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.

Adelynn placed her fork down. She stood up. She kept her face completely blank.

"I need to use the restroom."

No one said a word. Beatrice wouldn't look at her. Jax was staring at the floor.

Only Axel watched her. His dark eyes followed her as she walked to the heavy door.

Axel watched the door close behind her. He gave a slight nod to Silas. "Don't let her leave the building," he murmured, his voice barely audible over the silence of the room.

Adelynn stepped out into the hallway. The door closed behind her. She let out a shaky breath. Her chest hurt from holding it in.

She bent down and pulled off her remaining high heel. She held one-side shoe in her left hand.

She pressed her bare feet into the thick carpet. She turned away from the restrooms and walked toward where she thought the stairs were.

The second floor was a maze. The walls were black. The doors were black. The only light came from dim blue bulbs near the floor.

She turned a corner. It was a dead end. She turned back. Her heart started to beat faster.

A door ten feet ahead of her burst open. It slammed against the wall.

Adelynn jumped back. She pressed her body into a dark alcove in the wall. She held her breath.

A girl stumbled out of the room. She wore the club's uniform. Carla.

Carla's shirt was ripped open down the middle. Her bra was exposed. Her hair was a mess. Tears streamed down her face. She covered her mouth with both hands, trying to stop her own sobbing.

A fat man with a red face leaned out of the doorway. He held a stack of cash.

"If you go to the cops, I'll make sure you never work in this city again, you stupid whore."

He threw the money. The bills hit Carla in the face and scattered across the floor.

The man slammed the door shut.

Carla slid down the wall and sat on the floor, crying into her knees.

Adelynn pressed her hand over her own mouth. Her stomach heaved. The Wagyu beef threatened to come back up.

The smell of the hallway, the sight of the crying girl, the arrogant voice of the man-it all ripped open the scars in her brain. This was the Callahan estate. The closed doors. The destroyed lives. The money used to cover up the rot.

She wanted to run to the girl. She wanted to help her.

But her survival instinct screamed at her. She had twelve dollars. She was hiding from billionaires. If she made a sound, she would be destroyed.

Adelynn closed her eyes. A tear slipped down her cheek. She turned her head away.

She crept along the wall, moving away from the crying girl.

She felt a cold draft of air. She followed it. She turned another corner and saw a glowing green EXIT sign above a metal door.

Relief washed over her. She walked faster. She reached out her hand to push the heavy metal bar.

A thick arm shot out from the dark corner next to the door.

A rough hand clamped over her mouth and nose. The smell of cheap tobacco filled her lungs.

Adelynn's eyes widened in pure terror. A massive force yanked her backward into the pitch-black corner.

Adelynn's back slammed into the wooden wall. The impact knocked the air out of her lungs. Pain shot down her spine.

She blinked in the darkness. Three men stood in front of her.

Ray Kowalski's jaw flexed with barely contained rage. He smiled. His teeth looked yellow in the dim light.

"Finally caught you alone, you little bitch."

Adelynn's blood ran cold. They had been waiting by the exit.

She pressed her back against the wall. She gripped the sharp heel of her remaining shoe tightly in her right hand. She rubbed her thumb over her knuckles, forcing her brain to focus.

One of Ray's friends stepped forward. He reached for her hair.

A surge of pure, desperate adrenaline erased the hunger pangs. She swung her arm with all the force of a cornered animal, driving the metal spike of her heel straight down into the back of the man's hand.

The metal tore through his skin. Blood sprayed onto the wall.

The man screamed and jumped back, grabbing his bleeding hand.

Ray's face twisted in rage. He lunged forward. He swung his thick arm and slapped Adelynn across the face.

The force threw her head to the side. Her lip split open. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. Her ears rang loudly.

Before she could recover, Ray's heavy hands wrapped around her throat. He slammed her back against the wall.

Adelynn gasped. No air came in.

She dropped the shoe. She clawed at Ray's thick arms. Her nails dug into his skin, but he didn't let go. He squeezed harder.

Black spots danced in her vision. Her lungs burned. She was going to die here. In the dark.

A sickening crunch echoed in the hallway.

The pressure on Adelynn's throat vanished.

Ray's massive body flew backward through the air. He crashed into the opposite wall. The sound of his bones breaking was loud. He slid to the floor and didn't move.

Adelynn collapsed onto her hands and knees. She coughed violently, sucking in huge breaths of cold air.

She looked up through her tears.

Axel Carrillo stood in the hallway. He looked like a demon. His chest heaved. His fists were clenched so tight his knuckles were white. The violence radiating from his body was terrifying.

Silas, his head of security, stepped out from behind him with four men in black suits. They grabbed Ray's two friends, slammed them to the floor, and taped their mouths shut.

Axel ignored them. He walked toward Adelynn.

He pulled off his suit jacket. He knelt down and wrapped the heavy, warm fabric around her shaking shoulders.

The smell of cedarwood surrounded her. The heat from his body was trapped in the wool.

Axel reached out. His long fingers gently tilted her chin up. He looked at the blood on her lip. His jaw ticked. He tapped his index finger against her jawline.

"Does it hurt?" His voice was terrifyingly soft.

Adelynn looked into his dark eyes. He had just destroyed a man with one kick. He was dangerous. He was a monster, just like her father.

She jerked her head away from his touch.

"I won't die." Her voice was raspy and cold.

Axel's hand froze in the air. The softness in his eyes vanished, replaced by a cold, hard wall.

He stood up. He looked down at her.

He turned his head to Silas.

"Clean this garbage up. I never want to see them in New York again." His voice was ice.