We’d dropped Mad off at Scarlet and Cole’s for our date. Axel had insisted we start with a driving lesson, which is how we’d found ourselves in an abandoned parking lot in his F-150. His giant F-150.
“Couldn’t I learn in Kat’s old Corolla or something? This is ridiculous,” I complained. “I feel like I’m driving a small country.”
“You’ll need an SUV for getting up the mountain in the winter, and anything after this will feel like a piece of cake.”
I shot him a glare. “Is this how you’re gonna teach Mad everything? The hardest way possible first?”
He shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Great,” I muttered.
“Let’s practice parking,” he suggested warily.
By the time we got to the restaurant, I was ready for a drink. He decided on a steakhouse just outside of town that Scar had mentioned more than once was amazing.
We sat at the bar while we waited for our table. I ordered a cosmopolitan while he sipped at a beer.
“I gotta head out of town later this week.” He looked over at me with an appraising stare as though gauging my reaction.
“What? Why?” I asked with a mixture of disappointment at being away from him and straight anxiety about him being gone.
He hesitated and I narrowed my eyes. “Ax, remember what I said? I want to know what’s going on.”
He sighed and ran a hand over his beard. “A few of us are riding out to take a meet with the Black Riders. Henry and a few of his guys are comin’ too. We’re trying to get to the bottom of this shit and we will.” I’ll be back as soon as I can. While I’m gone, you and Mad can stay with Sal.”
It irritated me that he hadn’t even asked me what I’d prefer.
“Actually, I’d rather not change Mad’s surroundings again so soon. He’s just starting to get used to your place and I like my sleep,” I grumbled.
“I’d rather you were in town while I’m gone. The house is too isolated,” he countered as he shook his head.
“Well, these are the types of conversations we should have before you make up your mind.” I rolled my eyes.
“I’m not going to fuck around with your safety. You can be a pain in my ass all you want,” he retorted.
“We still should talk about it first, geez!” I exclaimed. “I’ve taken orders all my life. I’m not about to do that again.”
He gave me a look like he didn’t know what the hell to do with me. He probably didn’t. It occurred to me that while he was more experienced than I was in most ways, he’d never had a relationship like this before. We both had a learning curve to climb together.
“Listen,” I began, my tone much softer. “You think I won’t do what’s best for Mad? All I’m asking is to be a part of the decision making process. I trust you to take care of us. But I need to be in charge of my own life. I need to have a say,” I told him firmly.
He looked at me for a moment longer. “Fine,” he agreed somewhat reluctantly. “Now, can we stop fucking fighting on our first date?” he demanded.
“It’s our second date,” I corrected him.
“Christ!” He threw up his hands in the air in exasperation.
I couldn’t help it, I burst out laughing.
He pulled my stool closer to his, tilting me toward him so he could kiss me.
“Didn’t know you had so much sass, but I like it,” he admitted, his forehead pressed to mine.
“You bring it out in me,” I shrugged with a smile.
Chapter 9
The next evening, the club was packed with members and their families. Everyone was there, and at first, I was overwhelmed. Those I hadn’t seen wanted to welcome me home and to meet Maddox.
It was a lot of attention all at once.
In particular, Axel’s brother Ryker wanted to spend time with his nephew. You could certainly see the family resemblance between brothers. They were of similar height and build. Ry’s hair was a bit lighter and his eyes were green rather than grey. In personality, they couldn’t be more different. Where Axel was gruff and serious – most of the time anyway – Ry was a bit of a joker. He liked to lighten the mood whenever possible.
Maddox was passed around like a hot potato and I was moved by this positive change to his life. He’d gone from really only having me, to this large, boisterous group of extended family.
I sat with the girls, congratulating Ettie on her recent marriage to Mack as my eyes swept the space constantly ensuring I knew where Maddox was.
Like Scar and Kat, Ettie had her own battle scars from being kidnapped the previous year. I marveled at the strength and determination of the women around me. It gave me hope I’d get past my own situation and come out the other side better for it.
