in the slums."

Gilbert frowned. He opened his mouth to speak.

Axel slammed his wine glass down on the marble table. The sharp crack of crystal hitting stone echoed like a gunshot.

Everyone froze.

Axel didn't look at Jax. He kept his eyes on Adelynn.

"Too loud." His voice was flat, but it carried a heavy threat.

Jax snapped his mouth shut. He looked terrified. He thought Axel was annoyed by Adelynn.

Adelynn looked at her half-empty plate. The air in the room was suffocating. She needed to leave right now.