Chapter Eight

Ava's POV

Immediately his order was done, I told Archie and she took it over with him. I tried as much as possible not to look over at his place and I continued what I was doing. Customers were on the line that needed to be taken care of.

It's very hard not to. When I raised my head from what I was doing, I discovered that he was looking at me with a blank expression that chilled me down to my bones. What have I done now?

Before I could answer that question, Archie entered the cubicle with the drink in her hand again.

“Why? Did he reject it?” I asked carefully.

“He asked for you to bring it.” She said gently as if she wanted to gauge my expression.

My head snapped in his direction and he was still there with that look on his face. There were other people in the cafe, but there was this force from him that brought this coldness over the place. He held my gaze without dropping it and I could not drop it also.

He is an enigma to reckon with.

“Why would he say that?” I asked her.

“What do you think? I don't know why. What have you done to get on that man's radar? He's the most dangerous man in this rundown town.” She said. She was about to continue, when a knowing look dawned on her face. She covered her mouth with her palm.

“Is..is it because of what happened yesterday?” She asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

“No …not because of that. I've…Humm..I've had an encounter with him before and that's why he's on my case.” I told her to relieve her of guiltiness.

She does not look like she believes me.

“I'll go to him now. Hold this place down.” I said firmly and picked up his tray, walking towards his table.

He was at the same table he was sitting the other day, in the middle of the cafe. When I got there, I avoided his penetrating gaze as I dropped the order on the table.

“Your order as you requested for it sir.” I said, making emphasis on the ‘sir’.

“What were you thinking at first?”

“Huh?”

“Why would you make another person bring my order, when I actually asked for you?”

“As you can see, this place is busy and I have work to do, just as you said.”

“Don't start being sassy with me. Maybe I should add that you have to bring me my drink every time I come in here. That's the importance of the agreement.”

“You have some nerve, Jaxon.” I muttered through my teeth.

“What do you think? You like it.” He smirked.

This man is a piece of work. A waste of handsomeness over such a piece of shit.

“Have a nice day. Sir.”

I didn't wait for his reply and I walked off. Archie had this strange expression on her face and I was sure as hell that she watched our whole encounter.

“What's going on between the both of you?” She asked me as soon as I entered the cubicle.

“Nothing.”

“Well, with that reply, I'm sure there is something actually going on.” She said and continued what she was doing. “All I know is that he's bad news.” She muttered mostly to herself as she continued but I could hear her.

“I heard you.”

“I know.”

She stopped and looked over at me,

“The man hardly says more than two words a single day. He's not a talker at all. And in twenty four hours that you've gotten here, you've made him say more than he's said for years.” She said,

“You don't mean that. He will have a family, friends and others that he speaks to.”

“He does not. He's alone. No one knows where he came from or how he got into this town. All I know is that he does not talk to people at all. We all know his order. When he comes here, always at the exact same time he does every other day, his drink is ready. Nothing much.” She made sure that her voice was silent as she spoke to me.

This made me even more curious about him. Like I wanted to know the kind of person he was.

“There are even rumors about him that he is into illegal racing and underground fighting.”

What?

“Is that even a thing?” I asked.

“Rumors darling. And they fly so much around here. The thing is, most times, they are true. In his own case, there is no evidence to complete the whole saga.” She said with a tone of finality. I know she's said more than enough.

My eyes went over to him by itself. I found him looking at me. More like drilling holes in my body through his eyes.

Suddenly, he stood up from his chair and walked out of the cafe. My eyes trailed after him as he walked out. I could not take my eyes off him. He had this aura that made him as though he owned the whole place.

And man, was he tall. He is very tall. The time he stood next to me when we had our encounter the other day, I had to crane my head up to look at him.

“Whatever you have done to that man to allow him to lose his tongue you better undo it. I don't want him coming in here to threaten me to do his bidding.” Astrid’s voice sounded from behind me.

“I didn't..”

“I don't care about your excuse, young lady. I can't send him away from here but make sure he does not cause trouble in my establishment.” Before I could think of anything to reply to her, she stalked off to talk to her patrons.

“She definitely hates you.” Archie said and I nodded along with her.

The day continued smoothly without any encounter from my nemesis again. And I tried my best. The work was a little fun too.

What I could not get off my mind was what Astrid said the other time about him threatening her. Could she have a ran in with him too?

That stayed on my mind until I left the cafe later that day and went home. I think I know the area better now and I know my way around a little bit through the help of Archie.

I stood outside my apartment building which had another apartment building beside it with exactly the same structure and all of that. They looked as though they were twining the buildings.

The blood of the man from the other day flashed in front of my eyes and I suddenly went light headed. I looked around the place and there was no trace that something like that happened here yesterday. The place was as clean as when I had come in before with no bloody smell like anyone would have expect.

Did he have people come clean the place up? Or he did it himself?

I started to open my door when there was a sound of a door opening and I looked up.

The keys in my hand fell to the ground when I saw who came out of the building.

Jaxon.

What was he doing here?

Again?

Before I could hold it in, I asked,

“What are you doing here?”

His gaze clashed with mine and chills ran through my body at the sight of his cold glare.

“It's a house, darling.”

“I know it is. Why are you coming out of it?”

“You're the new bee here. Some of us have been living here before you came along.” He said. His hands were in his pockets as he rested on the railing that separates our two apartments.

This has to be a very cruel joke to me. Jaxon is my next door neighbor? The universe definitely hates me.

“Since you live on the other side,” I gestured towards his part of the house, “Why did you do what you did to that man in front of my house?” I asked.

He just shrugged.

“He would not stay in place. He was just supposed to wait for me and let me come outside, but he had to make a run for it.” He said like it was not a big deal at all.

“You almost killed that man Jaxon.” I said.

“Well, he was lucky I didn't do it completely.” He mused.

The idea that the man was a monster increased in my mind. He was a cold blooded bastard.

“You're horrible.” I whispered, looking at him with disgust in my eyes.

My heart was beating fast thinking of what he did to that man and the fact that this horrible man was living with me. Beside me.

Before I could think of what would happen next, he pulled me into him from the other side of the railing with my neck. How he did it, I did not know.

“Let me go.” I struggled against him, hitting his shoulders and everywhere I could.

“Bambi, I know I'm horrible. I'm the worst kind of monster you can meet in your life too. I just don't like it when it comes from your lips.” He said against my cheek. I hate how much I loved how he smelled.

At one point, I was not struggling again.

“The only time I want you to call me names is when I touch the way I want to. When I pound into you so hard you'd see stars.”

I gasp at his words.