We’d been hanging out for a few hours when I watched warily as some of the club chicks perused the crowd as though seeking out any of the unattached men. The pickings were slimmer these days and I watched one woman, Bonnie I think was her name, zero in on Axel. My stomach dropped as I watched her approach with a sly smile. He didn’t return it and their conversation was brief as she came flouncing back toward where I was sitting with her friend in tow.
“He didn’t have a problem fucking me a few months ago,” she huffed as she lit a cigarette.
“He’ll come back around,” her friend assured her as they moved out of earshot.
My stomach dropped and heart thumped painfully as I digested her words. Rationally, I knew I’d had no claim on him. But irrationally, the thought of him sleeping with her – especially while I’d been raising our son – well, it just plain hurt. There had been no one who measured up to him in my time away. No one. Obviously he hadn’t had the same problem.
I swallowed hard, surprised at the strength of my response.
“Soph,” Connie interrupted my mental tailspin with a squeeze of my thigh. Clearly, she’d observed the same things I had. “She isn’t anything to him. We all know that,” she assured me.
My cheeks flamed with embarrassment and I nodded, swallowing back tears I had no right to shed. I wanted to get out of there and wished fervently that I could drive. Instead, I settled for moving inside away from the crowd. Kat had Maddox; he was in good hands and I could take a few minutes to collect myself.
I found a comfortable old leather chair that faced one of the windows and sat, trying to pull myself together. I heard the muted hum of everyone talking and laughing out back. It was rare for the inside of the club to be so still and I appreciated the quiet. I breathed in the stale smell of smoke and whiskey, finding the combination oddly comforting.
When Jeb approached, I smiled politely, though I was disappointed to have my time alone cut so short. This was the first time I’d seen him since I’d returned to town.
“Hi, Jeb,” I greeted, surprised he was approaching me.
“Sorry, babe,” he replied simply, his expression grim.
I had only a split second to let out a sharp scream as he placed something over my face. I struggled, my cries muffled as I breathed in the noxious fumes. It was only seconds before I was pulled under.
******
My head was absolutely pounding and my mouth felt like chalk when I started to come around an indeterminable amount of time later.
I heard deep male voices around me as I opened my burning eyes. What the hell had they knocked me out with? And why?
My blurry vision took a minute to focus and I saw that I was in a dimly lit motel room. The shades were drawn so it was impossible to tell what time of day it was. I was lying on the bed unrestrained and shifted slightly, my body feeling stiff and sore.
“She’s awake,” I heard an unfamiliar voice announce as my gaze shot in his direction.
He was an older man with jet-black hair and a goatee. His dark eyes fixed on me as I eyed the ‘Black Riders’ emblem on his jacket.
“Why? What’s happening?” I asked Jeb hoarsely as he sat in a chair across the room.
He gave me a rueful grin. “Gotta get paid,” he shrug
ged. “We figure your father will pay a high price for you.”
This was insane.
I wanted desperately to ask about Maddox but was afraid to have my son even enter their minds. Jeb hadn’t been around much. There was a remote chance he didn’t even know I had a child.
I let out an ear-piercing scream then, hoping someone nearby would hear and call the cops.
Suddenly, a large hand was around my neck, squeezing briefly but enough to deliver a message. Jeb stared down at me his eyes wide. “You want me to gag you? I will, if you pull another stunt like that,” he warned.
The fact that he hadn’t already, made me feel like maybe there was some part of him that didn’t want to do this. That gave me a small glimmer of hope in an otherwise bleak situation.
He let me go, tossing me back against the bed like a rag doll. I coughed, trying to catch my breath. “What about the Knights?” I asked, imploring him in a hoarse voice. Loyalty was so important to them and I had serious doubts he’d survive a betrayal like this.
