Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1822

Right now, Axel was the one bleeding out in chains.

Yet Warrick was the one spiraling into sheer panic.

He stared at Axel as if confronting a ghost from his darkest nightmares, his face completely drained of color.

Sensing his boss's unease, Rizzo delivered a vicious backhand to Axel's face. "He asked you a question! Answer him!"

The blow sent Axel's head whipping to the side. His ears rang, a metallic taste flooding his mouth.

Coughing weakly, he turned back and spat a mouthful of blood squarely onto Warrick's face.

Rizzo gasped in horror. He grabbed Axel by the collar and began pummeling him. "You suicidal bastard!"

Just as Rizzo was about to deliver a lethal blow, Warrick grabbed his arm and shoved him aside.

He wiped the blood from his cheek, glaring at Axel. "You came here to avenge him, didn't you? Are you a cop now too?"

"No... No, if you were with law enforcement, I would have found out. Who do you work for?!"

Axel's head slumped forward, too weak to speak, blood dripping steadily from his chin.

Yet his eyes burned with an icy, lethal intensity.

He looked up at Warrick and, moving his bruised lips, silently mouthed a single name.

Though no sound escaped, Warrick reacted as if he'd been struck by lightning. He flew into a psychotic rage, his eyes wild. "I don't give a damn who you are! You're in my world now, and you are going to die!"

"Rizzo! Kill him!"

Rizzo blinked, taken aback. "But Warrick, if he dies, how do we find the others?"

Warrick's face was a mask of unhinged fury. "We'll track them down later. I want him dead right now!"

Rizzo nodded hastily. "Yes, sir!"

Rizzo quickly followed him out, desperate to appease his boss. "Don't worry, Warrick. I'll follow your instructions to the letter. He's going to beg for death before I'm through with him."

Warrick shot him a dark look. "You're lucky he blew his cover, or your incompetence would have gotten me killed."

Terrified, Rizzo collapsed to the ground, abandoning all pride. "I'm sorry, Warrick! It was my mistake! I was blind, I should have seen through him!"

Warrick sneered coldly. "I don't keep idiots on my payroll. This is your first and last warning. Make another mistake, and you're the one going in the ground."

Sweat poured down Rizzo's face as he scrambled to his feet. "Understood! It won't happen again!"

Warrick adjusted his collar. "Round up anyone he associated with. Interrogate them all. I'd rather kill a thousand innocent men than let one rat slip through the cracks."

"Yes, sir!"

Warrick climbed into his heavily armored SUV. As soon as the door slammed shut, he turned to his top lieutenant.