Sanctuary

[Jay Carpenter]

Axel Miller

There was nothing like killing every shred of joy just by walking into a room. Maybe Axel followed Jensen, but it was obvious who was the one in charge upon their arrival. He declined the cup of coffee, amused by the famous hospitality of the Texan preacher.  Instead, his arms folded over his chest. The tactical suit molded to the movement.

Natalie’s accusation prickled like sandpaper rubbing a raw wound. The defensive stance of the child in the background was not ignored. Even a kitten could claw up some nasty marks when cornered. Axel took up a stance triangulated between all three of them without even thinking about it. The entire sweep of the room came into his command simply by entering it. Men like him and Carpenter were not ignorant of dangers lurking everywhere. They breathed it. Lived in it. Slept with it. Habits were sewn into the skin sure as the matching tattoos on their arms.

“All this concern over Carp. You three really don’t appreciate what he is, do you? What he can survive?” He shook his head, but the tug of a proud smile heated his expression with humor for their ignorance. “He trusted that I would do exactly what he wanted without asking for it. I gave him that favor owed, and we both get what we wanted.” He shrugged, “well, we were going to get what we wanted.”

His gaze aimed upon the sister of so much fame. “You know there’s a multi-million dollar bounty for you.” The fact that he was talking and not bagging the kid himself spoke to trustworthiness. Jensen was within arm’s reach, meaning it would take one land of the elbow to drop the unsuspecting channeler. Natalie would find the floor next. The girl, kicking and screaming, would need restrained to the point of pain just to haul her ass to the car.

Yet Axel did none of those things.

Instead, he actively searched the perimeter before continuing.   “There’s only one place I know about to hold a channeler against their will.”