He shrugged again then sneered. “After all I’ve done for those fucks, they still won’t patch me in. Some shit about my dedication,” he snorted, using quotation marks. “I was fucking stabbed for those shitheads and it still wasn’t enough! So I found a club who’ll patch me in.” He shrugged as though this was perfectly logical.
I bit back the urge to retort that clearly their instincts had been right on about not patching him in.
“Enough fuckin’ talkin’,” the unfamiliar man barked. He was obviously the one in charge of this mess.
I looked between both men, racking my brain with how to buy more time. I knew Axel would be hunting for me. I just didn’t know how the hell he’d find me. I also had no idea how long I’d actually been gone. My fuzzy brain tried to piece together a plan.
I looked to Jeb. “They’re not going to let you into their club,” I blurted, figuring distraction was my only real weapon. That, and clearly I had a much bigger brain than Jeb if he hadn’t put this together.
Jeb turned to me with a mixture of anger and surprise. “What the fuck are you talking about?” he demanded.
“Come on, Jeb. Even I know enough about this stuff to know they wouldn’t do that,” I shook my head. “This guy here, I bet he’s acting alone,” I said, gesturing to the other man. “He gets the money and you’re dead, I’d guess.” I felt like my head was going to pound right off my neck as I nodded blearily. “His club isn’t stupid enough to patch in a discarded member of the Knights.” I swallowed, knowing I was taking a huge risk by pissing him off.
The smack to my face came so suddenly I didn’t even see it coming. My head snapped to the right as the Black Rider’s open hand connected with brutal force. “You want to survive this, I’d shut that pretty little mouth,” he growled.
My ears were ringing and I tasted blood. I was taking a chance in thinking that if they wanted their money, they’d know to keep me in one piece. But there was only so far I wanted to push that theory.
My hand moved to my throbbing face as I watched them both in silence.
“Dude, is she right?” Jeb demanded, his tone betraying the worry I’d planted.
“No,” the man barked. “Now shut the fuck up, both of you.”
“I want to know what the fuck she knows that I don’t,” Jeb continued stubbornly, his eyes wide with panic.
“She doesn’t know shit,” the man retorted, losing patience. “She’s graspin’, trying to stress you out. Chill the fuck out.”
I looked to Jeb, watching the slow wheels of his brain begin to crank.
“Jeb, if this guy doesn’t kill you – the Knights will if you go through with this,” I spoke up, despite knowing the consequences. I had to try to talk him out of this. Jeb wasn’t nearly as smart as the other guy – that much was clear. If I could get him scared enough, maybe I could swing things in my favor. “Let me go,” I demanded passionately as the other man stormed across the room and pulled me to my feet.
My heart pounded in my chest as fear raced through my bloodstream.
“You’re either brave or really fucking stupid.” His eyes were cold and calculating as he pulled me up so that our faces were inches apart. “You’re beautiful, too.” His eyes raked over my frame, remaining on my chest far too long for my comfort.
“You wanna give me a taste?” he leered, his head cocked to the side. His fingers moved to my top, unbuttoning the first three buttons.
“You touch me again you won’t see a dime,” I replied, my tone far braver than I felt. I was dangerously close to completely losing any semblance of bravery.
If my father had in fact orchestrated this, I had to at least cling to the hope he’d request I be unharmed. I wanted to curl up in a ball and scream for Axel, but that wouldn’t get me back to him or Maddox any faster.
He shrugged and licked his lips. “You’re probably right. Might be worth it, though.”
“Come on, Aron, stop fucking around,” Jeb cut in, using the man’s name for the first time.
Aron turned his dark eyes to Jeb, shoving me back onto the bed as he stalked in his direction. He punched Jeb hard in the face and I reeled back in shock as the two men began to fight in earnest. “You do not call the shots, boy. You got that?” Aron grunted as he gained the upper hand.
I used their distraction to my advantage. I couldn’t make it to the front door since they were right in front of it, but I sprinted to the bathroom, locking it behind me. My whole body shook with panic as they immediately began banging on the door. I vaulted up to the tiny window, trying with all my might to shove it open. It groaned and rattled in protest on its hinges before I opened it with enough force to shatter the glass.
