Target
1215 Words
AXEL
When Axel and Remo got back to the house, the place was already crawling with men. A search team was scattered everywhere, through the halls, the garden, and the front yard. Voices overlapped in confusion and urgency.
One of the soldiers, Marcel came running toward Axel, panting hard.
“What happened? Tell me something,” Axel demanded.
“She went to the woods,” the man said quickly. “We went through the security footage, and saw her heading that way.”
Axel’s eyes narrowed. “Okay. Did someone go in there to get her?”
The soldier hesitated. “No, sir. We were… waiting for your orders.”
Axel’s jaw clenched, his expression darkening. “I told you to look for her! You knew she went into the woods and you didn’t go after her? How long has she been gone? How long?” he snapped, his voice cutting through the air. “What if something happened to her?”
The man froze, unable to answer.
Then, suddenly—crack!
A sound echoed through the estate.
Everyone froze. Axel turned sharply toward the trees. “Was that a gunshot?” he asked, his voice low, dangerous.
Remo’s head turned the same way. “I think so.”
Without hesitation, Axel started running, fast—toward the back of the property, where the trees thickened and the light dimmed. Remo and the men followed close behind.
At the edge of the woods, Axel stopped. The forest was quiet, too quiet. He listened, his breath heavy. Then, another shot.
Crack.
This time it was closer. Axel froze for a split second, his body tense. Then Nico came running out of nowhere, bursting through the small crowd of men and stopping in front of Axel and Remo.
“What?” Axel barked.
Nico’s breathing was ragged. “I checked the security footage. Luca went in there. He had a gun.”
Axel’s jaw twitched. “He’s what?”
“He’s in there with a gun,” Nico repeated, his voice laced with worry.
"He probably just went hunting....." Nico added, his voice unsure.
Axel turned back toward the woods, thinking fast.
“Come on, Axel,” Remo said, his tone urging. “Should we go in?”
Axel hesitated, just for a second. His instincts screamed yes, but something in his gut told him to wait. “Just… give me a second,” he said.
Everyone stood still, waiting. The forest went silent again, until another crack split the air.
Axel’s head snapped toward the sound. Then he turned to Nico, eyes burning with cold intensity, before shifting his attention to the guard in charge of the CCTV system, Marcel.
“When did Luca go in there?” Axel demanded.
The guard fumbled for his tablet, tapping quickly until the feed came up. “About forty minutes ago, sir.”
“Forty minutes?” Axel repeated quietly, but his tone was anything but quiet.
Nico stepped closer, his voice tight. "Axel. You know Luca doesn’t like Hazel. What if he shoots her on purpose and says it was an accident? What if he saw her heading in and followed her....used hunting as an excuse?”
Axel didn’t respond. His gaze slowly turned to Remo.
Remo shrugged slightly. “You know Luca. He’s loyal. But when he believes in something, he doesn’t let go. And we both know he believes that Hazel’s a nuisance...”
The words hung in the air like smoke. Axel’s expression hardened as he turned back toward the woods. The wind brushed against his face, cold and sharp, but it wasn’t enough to cool the fire burning inside him.
Remo continued, voice low and urgent. “I’m not saying he went in there to murder her. I’m just saying we both know how Luca thinks. We should go in after them.”
“No.” Axel’s answer was flat. “I trust Luca. He’s my consigliere for a reason. He’s an excellent marksman. He never misses his target. If he saw what he wanted in there.... if he really went hunting and wanted something, there wouldn’t be a series of shots. There would have been one clean shot and it would be done.”
Remo blinked. “What are you saying?”
Axel folded his arms, gaze fixed on the tree line.
“I’m saying we wait. We make this a test of Luca’s loyalty — of his willingness to take orders and follow the rules..... And let this be a lesson. Hazel is terrified right now. Let this be a test to see where loyalty lies.”
Remo looked unconvinced. “There are wild animals in there that are far more lethal than Luca.”
Axel swallowed. He hated doing this. He hated putting the pieces in motion that would grind people down, that used fear as a tool. But he was precise; he was patient. This, too, would teach them something.
“She’ll be fine,” he said finally, but there was no comfort in it.
“Consider this a lesson for you as well.” He turned then to Nico.
Nico’s eyes widened. “Me?”
Axel’s voice hardened. “I gave you one job. One. You were supposed to be in charge of her — know where she is, know what she’s doing, twenty-four hours a day.”
Nico started to protest, words tumbling out uselessly, but Axel didn’t stop. “She’s in there. She’s probably already hurt. If something happens to her, it’s on you. So if you believe in God, you'd better start praying.”
Then he turned back to the trees.
For a long moment, nobody spoke. The men stood there like statues, the cold air pressing in on them, the forest beyond a dark promise. Their eyes kept flicking to Axel, trying to read him, to guess what decision would come next, or what cruelty he might allow as instruction.
No one understood fully what he was thinking. They only understood the shape of the command: wait, watch, obey.
Excruciating minutes later, they heard footsteps coming toward them. Heavy. Rushed. Uneven. Most of them went on alert, their hands instinctively gripping their guns, eyes darting toward the trees. But not Axel. Not Remo. They just stood there, silent, waiting....
The first thing that appeared through the clearing was Luca, his rifle slung across his back. He was a little sweaty, a little dirty, and his face bore that familiar calm that made it impossible to read what he was thinking.
In his hand, he held a rope, dragging something behind him as he walked steadily forward. Everybody seemed to hold their breath.
“Luca,” Axel said, his voice low, even.
“Yes, boss,” Luca replied, stopping a few feet away.
“You went hunting?”
“Yes, sir. Sure did.”
“Any luck?”
Luca nodded once, expression unchanged. “Yes. Got us a whole meal.”
And with that, he began pulling the rope closer.
Whatever was tied to it looked heavy, the weight of it swished and dragged against the ground, rustling leaves and scattering dirt as it came into view.
No one moved. No one spoke.... Only the sound of the rope scraping against the earth filled the silence.
- Writer