If I was injured, the adrenalin pumping through my veins made it so I didn’t feel anything but the fierce need to escape. I was able to hoist myself through the small space screaming the entire time, praying someone would call the police. I landed in the concrete hallway and started to run. I didn’t know where the hell I was going, but putting the motel behind me was all I cared about.
I staggered into the parking lot looking frantically right and then left, hoping it’d be clear which way to turn.
I heard the rumble of bikes before I saw them. For a moment, I was terrified it was Black Riders until I saw the familiar bikes and SUVs come careening into view.
It was the most beautiful sight I’d ever seen.
I fell to my knees, the superhuman strength I’d been exhibiting leaving me in a rush now that I knew I was rescued.
“Fuck!” I heard Axel’s voice roar as car doors slammed and bike engines cut to silence all around me. He was soon sliding to his knees in front of me, his large hands cupping my jaw, his gentleness juxtaposing his thunderous expression. “Baby,” his voice caught as he assessed the damage.
From his expression, I was guessing I didn’t look too good. I was aware of activity around me. Many of the guys went running toward the motel shouting commands to each other.
I was finally able to ask the one question that had been burning in my brain since this had all started. “Maddox?” I rasped out.
“He’s fine, baby,” Axel was quick to reassure me.
“Shit, Sophie.” Sal’s tense voice came to me from above. I looked up to find my brother staring down at me with pain and anger glittering in his dark eyes.
“Where are you hurt?” Axel demanded as his eyes roamed my face.
“I-I think just my face and where the glass from the window cut me,” I answered, confused and overwhelmed. “I’m kind of out of it.” I looked down at my bloody arms. It was as though I was having an out of body experience, like this wasn’t really happening to me.
“What do you mean?” he asked with quiet intensity.
“He knocked me out with something and then I got smacked around pretty good,” I murmured, my hands moving to my throbbing temples. Had I been thinking clearly I would have thought more about what this news would do to him.
His expre
ssion froze, his eyes blazing with fury.
He stood, lifting me in his arms bridal style as Sal strode alongside us. Suddenly, gunshots pierced the evening air and my whole body shook with renewed fear. If anyone I cared about got hurt over this, I’d never forgive myself.
Axel lifted me into the passenger side of an SUV and quickly draped his jacket over me. I hadn’t realized that my clothes were torn to shreds. He turned to me with an expression so dark I barely recognized him. “Your brother is going to take you to get checked out. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” His gaze locked on the motel beyond.
“What? You can’t leave me!” I exclaimed in a panic, clutching his shirt in my hands.
Sal put a hand on his shoulder, the only display of friendship I’d seen between them since I’d been back. Despite the initial truce they’d come to in Dallas, things had still been tense between them.
“I know what you’re feeling, brother. Believe me, I do,” Sal grit out. “But she needs you right now more than you need retribution. Got me?”
Axel’s massive chest heaved as he blew out a ragged breath, trying to pull himself together. He looked like a caged beast as he met my brother’s gaze. “Their blood. It’s mine,” he growled, pointing a finger toward the motel. “You promise me that.”
“I swear it,” Sal agreed, grasping the back of Axel’s neck as the two men touched foreheads briefly. “Take care of my sister. She needs you.” I knew this was huge for them both.
Axel blew out a breath trying to rein in his anger. “Yeah, man,” he agreed just as the guys returned hauling Aron and Jeb forcefully out to the parking lot.
Axel strode over to where Cole restrained Jeb, his long legs eating the space as he moved to take Jeb’s neck in his firm grip. I couldn’t hear what he said but Jeb’s face paled more than it already was.
Then he was returning to me, his expression softening as he pulled my seatbelt on before moving around to the driver’s side.
“No hospital,” I mumbled, fighting against my drooping eyelids. The adrenaline had fully crashed and I was feeling it.
“Babe,” he protested.
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